From NPR via BoingBoing:
About 4 percent of America's hops have gone up in flames. Most of America's hops are grown in the Yakima Valley in Washington state, where a 40,000-foot warehouse storing hops burned down yesterday. According to the AP story, "By mid-afternoon flames engulfed most of the building, sending up plumes of smoke and a pungent aroma."
The cause of the fire is not known. Nor is the effect on beer and beer prices. The world mourns. Start hoarding now.