Could beer become an endangered species?

As if flooding, famine and rising sea-levels weren’t threatening enough, it appears climate change is also set to claim another victim; beer.

The latest news from scientists suggests that climate change is starting to degrade the quality of beer and that “even with the modest warming so far experienced, [hop] yields have stagnated and quality declined”.

Could this be the motivational quote that finally inspires action on climate change?

New research from the Czech Hydrometerological Institute reveals that the quality of Saaz hops, the variety used in making famous Pilsner lager, is decreasing.

Climatologist Martin Mozny, along with his research team, analysed the relationship between crop yield, hop quality and weather patterns from 1954 to 2006 in an attempt to estimate the way in which the changing environment was affecting the quality of hops.

Their research found that the concentration of alpha acid, a compound found in Saaz hops and which gives Pilsner lagers their particular taste, had been falling each year. Based on future global warming predictions, Mozny and his colleagues found that the problem was set to get worse as they estimated the concentration would continue to fall.

Pilsner lager is not the only beer which risks joining the endangered species list. Francesco Tubiello, a crop specialist at the European Commission warns that the sustainability of beers looks like a global issue, with hop-growing regions in Central Slovakia and East Germany also under threat Their research found that the concentration of alpha acid, a compound found in Saaz hops and which gives Pilsner lagers their particular taste, had been falling each year. Based on future global warming predictions, Mozny and his colleagues found that the problem was set to get worse as they estimated the concentration would continue to fall.