During the past several years, craft breweries have been cropping up nationwide at an incredible rate. In 2013, 2,500 craft breweries spanned the country鈥攏early 500 more than just two years previously. Now farmers in Washington are wondering if their hops will keep up with demand.
Although the state with the highest concentration of microbreweries per capita is Vermont, Washington produces 79 percent of the country’s hops鈥攁bout 54.9 million pounds in 2013鈥.
Demand for aroma hops over the more common alpha hops, combined with warmer summer temperatures in desertlike eastern Washington, means breweries might soon be rationing their batches, reports the聽.听
Craft brews currently make up only 10 percent of the beer market, but that percentage is expected to rise dramatically. Add that to a surge of interest in home brewing and the potential for a hops shortage in the future just might drive you to drink (for a while, at least).