Barley Shortage?

[whynot]

Our local TV just did a story on a bad Barley harvest this past fall. Apparently the Dakotas, Minnesota,mans Canada had unfavorable weather during the harvest (lots of snow), so the total harvest was low and grain quality suffered. They interviewd the people at Lakefront and New Glarus who agreed it is a problem, but put faith in QC so consumers would not notice. New Glarus may import barley from Europe. Lakefront sources barley in Montana so was less concerned. They interviewed a LHBS guy (complete with ominously near empty barley buckets) who said pay more or add other grains to keep brewing.

Don't know if this is real, or standard TV blowing things out of proportion, but thought it worth deluding.

Just bottled a Brown Eyed Girl (with Borg inspired adjustments ), and am setting up to try a batch in the conical.

[FedoraDave]

Well, it is what it is. Whether it's been overblown by the media (which happens a scandalous amount of the time -- "The killer in your bathroom! Tonight at eleven!" Yeah, there's water in my bathroom, and it'll kill me if I start inhaling huge amounts of it), or whether it's a real crisis that's going to impact the price of both commercial beer and homebrewing, it's just something that happens.

Either way, it isn't going to change my brewing habits.

[FrozenInTime]

I don't believe anything the bloated media shouts but I hope they are wrong. If so, I will figure out how to prepare it myself, I have access to a truck load of ND Barley.

[Chuck N]

Just try to name an industry that doesn't at least attempt to create it's own shortages. Or the illusion of said.