Rice shortage? Who cares?

There's a hops shortage!

With millions of hectares being given over to the government-endorsed-and-subsidized switch to biofuels, the commodities crisis has begun to affect our favorite tipple: BEER.

Gortemiller isn't acting on a spurt of creativity. He's coping with a
worldwide shortage of hops -- the spice of beer. The dry cones of a
particular flowering vine, hops are what give your favorite brew its
flavor and aroma. Prices of the commodity are skyrocketing as hop
supplies have plummeted, forcing smaller brewmasters around the United
States to begin quietly tweaking their recipes, in ways that are easily
discerned by serious imbibers.

...

The beer-brewing situation demonstrates how the global-commodity
shortage is spilling over to affect diverse industries in unexpected
ways. The hop shortage lives on the outer edges of a food crisis that's
prompted riots across the planet, and last month led U.N.
Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon to implore the world's governments to
increase food production to stave off a 40 percent jump in the cost of
staples.

But, as every crisis presents an opportunity, I think it's time Pinoy scientists and beer lovers experiment with other herbs and spices to use as hops substitute. Who says we have to be limited to hops, eh? Off the top of my head, I can think of jasmine/sampaguita, camellia sinensis, and the rind of dalandan as beer substitute. Of course, with due respect to beer, we should think of another name for this beverage. Whad'yousay, scientists and food technologists? But remember where you heard the idea first, eh?