The media has recently been full of warnings about global warming, carbon footprints and our changing world. One of the “in” things is bio-fuel we are being told how this will save the planet and is the answer to our fuel problems. That may or may not be true, but what it’s doing is seriously increasing the price of your pint. A year ago the price of barley, the grain used to make the malt which helps turn water into ber, was $400 a ton, the price today is $1020 a ton. Why? Because a large part of the barley crop has been sold to the manufacturers of bio-fuels (who receive huge grants form their governments to buy the stuff) the surplus barley is being fought over by brewers who are being forced to buy a limited quantity at a very high price. This is inevitably going to increase the price of your pint.

On New Years Eve I was speaking to the head brewer of one of Cumbria’s major breweries, he told me that they couldn’t possibly pass on the full increase in the cost of brewing to the public, it would become more expensive than drinkers would be prepared to pay. They are going to have to cut the amount of profit they make on their beer to keep those prices down. It isn’t only malt, hops have doubled, and more, in price and we all know about the petrol and deisel price increases. There has been much talk about 2008 being the year of the £4 pint, don’t think it couldn’t happen!

 So, how do you ensure that your favourite beer remains at a price you can afford? Buy locally, assuming you live in Lancashire keep supporting brewers like John Smith at Hart. The fact that his beers are top-notch almost goes without saying, but you don’t win titles like “Ice Maiden - Champion Beer of Lancashire” (judged in a blind tasting by CAMRA members against beers from every brewery within Lancashire’s historic boundaries and that includes Manchester and Liverpool). It is a local beer, John has pledged to absorb as much of the increse in costs as his business can stand, his increase to landlords should only put two to three pence on a pint of his beers. Because they are a local brewery there is very little in transport costs to be added. Even cheaper, contact the brewery to buy the polypins of beautiful, fresh, cask-conditioned beer.

More ramblings very soon.