{"id":283039,"date":"2023-10-12T20:03:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T18:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=283039"},"modified":"2023-10-12T20:03:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T18:03:19","slug":"the-bitter-taste-of-climate-alarmism-in-your-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=283039","title":{"rendered":"The Bitter Taste of Climate Alarmism in Your Beer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change meets traditional beer brewing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-67078674<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When climate science hops into the brewery.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hops and Hyperbole<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent twist, global warming is now being blamed for potentially altering the taste of beer. A study claims that the quantity of European hops, responsible for beer\u2019s distinctive bitter taste, is on the decline. \u201cA new study<\/a> reveals that the quantity of European hops\u2026 is declining.\u201d But before jumping to conclusions, it\u2019s worth examining the broader picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Deep Dive into Dubious Data<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research compared aroma hop yields between two periods: 1971 to 1994 and 1995 to 2018. The findings? A supposed drop of nearly 20% in output in some hop-growing areas. The reason? \u201cDrier conditions \u2013 probably due to climate change.\u201d It\u2019s curious how a complex system like climate can be so simplistically linked to the yield of a single crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Inflated Cost of Inflation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Mozny, a co-author, suggests that these changes might lead to higher beer prices. With beer prices already up by 13% since the pandemic, it\u2019s convenient to have climate change as the next scapegoat for any future price hikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavor or Flawed Science?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also points to a reduction in the alpha bitter acids of hops, which influence beer flavor. The alleged cause? \u201cHigher and more extreme temperatures.\u201d Yet, with predictions of a 31% reduction in these acids by 2050, one has to wonder about the precision of such long-term forecasts, given the track record of past climate predictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers\u2019 Futile Fight?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While farmers are innovating and adapting their practices, the study insists more investment is needed. It\u2019s commendable that farmers are always seeking ways to improve, but it\u2019s questionable to suggest massive changes based on a single study\u2019s narrow findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Conclusio<\/strong>n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This latest research, published in Nature Communications, is a classic example of the narrow lens through which many studies view the world of climate aka climate catastrophizing. Instead of jumping on the climate alarmism bandwagon, perhaps it\u2019s time to enjoy a cold one and savor the rich history and tradition of brewing, rather than brewing unnecessary panic. Cheers to clear thinking and good beer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-023-41474-5<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nature Communications<\/em><\/a> volume 14<\/strong>, Article number: 6028 (2023) Cite this article<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

570 Altmetric Metrics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A recent rise in the global brewery sector has increased the demand for high-quality, late summer hops. The effects of ongoing and predicted climate change on the yield and aroma of hops, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we combine meteorological measurements and model projections to assess the climate sensitivity of the yield, alpha content and cone development of European hops between 1970 and 2050 CE, when temperature increases by 1.4\u2009\u00b0C and precipitation decreases by 24\u2009mm. Accounting for almost 90% of all hop-growing regions, our results from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia show that hop ripening started approximately 20 days earlier, production declined by almost 0.2 t\/ha\/year, and the alpha content decreased by circa 0.6% when comparing data before and after 1994 CE. A predicted decline in hop yield and alpha content of 4\u201318% and 20\u201331% by 2050 CE, respectively, calls for immediate adaptation measures to stabilize an ever-growing global sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beer is the world\u2019s third most widely consumed beverage after water and tea1<\/a><\/sup>, and traditional beer brewing in central Europe dates back at least to the Neolithic period circa 3500\u20133100 BC2<\/a><\/sup>. In addition to water, malting barley and yeast, a much more expensive hop is needed to give beer its incomparable taste3<\/a><\/sup>. The specific hop aroma emerges from its bitter acid content and many other compounds, including essential oils and polyphenols4<\/a>,5<\/a>,6<\/a><\/sup>. Changes in alpha bitter acids affect the quality of hops7<\/a>,8<\/a>,9<\/a>,10<\/a>,11<\/a>,12<\/a><\/sup>, and there has been a recent change in consumer preference towards beer aromas and flavors that heavily depend on high-quality hops13<\/a>,14<\/a><\/sup>. Amplified by the ongoing craft beer popularity13<\/a><\/sup>, this trend contrasts with previous demands for lower alpha content14<\/a><\/sup>. The recent craft beer expansion therefore not only triggered new microbreweries but also boosted the demand for aromatic hops globally15<\/a>,16<\/a><\/sup>. Although linkages between hop production and climate variation have been reported at local to regional scales9<\/a>,10<\/a>,17<\/a>,18<\/a>,19<\/a>,20<\/a>,21<\/a>,22<\/a>,23<\/a>,24<\/a>,25<\/a>,26<\/a>,27<\/a><\/sup>, relatively little is known about the possible, direct and indirect, effects of a predicted warmer and drier climate on the yield and alpha content of hops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the cultivation of high-quality aroma hops is restricted to relatively small regions with suitable environmental conditions (Fig. 1<\/a>), there is a serious risk that much of the production will be affected by individual heat waves or drought extremes that are likely to increase under global climate change28<\/a><\/sup>. Hop farmers can and have responded to climate change by relocating hop gardens to higher elevations and valley locations with higher water tables, building irrigation systems10<\/a><\/sup>, changing the orientation and spacing of crop rows, and even breeding more resistant varieties29<\/a><\/sup>. Changing the orientation of crop rows and combining irrigation with water-saving soil management practices have proven to be effective adaptation measures in viticulture30<\/a>,31<\/a><\/sup>. It is important that the generative phase of hop plants occurs only in the appropriate photoperiod when sunshine duration is decreasing. This can be achieved by slowing plant growth via growth inhibitors or by building protective shading structures; which is, however, quite expensive. There is a similar problem in vineyards where shading by agrovoltaic panels has been introduced32<\/a>,33<\/a><\/sup>. The higher probability of droughts can be partly mitigated by less frequent tillage and cultivation of hop fields, changes in fertilization and the use of row cover crops to support root growth34<\/a><\/sup>. A systematic and European-wide investigation of the impact of ongoing and predicted climate change on the quality and quantity of aroma hops is, however, still missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read the rest of the \u201cstudy\u201d here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n