Oh The Humanity!!!!

[Diego in Seattle]

Beer drinkers beware: 4 percent of U.S. hops crop burns
POSTED: 9:53 a.m. EDT, October 3, 2006
YAKIMA, Washington (AP) -- Federal investigators were set Tuesday to begin an investigation into a fire that ruined about 4 percent of America's yield of hops, used as flavoring in the brewing of beer and ale.

The fire started shortly before noon Monday in a 40,000-square-foot (3,600-square-meter) warehouse operated by S.S. Steiner Inc., one of the four largest hop buyers in the Yakima Valley of central Washington. By mid-afternoon flames engulfed most of the building, sending up plumes of smoke and a pungent aroma.

Municipal fire crews, aided by regional firefighters, ripped away metal siding to shoot water directly onto the hops.

Based on an industry official's estimate of the quantity of hops in the warehouse, the loss could amount to $3.5 million to $4 million. The impact on brewers and beer prices was unclear early Tuesday.

Company President Paul Signorotti would not comment.

The United States produces 24 percent of the world's hops, and about three-fourths of the U.S. crop comes from the Yakima Valley. Hops were a $77 million crop in Washington state in 2004. More than 40 families grow hops in the valley, which is dotted with orchards, vineyards and farms.

Fires have long been an expensive danger at hop warehouses, largely because of the potential for spontaneous combustion from heat buildup in bales of resin-loaded varieties.

"That's just a possibility that we'll look at," East Valley Deputy Chief Mike Riel told the Yakima Herald-Republic, "but it is very high on the list."

No one was in the warehouse when the fire started, Riel said.

With the fire under control Monday night, authorities told the newspaper an investigation into the cause would be led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Steiner is part of the Steiner Group of Germany, one of the largest international hop growing, trading and processing companies in the world. The Yakima branch manages Steiner's North American buying and processing, according to the company Web site.

Besides being one of the largest growers in the valley, Steiner is one of three large merchants that buy from other growers in the area. The others are John I. Haas Inc., the grower-owned cooperative Yakima Chief and Hop Union, which specializes in sales to craft brewers.

The fire destroyed or ruined about 10,000 bales, each weighing about 200 pounds (90 kilograms) and likely worth $1.75 to $2 a pound, Ann George, administrator of the Washington Hops Commission in nearby Moxee, told the Herald-Republic.

Seventeen varieties of hops are grown in the United States, including aroma varieties which are added for flavor or fragrance and the bitter alpha varieties.

[Wolfman]

I'm guessing this will have no bearing
on the future price of Beast Light !

[Goober McTuber]

Not unless a large number
of horses died in the fire--
thus driving up the price of
horse urine.

[Headhunter]

I thought we
were talking about
beast light,
not coors.

[silvurna]

Looks like I picked a bad week to quit taking Haldol.

[Luther]

Nothing better than
Beast Light--and a dip
in my pool.

'Canes are gone so
I'll unbarren the
hatches!!

Rip City

[Wolfman]

btw---
I'm not "unbarrening" my hatches yet !!
although-- things are looking clear---

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/FULLDISK/GMIR.JPG

[silvurna]

unbatten?

[PSUFAN]

I'm guessing this will have no bearing
on the future price of Beast Light !

Are hops used in that product? Other than the ones that I perform to get around the cases and to the good stuff toward the back of the beer distributor?

[The phantorino]

Now beer prices wil rise until the Mid-terms, so that winner can say they brought it down. Do we bleeive this? is it gouging?







It doesn't matter - it's only American Beer.