How to Solve Global Warming? Charge More for Beer
April 23, 2008 · Print This Article
Want to get the bitter, unwashed, gun and religion clinging masses to care about Global Warming? Make ‘em pay more to get liquored up after a hard swing shift at the widget factory.
Gothamist has it:
Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger blames the drought in Australia on global warming and says rising temperatures will continue to deplete barley yields. In the U.S., a decrease in hops production has been especially damaging to microbreweries that don’t have the same leverage as major beer producers. Shane Welch, brewmaster at Six Point Craft Ales in Red Hook, predicts the cost of the most sought-after hops will skyrocket “50, 70, 120, 200 percent” in the next few years. And Kelly Taylor, brewmaster for Kelso of Brooklyn beers in Clinton Hill, tells the Post that his malt prices shot up 50 percent in one year.
In the shorter term, industry professionals are predicting a 10-15 percent price jump for the consumer. But a group of activists in Queens are getting off their duffs to try and do something about it before it’s too late. Last night the Queens County Young Democrats held a “Save the Ales” forum at the Sly Fox Inn in Fresh Meadows. They even got City Councilman James Gennaro to be the keynote speaker, though it’s unclear exactly how much ale they were able to save last night.
Link [Gothamist]
Photo credit: Flickr user Surfstyle
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Sam Adams Brewing last year offered to resell some of its hops to smaller breweries at cost during our hops shortage (which I believe was not nearly as bad as the Aussies’).
I looked into their offer, and it seemed genuine. They were actually trying to make sure microbreweries didn’t fall by the wayside. As far as macro-brews, they’re my favorite.
They’re no New Belgium (who’s whole brewery is renewably powered and who’s company culture revolves around cycling and conservation), however. Still, cool. Of course, living in the home town of the Sierra Nevada Brewery, my New Belgium defection might get me exiled from town… so shhhh
I was only discussing this with Toupee Ron in the pub the other day. We had both called in sick with hangovers after a ‘Friday Night Beaver’ session, where we don our beer goggles and hope the girls are wearing theirs before we hit them with classic one-liners guaranteed to have them begging to make us breakfast.
It’s a strange preoccupation with most men, because after a session on the lash I usually fall asleep the moment I get home with her and the last thing I want in the morning is offal in stomach linings and greasy eggs.
We were pondering on this preordained human condition of boy chases girl wearing the aforementioned beauty enhancers when Ron mentioned that the UK loses almost 15 million work days per year through alcohol-related illness.
My sudden rush of guilt was quickly assuaged when I realised that meant in one year alone 15 million people were not travelling to work and hence reducing their carbon footprint.
Furthermore, by staying off the roads and trains they had made other commuter’s travelling more efficient, saving yet more fuel emissions. Still further, the machines they operated were also silent thereby reducing pressures on resources.
Upon hearing this discourse we were joined in celebration of the brewing industry’s efforts in saving our planet by Darren the Ratcatcher. He promptly got a round in and said that with all this beer drinking they would soon have to plant more hops, which, he pointed out, would go someway to replenishing the world’s oxygen via the simple process of photosynthesis.
We returned to the bar for a refill when Ron mentioned how hot it was in the pub – it being crammed with people.
“Still”, I said. “It beats putting the heating on at home. Pint?”
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