Posted on 03/29/2008 3:39:55 AM PDT by EBH
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Ask about hops at the American Flatbread brewpub in Burlington, Vt., and you're likely to find yourself in cold storage, in the cellar, with brewer and co-owner Paul Sayler.
Cloistered toward the back, a dozen or so half-full foil bags of hop pellets, hoarded last year, sit on a shelf. Sayler opens a bag, cradles the hops in his hands and takes a whiff of the signature fragrance that microbrew aficionados crave.
"This is my little meager trove of hops," mourns Sayler, glancing at what's left on the rack: some German Spalt and Tetnang varieties, a half-pound of Fuggles, and a few boxes of Simcoe.
As of the middle of March, his distributor hasn't been able to deliver any of this year's contracted hop supply. The short supply has affected Sayler's choice of brews and forced some ingredient substitutions.
"We're down to the last of what we've got. This will be maybe three or four brews' worth of hops, and then I'm done," he says quietly.
If you love craft beer, that's not something you want to hear.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
Is it just me, or does it seem that more and more, things are breaking down in society? That things we’ve always taken for granted are going away?
It sort of feels as if the world’s becoming more and more like that in “Atlas Shrugged.”
Mark
I’ve always said that things won’t change in the U.S. until beer prices soar!
Because Barack has cornered the market on hops this year...
That is a sure thing. Ayn had it figured out and she told us, we just didn’t listen.
The brewers who have to “scrounge” for hops are not “less fortunate;” .They just refuse to look at the history of the brewing industry. The purchasing of hop futures is a more-than-100-year-old practice, built around hop shortages that have taken place in the past.
Smart brewers play in the futures market, just to avoid wild swings in hops prices or having to go around, hat in hand, and beg for hops.
It’s just another sign of the business immaturity of some craft breweries.
I've got Liberty, Goldings, and Fuggles in the back yard. I harvested a about 5 pounds last year. That's more than enough for my little home based craft brewing operation.
L
Homebrewing and commercial brewing are different animals. You know that.
Business owners who don't factor raw material availability into their plans have made a crucial mistake.
L
“Business owners who don’t factor raw material availability into their plans have made a crucial mistake.”
That’s the point of buying hop futures, especially the more esoteric hops.
http://beerinfood.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/hop-onomics-101/
I wonder what I could get for a couple of pounds of Fuggles these days...
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.