Current:Home > InvestCould a beer shortage be looming? Changing weather could hit hops needed in brews -OceanicInvest
Could a beer shortage be looming? Changing weather could hit hops needed in brews
Johnathan Walker View
Date:2025-04-09 18:17:43
The climate change issue is getting critical: Warmer, drier weather could threaten the beer supply.
That's because harvests of hops, a crucial ingredient in beer making, could decline by as much as 18% in Europe by 2050 – and those hops that are harvested may have less of the substances needed to give some beers their distinct character, according to research published Tuesday in Nature Communications.
This predicted decline in hop yield and alpha (acids) content "calls for immediate adaptation measures to stabilize an ever-growing global sector," wrote the researchers from Europe and the U.K.
The researchers studied hop production in the periods of 1971–1994 and 1995–2018 in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. They found that rising temperatures had shifted the beginning of the hop growing season by 13 days from 1970 to 2018, wrote the study's lead author Martin Mozny of the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Since 1995, the average annual hop yields across most of Europe have declined as much as 19%, but had remained stable in the Czech Republic. The earlier ripening also led to a decline in the average content in the hops of the acids that give beers their bitterness – down between 10.5% in Zatce in the Czech Republic and 34.8% in Celje, Slovenia, researchers said.
"The increasingly frequent droughts and heat waves are negatively affecting yields and alpha content in all hop-growing regions of the EU. The only exception is Zatec/Saaz in the Czech Republic, where yields are slightly increasing thanks to the adaptation measures already taken," Mozny told USA TODAY in an email exchange. "Unfortunately, simulations of future developments point to a further decline in both yield and alpha."
Is beer good for your health?:Here's the healthiest option to pick for your next cold one.
The researchers simulated future crops and climate conditions and estimate hop harvests that are 4% to 18% smaller by 2050 and a continued 20% to 31% decline in the acids in the hops needed for bitterness. "Aromatic hops from traditional European regions are the 'spice' that gives the right taste and aroma to the best premium and craft beers around the world," Mozny said. "It is exported to all countries that produce better beers."
Could a decline in hop production lead to a beer shortage?
Hop production in the U.S. faces similar situations, Mozny said, But beer lovers in the U.S. don't need to start hoarding their favorite quaffs just yet.
U.S. hop producers have been developing hop varieties that are resilient and have continued to increase hop production, said Chuck Skypeck, technical brewing projects director at the Brewers Association, a trade group that represents nearly 6,000 U.S. breweries, most of which get most of their hops from U.S. producers.
And similar work is being done in Europe including at the Hop Research Center in Hüll in Germany, he said. "There's a whole lot of progress being made in this regard," Skypeck said. "I'm not downplaying the challenges, because they are there."
Still, the report's conclusion "feels a little alarmist to me," Skypeck shared. "There's some alarming things in there and I'm not saying I don't believe them. But I think people are already working on these things."
Craft breweries also rely more on aroma hops – used for India pale ales and hazy IPAs – than the styles studied in this report. This year's U.S. hop crop is expected to approach recent record yields, even though hop producers set aside some fields because of a massive back inventory, Skypeck said.
Starbucks:Coffee giant releases PSL varsity jackets, tattoos and Spotify playlist for 20th anniversary
But climate change truly is on brewers' minds across the globe. Last month, Atsushi Katsuki, president and CEO of Japanese beer conglomerate Asahi Group Holdings, told the Financial Times, that global warming could reduce barley crops and hop quality over the next three decades, which could cause a beer shortage. In addition to making Asahi, the company also makes Grolsch, Fuller's and Peroni beers, as well as Pilsner Urquell beers.
“Although with hotter weather the consumption of beer may grow and become an opportunity for us, climate change will have a serious impact,” he said. “There is a risk that we may not be able to produce enough beer.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser and Bud Light, and Danish beer maker Carlsberg have invested in drought-resistant barley strains grown in Africa as a hedge against climate change's effects, Fortune reported.
"One of the side motives of this study was to illustrate how climate change might be important for even those who think it doesn’t matter,” study co-author Miroslav Trnka told CNN. “We are really seeing changes that are affecting things that we value, like the taste of beer. Climate change really can have an effect on it, or at least have an effect on commodities that are critical for production.”
Brewers also face other issues involving water quality and quantity, Skypeck said. "Yes, we're facing a lot of challenges," he said, "but there's really smart people working on those problems."
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (777)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Suspect at large after five people injured in shooting at Morgan State University
- Kevin McCarthy removed as House speaker in historic vote
- Global Red Cross urges ouster of Belarus chapter chief over the deportation of Ukrainian children
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- US appeals court to hear arguments over 2010 hush-money settlement of Ronaldo rape case in Vegas
- San Francisco woman seriously injured after hit-and-run accident pushes her under a driverless car
- The world's oldest mummies are decomposing after 7,000 years. Here's why.
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- 2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Spain-Portugal-Morocco with 3 South American countries added
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rallies his Conservatives by saying he’s ready to take tough decisions
- Tired of spam? Soon, Gmail users can unsubscribe with one click
- SFA fires soccer coach, who faced previous allegations of emotional abuse, after dismal start
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Is your relationship 'toxic' or is your partner just human? How to tell.
- Too hot to handle: iPhone 15 Pro users report overheating
- At $1.2 billion, Powerball jackpot is now third-biggest ever: When is the next drawing?
Recommendation
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
CBS News veteran video editor Mark Ludlow dies at 63 after brief battle with cancer
With Lionel Messi in doubt, Chicago Fire offer credit to fans for sold-out game
Why SZA Says Past Fling With Drake Wasn't Hot and Heavy
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Spain-Portugal-Morocco with 3 South American countries added
Paris is crawling with bedbugs. They're even riding the trains and a ferry.
Michael Jordan, now worth $3 billion, ranks among Forbes' richest 400 people