Another day, another manufactured climate scare! This time it features a popular (in the UK and Ireland at least) style of beer, but before crying bitter tears, note the last sentence of the article: ‘Brewers can also try to modify their methods to adapt to the reduced bitterness in hops’.
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Climate change threatens the cultivation in Europe of aromatic hops which gives beer its bitterness, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications.
European varieties of hops are prized and used by brewers around the world, but rising temperatures and less rain are reducing yields and the concentration of the compounds that provide beer its refreshing tartness, says Phys.org.
The researchers observed this trend by analyzing data from five sites in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia, which along with Poland are the primary hops growers in Europe, study co-author Miroslav Trnka said.
Yields fell between 9.5 and 19.4 percent at four sites and were stable at a fifth when data from 1995-2018 was compared with 1971-1994.
Meanwhile the concentration of the bitter compounds, alpha acids, decreased.
Extrapolating from the data, the researchers predicted a drop in yield of between four and 18 percent, compared with 1989-2019 while the concentration of alpha acids could drop between 20 and 31 percent as temperatures rise and rainfall is impacted.
Full article here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
more climate panic theater pron to gin up more taxes
Is this a really good sign that the people trying to frighten the western world about man-made climate change have gotten desperate, threatening the availability and flavor of beer is a new low point in their desperation!
Ah, the old weird data periods compared rather than each year plotted to see if there’s a trend. What’s special about 1971 to 1994? Why stop at 1994 like that? I’m betting – given there’s no drop in yield at one site – that manufactures the result they desired.
Wait a meenit, “Yields fell between 9.5 and 19.4 percent at four sites and were stable at a fifth when data from 1995-2018 was compared with 1971-1994.” …. in which time period did they fall, or did they actually rise in recent times? and since 2018? This kinda statistics is nae yeast at a’
In a warmer climate the trend towards cold lager beers likely continues anyway.
“when data from 1995-2018 was compared with 1971-1994.”
WTF!!!!
CO2 to the rescue?…
From the study:
While assessing future climate and environmental impacts on the quality and quantity of aroma hops, the uncertainty associated with model simulations should also be noted. Increased CO2 concentrations could partially compensate for the effects of drought and support yield growth and leaf area index while improving water use efficiency. However, this effect on hops is still under investigation, and we do not yet have enough evidence and knowledge. New findings in hop physiology, such as the beneficial effect of elevated CO2 on the primary metabolism of hop strobilus and the effects of vernalization and dormancy may help in the future to breed hops that are more resistant. [bold added]
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41474-5#Sec2
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Nothing about that in the Phys.org piece 😆
Beer taste could be the least of our problems by 2080, according to doomster weather forecasters…
Flood risk warning for up to 1.5 million homes as melting Arctic ice set to trigger rising seas
Friday 13 October
https://news.sky.com/story/flood-risk-warning-for-up-to-1-5-million-homes-as-melting-arctic-ice-set-to-trigger-rising-seas-12983167
The bottom line there is: send more research funds.