Utah Brewery Map

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Beer & Air


If you like clean air and beer(shit who doesn't). You may have to sacrifice a little bit of one for the other. Retail prices for beer at supermarkets and other stores were up 3% in May from a year earlier, the biggest increase in 2½ years, according to the latest data from the Labor Department. Those going out on the town will also pay more for suds. Prices for beer consumed away from home were up 3.8% in May from a year earlier.

The gains are in part a result of rising costs for malting barley, one of the main ingredients in our beloved beer. So, "why is barley suddenly so expensive"? Well a booming ethanol market is to blame. "But Mikey, they don't use barley in the production of ethanol". That's correct my friend, corn is the main distillate for ethanol. All those farmers and ranchers that use corn for their livestock feed are finding that corns availability isn't what it once was and are now looking to other food sources(Wheat and barley) to supplement the needs of they're livestock.

We pay a lot for beer as it is in Utah. And I know that it'll get worse before it gets better. I Just hope paying a little more in this case is a sign things are improving on some environmental front.

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