CEDAR FALLS -- Brewers may soon be drowning their sorrows with a cold one after attempting to buy a key beer ingredient.

Hops, which add flavor and act as a natural preservative in beer, are becoming harder to come by. Local brewers and homemade beer supply businesses are having a hard time finding certain kinds of hops, and the shortage will only get worse.

The plant has reportedly doubled or quadrupled in price in some areas.

Ben Schafer of Cedar Falls, one of the founders of CRAZE (Cedar River Association of Zymurgy Enthusiasts), brewed three five-gallon batches of beer earlier this month. Luckily, he had all the ingredients on hand.

Brewing the next batches of ales and lagers may not be as easy. On Friday, Schafer checked online at his favorite supplier, and it was slim pickings for hops.

"Wow, there's maybe a dozen in stock out of 50 (or 60) varieties," Schafer said. "There's just no rest for us who enjoy a good beer."

The University of Northern Iowa computer science professor said he and a couple of buddies started CRAZE to drink, discuss and brew great beer. About six people show up for regular monthly meetings, Schafer said, and there are 12 semi-regular members.

Hops cost about $2 per ounce, give or take 10 cents to 70 cents. Schafer said that is about double compared with last year.

But availability is the real concern.

"In the next year or two it will be a problem for home brewers. Nothing will be left for home brewers after contract (hops) are taken," Schafer said. "We'll have to be more selective and maybe settle on a style (beer) low in hops."

The Pacific Northwest -- Washington, Idaho and Oregon -- grows virtually all the hops in the United States. The U.S. also supplies one-fourth of the world's hops.

Government statistics said the region's farmers harvested 57.7 million pounds last year, up 9 percent from 2005. This year's crop in Washington, which accounts for 77 percent of the U.S. total, is estimated at 47.3 million pounds, up 3 million from '06.

Still, dealers say shortages will continue to occur for a variety of reasons:

-- A decade of overproduction starting in the mid-1990s forced hop prices down and many farmers out of business. Acreage fell by about 30 percent. Some hops farmers also switched to growing high-priced corn to feed ethanol plants.

-- Hop yields were poor in Europe the last two years, as well as China and Australia last year, putting a strain on supplies. Last fall, 3 percent of the nation's harvest was lost when a warehouse burned down in Washington state

-- Sales of mircobrews have increased in the United States. Thise beers rely heavily on hops to differentiate flavor.

Hops can be grown in Iowa, state agriculture officials said. However, local climate and soils are better suited for corn and soybeans, and that is what most area farmers plant.

Some varieties of hops make better lagers or ales. The taste of a beer -- how bitter it is, for instance -- changes with the hops used to brew it.

Vern Holm, owner of BlueStem Winery in Parkersburg, sells brewing ingredients and supplies along with wine. He still has plenty of hops, about 22 varieties, in stock for customers.

But he is warning customers that won't be the case next year. Last week Holm sent in his 2008 order to his wholesaler in Ohio. Once all orders are in, Holm said, the wholesaler will allocate hops based on supply and demand.

"It was kind of like a begging list," Holm said. "I anticipate scrambling to get hops and substituting one type for another. … If not, there wouldn't be a shortage."

Management at Beck's Sports Brewery on University Avenue, the only bar in the Cedar Valley to make its own beer, doesn't expect the tap to shut off or retail prices to spike because of the hops shortage.

Scott Hirschman, brewmaster and general manager at the bar, said he hasn't been notified by his supplier of any problems, though hops prices did increase about seven or eight months ago.

Hops make up a relatively small amount of the cost of production. It takes less than five pounds of hops to make 240 gallons of beer, Hirschman said. He'll usually brew three or four batches a month.

"It was an equivalent of a 3 percent price increase. It didn't impact the customers," Hirschman said.

Any of Beck's six varieties generally cost $2.25 for a 10-ounce glass and $3.75 for 22 ounces.

"Most people enjoy them quite a bit and come back for it," Hirschman said.

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.