treehugger.com — Now There's a Rallying Cry The quality of Saaz hops, which are required to make pilsner lager, has been decreasing lately, and climatologist Martin Mozny of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute thinks he knows why: Global warming. Indeed, Saaz hops are delicate and the higher air temperatures in the Czech Republic are affecting them negatively..
Sep 15, 2009 View in Crawl 4
a2wickedd991Sep 15, 2009
f**k the health care debate, if global warming = no more beer than we need to act, and fast.
nithendilSep 16, 2009
That might explain why Duvel has doubled in price over the past couple years but it doesn't explain why American microbrews have raised prices as well. I love Stone IPA to death but I can't afford $10 six packs.
doctechnicalSep 16, 2009
Let me share a little brewing science... First, hops are not vital to producing beer. The used to be added as a preservative (the same chemical that makes them bitter keeps the nasty beer-ruining bugs at bay) which is why beers that we brewed to be shipped far away had tons of hops added (see IPA, India Pale Ale). Now they're added just for flavor.Second, this is just one strain of hops. There are many more. To make an admittedly stupid analogy, this is akin to a vital ingredient of Grape Kool-Aid having a bad year. There are plent of other flavors of Kool-Aid, so don't panic :)Last but not least, I'd guess 90% of average American beer drinkers don't like bitter beer - hell, there's one brand (Keystone?) that proudly markets the fact their swill isn't bitter. So most US beer guzzlers won't be affected in the least. [Insert obligatory canoe/sex joke here]
doctechnicalSep 16, 2009
I smell - Conspiracy!Or is that just bad Saaz hops...?
poitsplaceSep 16, 2009
Oh noez! What ever will we do? Its not like our crops that like cooler weather can just be grown farther north...oh wait.
dasbrewerSep 16, 2009
You'd be surprised at the amount of great beer in America. Beer here has come a long way in the last 20 or so years.
cresscrowbitsSep 16, 2009
Your username implies bias.
bigrichie76Sep 16, 2009
Okay, I'm up for some education.If you can list them and I can find them in the U.K. I'll drink them. Then I may be less ignorant and more drunk.:-)
dasbrewerSep 16, 2009
Only bias towards real beer not the macro crap put out by the big three (Bud/Miller/Coors). The US has a black mark on it's record due to them but trust me we're moving forward in a big way.