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IPAs have become all the rage in the beer world over the past 15 years or so, and brewers have engaged in a bit of an arms race involving the hops that give them their signature flavor. However, there’s evidence that suggests the good times could be coming to an end in the not-so-distant future courtesy of the impact of climate change.
Hops are an essential ingredient in virtually every single beer you’ll ever sip, and their importance has only been amplified by the craft breweries that have harnessed a ton of different varieties in massive quantities to help drinkers who are constantly on the hunt for the hazy IPAs that continue to dominate the landscape with seemingly no end in sight.
That has created a world where plenty of beer nerds won’t think twice about dropping more than $20 on a four-pack of tallboys, but based on a recent study, those prices could get even higher while forcing brewers to figure out a way to maintain their quality standards.
According to CNN, the scientific journal Nature Communications recently published a paper examining data compiled by researchers who took a closer look at the impact rising global temperatures are having on hops that are grown in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia (which are responsible for 90% of the crop’s production in Europe).
Based on how things are currently trending, the authors of the paper estimate that hop yield in the region could decrease from anywhere between 4% to 18% by the time 2050 rolls around (a year that other experts have positioned as a potential climate change tipping point when it comes to the existence of humanity).
It also noted the hops themselves have been impacted by hotter temperatures and changes in weather patterns with a special focus on the alpha acids that are concentrated in the lupulin of hops, which give IPAs and other beers their signature bitter flavor. Those acids could decrease between 20% and 31% by the time 2050 rolls around, which means brewers would theoretically need to use more of them to compensate for a lack of potentness.
The study didn’t examine how hops that grow in other areas (including the Pacific Northwest, Australia, and New Zealand) have been impacted but the researchers theorized it’s unlikely those regions will be immune.