“Ethanol has nothing to do with hop growing.”
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BS!
By all means, explain how ethanol production has anything to do with hops.
"A global shortage of hops, combined with a run-up in barley prices, is sending a chill through Arizona's craft-beer industry.
Brewers are dealing with a 10 to 15 percent shortfall in the worldwide supply of hops, largely caused by farmers cutting back on the cropyields diminished by rain and drought.
Papazian attributed the barley prices to ethanol subsidies that have raised the price of corn, the main ingredient in the alternative fuel. As a result, farmers have switched to barley for livestock feed, which has pushed up prices.
The hops situation is more complex. Years of overproduction and low prices led farmers to replace hops fields with more profitable crops. Add to that corn subsidies that have caused farmers to replace hops fields with corn, a drought in Australia that affected yields and heavy rains in Europe that ruined much of this year's crop.