All across the board, it seems the price of beer is likely to continue to rise, and for a number of different reasons.

News from Rhode Island this week about a proposed bill that would increase the state tax on beer. This tax increase would be for a good cause, as it would pay for state run alcohol treatment programs. I guess if that’s the price we have to pay to get people sober so the rest of us can drink, then so be it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this all around the country.

News from brewer Grolsch that disappointing harvests this year have left us with a shortage of hops and barley, leading to obvious price increases. In addition, rising fuel costs worldwide have also contributed to the hike in beer prices.

And in a bit of irony, and probably a the biggest contributor of price increase in the long run, is the amount of crops being grown. So what are we growing instead? Well, because of our interest in ethanol fuel production, crops that once were home to barley are now being used for the soybeans and corn we get that ethanol from. I guess we can’t win either way.

I for one, don’t mind paying more for beer if it means less reliance on fuel and for others to have less reliance on beer. Make any sense?

Maybe we should all just start brewing ourselves and all these problems can be averted!