With the price of groceries rising and the price of gas higher than ever, another college student staple could see a significant markup – beer.

Farmers around the world have been cutting back on the production of barley and hops by a significant amount because of drought and warmer temperatures.

These ingredients are essential to the brewing process. Barley is malted by steeping the grain in water and allowing it to germinate. Hops are the bittering agent of the beer, which are added directly to the kettle while the brewing takes place.

Bruce Babcock, professor of economics in agriculture and life sciences, said farmers still producing barley and hops are getting more money for their products as a result of the global shortage and high demand.

New acreages of hops are being planted next year in order to keep up with the demand, he said. Fully cultivating hops takes a full three years. To keep up with demand, brewing companies have been importing hops and barley from European farms.

“The craft [brewing] industry will be a driving force to expand the amount of acreage [in the U.S.],” Babcock said.

Mike Young, president of the Ames Brewers League, is a home brewer. He said he has felt the effects of the increased barley and hops prices.

He said hops prices have tripled or quadrupled in recent years. Young has been brewing his own beer for a little more than three years. The price of hops was steady until one-and-a-half years ago and has just recently increased a substantial amount, he said. The price of hops used to be $6 to $12 per pound, and it has spiked to $22 per pound in the past few months.

Young said barley prices have remained mostly steady and have not increased as drastically as hops prices. However, he said the increasing price of the product will not deter consumers from purchasing quality beer.

“People are [brewing beer] for the flavor, not the price,” Young said.

Matt Sinnwell, brewery sales manager of Olde Main Brewing Company, 316 Main St., said that although the price of hops has increased, “we have to have hops.”

Hop and barley producers negotiated a contract with Olde Main guaranteeing a certain price for the resources for one year, Sinnwell said. The contract promises Olde Main a steady supply of the product for the company to continue its beer production.

“We are trying to find the cheapest supplier and stock up and buy more than we’d usually buy,” said Jeff Irvin, head brewer at Olde Main Brewing Company.

The contract has also allowed Olde Main to increase its production. Olde Main will start bottling its beer and selling it to local businesses.

Olde Main brews its beer on a 15-barrel direct-fire system. A barrel is filled with 465 gallons, so a steady supply of barley and hops is necessary to keep up production on such a scale.

Sinnwell said he does not believe the global shortage of hops will affect consumers’ choice to purchase beer. The price of a pint at Olde Main has risen from $2.50 to $2.75, and larger commercial breweries, such as Stone Brewing Company – which uses a large amount of hops in their brews – have increased the price of their product substantially.

“Beer is delicious – everyone likes beer. It won’t be a major issue,” Sinnwell said.

Irvin, who has been in the commercial brewing business since October 2004, contests that the demand for beer will always be high despite raising prices.

“People won’t ever stop buying beer,” Irvin said.

Students, not surprisingly, don’t plan on purchasing less beer in the event of a price increase.

“I buy good, quality beer in small amounts, so if the price goes up, it won’t really matter,” said David Smit, senior in mechanical engineering.