Rising beer prices could leave you tapped out

MSNBC.com ^ | By Alex Johnson

[DeaconBenjamin]

Small brewers line up to pay premium prices for scarce ingredients

Double-whammy shortages of two main ingredients are threatening to send the price of beer significantly higher, just in time for the national drinking holiday known as Super Bowl Sunday.

* * *

In September, Martin paid $4 for a pound for hops. By late October, he said, it was $50 a pound. Likewise, barley prices have almost doubled in the same period.

Just a few weeks ago, George Peterson, owner of Central Coast Brewery in San Luis Obispo, Calif., spent $160 to brew a batch of beer equal to eight kegs. Last week, he was spending a staggering $920 per batch.

[mamelukesabre]

40s are generally malt liquor, not beer. No hops, lots of corn sugar added.

[modican]

Rising beer prices could leave you tapped out

Switch to Kester, cheap brand Brandy, 6.99$ for a good size bottle, the resulting Brain humm equals to 15 Beer. I pay that much for 1.4 Beer in a Bar.

[redhead]

In the good old days, we could just buy a gallon of hop-flavored malt syrup. With a 5-pound bag of sugar and a 3-pack of dried yeast, we could make a 25-gallon Unfortunately, that syrup is no longer available, but it made a very tasty homebrew.

[Rush4U]

Ahh, as you can tell, I’m not a drinker! Thanks for the lesson though.

[mamelukesabre]

Start simple. Forget the wort chiller and the propane boiling setup.

step 1: sanitize your fermentation bucket and rinse thouroghly, then put approx 3.5 gallons of cold water in your fermentation bucket and set it outside on a very cold day.

step 2: sanitize an ordinary drinking glass with cheap vodka and fill 1/4 full with pure distilled water. Add yeast packet, swirl around untill mixed up well and set aside.

Step 3: boil a gallon of water and two cans of hopped malt syrup on the stove for 30-45 minutes. (or one can of hopped and one can of unhopped, or one can of hopped and 2-3 lbs or so of corn sugar)

Step 4: set your water glass containing yeast in a bowl of hot water to warm it up.

Step 5: boil some tea with sugar in it. Then put a tablespoon or two of the sweet tea into your yeast. The tea adds nutrients to your yeast and makes it multiply faster. It’s important that the sugar is boiled WITH the tea. The sugar needs to be sanitized. Karo brand corn syrup works too...even if it has vanila flavoring, that’s fine.

Step 6: Bring in your super cold fermentation bucket and dump in your boiled wort.

Step 7: By now your yeast should have a nice thick foamy head and your fermentation bucket should be about 78-80 degrees. Pour in the yeast and add the lid. If you use a fermentation lock, use cheap vodka in it, not water or bleach solution.

EASY, NOTHING TO IT.

[-=SoylentSquirrel=-]

I just don’t like Mead. Go figure....

Do you like lambic?

[Gondring]

Classically

[Thebaddog]

It’s not just percapata. Wisconsin drinks the most Brandy period. 75% of all Brandy consumed anywhere, is consumed in Cheesconsin.

[knews_hound]

I add Honey or Candi Sugar to my “Liquid Panty Remover” a Duvel Clone to up the ABV yet keep the color SRM 5 or so.

The Lambics I can take or leave. Some of the more ..., unusual yeast profiles are just not my cup of tea.

Cheers,

knewshound

[jonrick46]

Alton Brown of the Food Network has a good method with his recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_20302,00.html

[Sawdring]

I add Honey or Candi Sugar to my “Liquid Panty Remover” a Duvel Clone to up the ABV yet keep the color SRM 5 or so.

Isn't it just easier to add Rohypnol?

[mamelukesabre]

I hope you mean 75% of brandy consumed in america.

[mamelukesabre]

Just curious...do you apply this directly to the panty and scrape/peel, or do you let it soak for awhile and let the panty fall off on it’s own?

[mamelukesabre]

THat’s a big batch of beer. I think too big for a first try.

[knews_hound]

That would take all the challenge out of it, and besides, I am a DIY kind of guy....

Cheers,

knewshound

[LibLieSlayer]

Very interesting data. Thanks for the insight. You could have left off the stupid part.

LLS

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

At least Budweiser has nothing to worry about since the main grain they use is rice.

Just the recipe to get the great unwashed to swill their swill.

"Tastes great and it's much cheaper than those snooty micro-brews! Drink up!"

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I recorded and burned to DVD his "Amber Waves" episode of "Good Eats".

It makes for good viewing when you are getting ready to brew up a batch. Keeps the basic right in your face so you can't screw up.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

My Rolling Rock just went from $4.99 to $5.19. Robbery!

I hope that's not for a 12 pack of bottles.
Around here it's $10.49 for a 12 pack of bottles. I've noticed the ad signs, thinking it a good price.
I don't drink the stuff m'self...I'm an ale man. Smithwick's or SA Boston Ale.

[jonrick46]

It makes seven gallons. Most recipes I have seen make between four and seven gallons.

The first home brew I made was with my grandfather using a crock pot, a three pound tin of hop flavored Blue Ribbon Malt extract, 10 lbs of sugar, ten gallons of water and a package of Fleischmann’s Yeast. We did not even use an air lock system (just a terry cloth towel to cover it). He had beer year round. The biggest expense will be the bottle top applier (Make sure you use non-screw top bottles).