E85 Hits Americans Where It Hurts: Beer
The Great Ethanol Boondoggle continues to evoke the law of unintended (if not unanticipated) consequences. The Economist reports that American farmers in the Pacific Northwest have switched from hops and barley production to corn. The federal tit sucking has sent the price of beer's basic ingredients skyrocketing. "Hit by price increases and shortages, many breweries, particularly the small 'craft brewers' and the even smaller microbreweries, are being forced to raise prices, make do with modified recipes or shut off the spigots altogether." Vanilla Java Porter and Salvation IPA fans aren't the only ones dreading their next trip to the cash register. "Industry giants like Anheuser-Busch and Miller are better off, thanks to long-term contracts. But even Anheuser-Busch has been forced to raise prices for its six-packs." Fuel or beer? Could this be the beginning of the end for ethanol? [thanks to chanman for the link]
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Let me know when E100 stations are available {mental imagery from a Simpsons episode where Homer is at a gas station taking turns filling his car and himself with ethanol. "One for me, one for you. One for me, one for you."}
jazbo123...I'll meet you there.
I'm going to have to go with the beer because it is better in the long run and E85 will destroy any chance of better solutions and economic productivity. Why you ask? Because cheap beer in the cornerstone of higher education in this country. Without colleges will cease to function properly and those guys currently wittling bongs out of potatoes will never finish their degrees and create a viable alternative fuel.
[...] [Source: The Economist via TTAC] [...]