Feb 4, 2025 01:40 AM
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250...te-of-beer
EXCERPTS: The flavour of beer is created by a complex symphony of chemical compounds from three ingredients; hops, yeast and malted barley. But now climate change is threatening the production of two of those – barley and hops. Trnka and his colleagues say that the traditional crops that brewers rely on to create beer – called noble hops – will become "more difficult to grow".
[..] Beer is traditionally made from four ingredients: water, malted barley, yeast and hops. ... The popularity of hops really took off after the Industrial Revolution, says Trnka, because the flavour profile shone through in clearer, lighter beers. The consistency with which brewers could make tasty beers with hops pushed this crop ahead of other flavorings in popularity.
[...] New hop varieties are being bred to be more resistant to the changing climate, says Skypeck, but to develop a new hop variety from scratch to full production can take up to 10 years. For example, a new experimental variety may show more heat resistance but might still require a similar amount of water, he says. "Brewers take different approaches as well. US craft brewers rarely only use one variety of hops in their beers, rather layering different flavours and aromas to create the different character you find in many craft beers. On the other hand, more conservative traditional German brewers can be reluctant to adopt new varieties because they don't want to change the character of their beers that has been consistent for years."
[...] Water scarcity is one major contributor to low yields in the US, which drives the cost of hops up, says Ettinger. "Beer has been the most popular alcohol beverage for 9,000 years, and part of that is it's accessibility and affordability. It's incumbent upon us as cultivators to make sure it's still accessible."
Ettinger has been brewing beer for 30 years and in that time has seen how the industry has adjusted to climate change by introducing regenerative agricultural techniques like cover cropping – which involves growing other crops between the hop plants to suppress weeds, reduce erosion and improve soil health – and biochar – which is the addition of carbon-rich, organic material that improves water retention in the soil. "The beautiful part about sustainability is you're trying to minimise your footprint, because it is better for the planet, and it is less expensive – it makes you more efficient and economically competitive." (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: The flavour of beer is created by a complex symphony of chemical compounds from three ingredients; hops, yeast and malted barley. But now climate change is threatening the production of two of those – barley and hops. Trnka and his colleagues say that the traditional crops that brewers rely on to create beer – called noble hops – will become "more difficult to grow".
[..] Beer is traditionally made from four ingredients: water, malted barley, yeast and hops. ... The popularity of hops really took off after the Industrial Revolution, says Trnka, because the flavour profile shone through in clearer, lighter beers. The consistency with which brewers could make tasty beers with hops pushed this crop ahead of other flavorings in popularity.
[...] New hop varieties are being bred to be more resistant to the changing climate, says Skypeck, but to develop a new hop variety from scratch to full production can take up to 10 years. For example, a new experimental variety may show more heat resistance but might still require a similar amount of water, he says. "Brewers take different approaches as well. US craft brewers rarely only use one variety of hops in their beers, rather layering different flavours and aromas to create the different character you find in many craft beers. On the other hand, more conservative traditional German brewers can be reluctant to adopt new varieties because they don't want to change the character of their beers that has been consistent for years."
[...] Water scarcity is one major contributor to low yields in the US, which drives the cost of hops up, says Ettinger. "Beer has been the most popular alcohol beverage for 9,000 years, and part of that is it's accessibility and affordability. It's incumbent upon us as cultivators to make sure it's still accessible."
Ettinger has been brewing beer for 30 years and in that time has seen how the industry has adjusted to climate change by introducing regenerative agricultural techniques like cover cropping – which involves growing other crops between the hop plants to suppress weeds, reduce erosion and improve soil health – and biochar – which is the addition of carbon-rich, organic material that improves water retention in the soil. "The beautiful part about sustainability is you're trying to minimise your footprint, because it is better for the planet, and it is less expensive – it makes you more efficient and economically competitive." (MORE - missing details)