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[2007.12.19]Trouble brewing 酝酿中的问题（代发）
这篇是我同学翻的，她刚注册，两小时不能发言，我带帮她发了
The beer crisis
啤酒危机
Trouble brewing
酝酿中的问题
Dec 19th 2007 | ST LOUIS
From The Economist print edition
A shortage of hops threatens Christmas
蛇麻短缺预示着一个不快乐的圣诞节
JUST as the festive season gets going, drinkers in America are finding their favourite beer suddenly more expensive or even—horrors!—not available at all. Hit by price increases and shortages, many breweries, particularly the small “craft brewers” and the even smaller microbreweries, are being forced to raise prices, make do with modified recipes or shut off the spigots altogether.
欢乐融融的圣诞节即将来临，在美国那些爱喝啤酒的人们发现他们最喜爱的啤酒突然很贵甚至可以说是出奇的贵，根本买不起。受到价格上涨和供货紧张的影响，许多酿酒厂特别是那些小型手工啤酒厂和更小的微量型啤酒厂不得不抬高价格，采用改良配方和减少生产来应付这一窘境。
The humble hop, the plant that gives beer its distinctive flavour, is the main problem. Many farmers in the Pacific north-west, where America's hop production is concentrated, have turned to more profitable lines—especially corn, which can be made into ethanol. The decrease in hop production, put at some 50% over the past decade, has sent prices through the roof. Brian Owens, the brewmaster of the O'Fallon Brewery near St Louis, Missouri, says that the variety he once bought for $3 a pound (0.45kg) now costs five times that. Many smaller breweries cannot find what they need at any price. Industry giants like Anheuser-Busch and Miller are better off, thanks to long-term contracts. But even Anheuser-Busch has been forced to raise prices for its six-packs.
蛇麻是导致啤酒价格上涨的主要原因，这种植物是使啤酒具有独特香味的原料之一。美洲的蛇麻生产地主要集中在西北太平洋地区，现在这里的农民已经种植了其他农作物特别是更有利可图的玉米，因为玉米可以用来制作酒精。在过去10年里蛇麻的产量减少了一半，这就促使它的价格达到了顶峰。位于美国密苏里州圣路易斯市的O'Fallon Brewery啤酒厂的酿酒专家布莱恩欧文说，他曾经购买蛇麻的价格是每0.45公斤3美元而现在的价格则是原来的5倍。许多小啤酒厂无论如何在这样的境况下不知道需要做什么。行业巨头啤酒制造商安海斯布希和Miller都签署了长期合同，所以他们的境况比较好些。但是安海斯布希也不得不由于啤酒的纸包装箱成本的增加而提高啤酒价格。
Without their supply of hops, some smaller producers are going out of business, bringing to a halt the fastest-growing segment of the industry. Other craft brewers and brewpubs are experimenting with new recipes, hoping their customers will adapt.
由于蛇麻供应不足，一些小啤酒厂已经停业，从而停止了快速发展的市场细分局势。其他的手工啤酒厂和出售自制啤酒的酒馆正在研制新的配方以降低成本可以让顾客买得起。
The hops shortage is only part of the problem. Things are no better for barley, used to make the malt that yeast turns into alcohol. It too has been ploughed under in favour of corn. Crop failures in Australia and Europe, combined with the weak dollar, have made it harder to replace the shortage with imports. Other price increases, of fuel, glass and metal, add to the pressure. Not such a merry Christmas.
蛇麻供不应求只是导致啤酒价格上涨的部分原因。过去用大麦制作麦芽来发酵酒精，而现在这种啤酒的原材料也开始供应紧张了。因为农民也取而代之大麦种植利润较高的玉米了。由于在澳大利亚和欧洲作物歉收再加上美元贬值，用进口缓减啤酒原材料短缺的选择对于啤酒商来说更加困难了。另外燃料、玻璃和金属价格的上涨对这些啤酒商真是雪上加霜。这个圣诞节并不快乐。 |
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