Red alert, everyone, this is not a drill. Climate change is affecting the taste of beer. Shut down every oil drill, scrap all the cars, stop breathing out, this is now officially not a joke.
Okay, maybe you can keep breathing, but our rapidly changing climate is affecting both the quantity and quality of European hops. From 1971 to 2018, many hop-producing areas have seen a reduction in yield of 20%, and the alpha bitter acids that give the hops their flavor have also been reduced, meaning that the hops we are getting don't have quite the same kick they once did. By 2050 hops could have 30% less alpha acids than they're supposed to have.
Specifically, hop yields are going down because Europe as a whole is getting drier, and hotter, drier, more volatile summers aren't good for hops. They need mild summers, like those traditionally found in Europe and the Pacific Northwest. Hot, humid summers like we have here in Maryland are rough for hop plants, unless you're the Monocacy hop, that is. Maybe we'll have to introduce the Germans to our own specialized hop variation. It's either that, or we suffer through blander, more expensive beer. And that's truly a nightmare scenario.
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