If you think the worst part about global warming is sea level rise, loss of Arctic habitat, or any of the other oft-mentioned perils of a destabilized and warming climate, you are wrong. A little discussed and often overlooked consequence of global warming is quickly coming back to bite us in the beer glass.
Hops and barley are in global decline due to an unprecedented drought in hops/barley exporting countries-like most of Europe and Australia. Beer is God’s gift to mankind. Benjamin Franklin codified this news when he said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” But a draught drought or rising prices mean either consuming less beer (yeah right, that would be blasphemous) or paying more for our lip-smacking libations. Those of us who consider beer to be one of the major food groups (in addition to manna from heaven) are going to suffer…either in our well-being or in our wallets. Perhaps even both. In fact, when I purchased beer just the other day, the store owner warned that prices would rise as early as his next shipment! Even Budweiser is raising prices, he said.
My sense, however, is that we don’t have to sit back and wait for global warming to send our stouts, porters, IPAs, and, hell, even PBRs into the realm of luxurious commodities accessible only to the rich and famous–something to be traded on Wall Street rather than swilled on Bourbon Street. We can be proactive with global warming solutions and keep our beers (and our bellies) if we want to.
Like I always say, global warming has a little something in store for everyone. It’s consequences like this that take your left-wing, enviro-commie “hoaxes” and turn them into issues that your average alcoholic can get behind. I can’t wait to see signs that say “Alcoholics for Clean Energy” or rallies where people chant “We want beer guts and fossil fuel subsidy cuts!”
You don’t have to be an environmentalist to know it’s time to get serious if we want to Save the Ales!
