The turmoil in the beer supply chain over the past year and a half has created many challenges for breweries of all sizes. Fortunately, the supply shortages did not extend to the two main raw materials for beer: malt and hops. While there have certainly been disruptions in the shipping and transportation of some raw materials, agricultural products themselves have been a relatively undisturbed area.
Unfortunately, that could change on the malt side, as 2021 brought a smaller barley crop with potential heat and drought damage in the US and Canada (we’ll get a better idea on September 30 with the USDA Small Grains Summary). You can read more about culture in the September update from the Supply Chain Subcommittee.
On the hop side – the June area and September Scholarships reports continue to paint a more positive picture when it comes to hop supply. On the contrary, the growth in September stocks, reaching their highest level on record, shows an industry that has built up a significant reserve against future disruptions, with September stocks at 116% of the year’s total crop size. former. Essentially, there is a full year of backup hops in storage if something disrupts a future harvest (whether the stored varieties are all lined up with use is another story, but I digress).
One of the reasons the hop industry has been willing to invest in larger crops and increased storage capacity is clear communication from brewers about hop needs and future use. To that end, I invite you to complete our new and updated commodity survey. This survey has been streamlined (read: it’s much shorter than before), with the aim of providing clear benchmarks on hops and malt usage to growers and retailers when outlining their plans for 2022.
Deadline: October 29
If you have a few minutes in the next month (deadline: October 29) – please fill it out. Having accurate benchmarks on the demand for craft raw materials allows the Brewers Association to clearly communicate the importance of the needs of small brewers to groups such as Hop Growers of America, Hop Research Council, National Barley Growers Association, American Malting Barley Association and Brewing and Malting Barley. Research Institute in Canada.
