Climate Crisis Puts Pressure on US Beer Production
With St Patrick's Day celebrations underway, millions of Americans are raising a glass of beer, the country's most popular alcoholic beverage with over 6 billion gallons consumed annually. However, the climate crisis, manifesting through water shortages and rising temperatures, is increasingly threatening the essential ingredients that make beer possible.
Innovative Brewing with Climate-Friendly Grains
At Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, amidst the bustling canning lines and vast cellars holding 6,000-gallon tanks, a unique experiment is brewing. The brewery has partnered with outdoor clothing brand Patagonia to create a beer using Kernza, a perennial wheatgrass known for its slightly nutty flavor and environmental benefits.
Brewer Ben Kehs notes that customers often ask, "What's Kernza?" This grain features deep roots that sequester carbon from the atmosphere and requires less water than traditional crops. Additionally, Kernza reduces tilling and fuel use since it does not need replanting each year, serving as a sustainable alternative to barley, one of beer's three core ingredients alongside hops and water.
Hops Under Threat in the Pacific Northwest
When questioned about which ingredients face climate threats, Kehs soberly responds, "All of them in one degree or another." These threats include drought, extreme heat, and wildfires, with hops being particularly vulnerable. In the Pacific Northwest, which produces roughly 75% of the nation's hops, the delicate flowers that impart flavor and aroma to beer are especially sensitive to changing conditions.
In Washington state's Yakima Valley, Ryan Christian, who oversees hops research at Yakima Chief Hops, emphasizes the importance of hops, stating, "Hops are integral to beer so absolutely." However, growing hops during hot, dry summers relies heavily on irrigation from snowmelt sourced from the Cascade Mountains. As the climate warms, spring snowpack is declining rapidly, with scientists projecting a potential 75% drop by the end of the century, jeopardizing a critical water supply for farmers.
Christian highlights the severity of the situation, noting, "This is now heading into a potential fourth year of consecutive drought that hasn't happened in the past. Drought is normal. The frequency is abnormal." In response, researchers at Yakima Chief Ranches are urgently developing drought- and disease-tolerant hop varieties, aiming to keep innovation aligned with climate changes.
Adapting to Secure Beer's Future
From experimental grains like Kernza to resilient hop varieties, US brewers and farmers are actively adapting in real-time to protect the future of America's favorite pour. This race to climate-proof beer involves tackling multiple challenges, including water scarcity and temperature increases, to ensure that beer remains a staple in American culture despite environmental pressures.
The efforts underscore a broader trend of environmental adaptation in the food and beverage industry, as stakeholders work to mitigate the impacts of climate change on essential agricultural products.
