The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported awhile back (June… yeah, I’m a little behind) that beer prices are destined to rise due to a hops shortage. Why the shortage?

1. “The shortage is the result of recent drought in Australia and flooding in Europe that destroyed much of their crops”

thus forcing beermakers to turn to…

2. “U.S. hops supplies that already were strained by a movement to plant more profitable crops like corn”

Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. Turns out another key beer-making ingredient is also in low supply:

“The situation is worsened by a decrease in the production of barley, another key ingredient in beer, because of the conversion of fields to corn for ethanol”

Yes, ethanol, specifically corn-based ethanol, is again contributing to the demise of our country. I don’t need to get into all of the reasons why corn is such a horrible alternative fuel source (there are already many resources explaining it), but I can tell you that the pressure to produce ethanol from corn in the US was not driven by science… it was driven by $… gotta love lobbyists and the politicians who are greedy enough or stupid enough to listen to them.

“Meanwhile, breweries are looking at producing types of beer that require less hops, infusing them with herbs and spices to add flavor.”

Hops-less beer… it’s a brave new world…

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exercise – 3/25/09

5:30 am – sprints, plate cleans, & pushups 9:13 RX

4 pm – 1/2 hr swim (front crawl, side stroke, underwaters)

7pm – 5 sets: 3 push press, 5 push jerk. worked up to successful sets of 155# PP and 175# PJ

notes: a bit tired this morning (passed on my morning swim in favor of extra sleep), but otherwise I’ve been feeling strong these last two days. Felt really off on Monday for my first Fran ever, so I’m pleased with how well I handled two 3-a-days in a row (Tuesday was a swim, trail run, and power yoga). I need to be more proactive and intentional with my diet, and I’m a little low on sleep (at about 6-7 hrs per night right now). Tonight will be a quick workout at Crossfit, and taking care of overdue duties at home. Will continue to do GTG style pushups, pullups & abs on a random basis.

(10 days to PJ tryout)

(24 days to socal crossfit qualifier)