First They Came for the Tortillas and Then They Came for the Beer

I previously posted on the problems in South America being caused by escalating tortilla prices, and now there's a whole nation of Germans who are facing increasing costs for beer, and both situations are caused by the urge to create biofuels (from Special Report):

Beer drinkers in Germany — and that's just about everybody — are upset at the prospect of higher beer prices because of less barley — which is being replaced in many fields by crops intended for use in biofuels. The French Press Agency reports the price of barley has doubled in the last year. The head of the German Millers Federation insists biofuels are monopolizing the land and says — "The German government has got to be reasonable and not give more importance to energy security than to food security."

Similar stories have been reported in other countries — such as Mexico — where riots have accompanied the soaring price of tortilla flour — because corn is being diverted to ethanol production.

Should the beer shortage hit the U.S., it won't bother the NASCAR fans a bit. They'll just drink the fuel.