Beer is being hit on multiple fronts right now as are most industries. Not only are hops being affected price wise, but so is malting grade barley. This year alone the prices are up 30% due to increased transport costs, bad harvests (Europe and Canada this time and the US crop was lower quality than usual) and more. While not as dramatic as the 300% price jump for hops, it's equally significant since you're using 10x more barley per batch.

Oh and then you've got glass prices (a prime culprit in the earlier German mention) and on and on. It's a tough time for friend's who are opening places. The bigger breweries (Sierra Nevada, Stone, New Belgium, Dogfish Head...) were smart in securing contracts, but even then you had suppliers either flat out of hops or refusing to sell at the negotiated rate.

It will be interesting to see if in the face of the economy and economic pressures the US Craft Beer Industry can maintain its impressive growth of the the past few years.

You'll notice the increased attempts by the big 3 to move to market with "craft-like" beers. Michelob, for instance, is being used to push a Marzen, a Wheat and a line of Ultra flavored Amber beers. Miller has just launched their line of "Craft Done Light" craft style beers, a Wheat, Blonde and Amber. All of this in addition to Coors/Molson's expansion of the "Blue Moon" lineup and A-B's non Michelob craft beer killers, Bare Knuckle, Pacific Ridge, Beach Bum Blonde, etc.

Why? Because the Big 3's sales are flat, or as flat as a big company ever wants to see them. They see these moves as necessary to show the stock holders that they're continuing to stave off the market erosion from Craft Beer, while buddying/merging with major import brands (the Ambev lineup of Stella, Hoegaarden for instance) or buying distribution rights to regional micros like RedHook, Goose Island or Old Dominion.

One last disturbing bit out of the hop crisis. It's true fields are being replanted and full relief will be 3 years or so out, but we're losing many of our distinctive aroma varieties. Hops have 3 major roles in brewing, bittering, flavoring and aroma. Typically a variety is suited towards bittering or flavoring/aroma. The flavoring/aroma hops have less bittering potential (Alpha Acid %age) and oil blends that push forward Grapefruit/Orange, Piney or Spicy/Woody/Herbal aromas. The majority of hops are processed into hop bitterness extracts so the lions share of profit is found in growing hops with the highest Alpha Acid levels possible. So, the farmers coming online aren't planting the aroma varieties to any great extent.

For many micros the fear now is that with the exception of Cascade (think Sierra Nevada Pale Ale's Orange/Grapefruit aroma), we're going to lose lower AA distinctive beasts like Liberty, Willamette and Ultra (already gone, sadly).

Oh and the UK with their distinctive East Kent Goldings and Fuggles? Almost every last acre of hop land is in the hands of one older farmer. Speculation points to his family breaking the farms up for real estate once he passes.

Yeah, ok, I take this way, way too seriously.