How to Solve Global Warming? Charge More for Beer

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

Great Green Design: The Heineken Bottle That Doubles as a Building Material

Here’s another wickedly smart green design idea- manufacture beer bottles so they can be reused as a building material.

Heineken manufactured these purely awesome bottles back in 1963 because one of their brewers saw the lack of cheap building materials and the glut of beachside bottle litter while on vacation in the Caribbean. Functional, green, economical, and gorgeous to boot. We need more of this.

Link [Frostfirezoo]