Farewell, My Lovely Brewsky!
Beer is going the way of the dodo bird.
I'm sure that sounds like the ultimate catastrophe to many. That foamy beer after work, with friends, on a sultry summer's afternoon, will become a luxury item until it disappears altogether. Nooo! Well, yes.
It's really an idea that has been around for a few years. A few days ago a study came out showing it is true. The quantity of hops and barley will wither thanks to climate change. When one stops to think about it, it's really very simple and predictable. The hotter temperatures don't only affect us, with simmering heat waves and increased storms, they also affect our crops. So, climate change affects us in more ways than one. It also affects our stomachs and our taste buds.
In 2009, it was estimated that crops were moving north about a quarter of a mile a year. That means that the ideal growing zones for a specific crop were changing. Soy and corn crops were moving north into areas previously planted with barley, and were also more advantageous for farmers, offering more dollars per yield. (What farmer will say no to many dollars more per bushel in these times?) In the Great Plains, it merely means a shift northwards, from the United States to Canada. In other places, it means extinction. Belgium, for instance, has long been known for its wondrous artesenal beers, traditionally made by monks. But the shift northwards for them means heading for the sea. As far as I know, it's difficult to plant barley in the North Sea.
Lack of water is also a problem. As droughts rage with more frequency, and the flora changes, so does water quality. Consisting of mostly water, the taste and quality of beer is also affected by the water used. When rivers run dry, and well water starts tasting like copper, it's difficult to make a beer anyone will want to drink, much less pay for.
Hops are also delicate. They have those growing zones, and they like them. They're like a difficult teenager. If they don't have precisely everything they want, they go on a tantrum and don't produce the way they should. Their preferred maximum temperatures are around 70ºF/22ºC. A few days above that, and they'll survive; too many days, and they will spit in your face and in your beer. They can't move too far north, either, because they like a maximum of 15 hours of sunlight a day. After that, they'll ask you to turn out the light. Light is tricky in plant growth. You can see it in poinsettias. Have you ever tried to make it bloom the following year? Impossible, right? That's because it's native to Mexico, where the daylight hours in summer are less than the daylight hours further north. Professional growers imitate their natural environment through lamps and complete blackness. Try growing hops above the Arctic Circle. The paraphernalia needed will bankrupt a small country.
So, beer is on its way out. The first signs will be the rise in price. I've already seen that here, in Spain, with a jump of a euro in some brands for a six pack of 33cl bottles. The artesenal and imported beers already cost from just over a euro to close to three euros a bottle (usually .50cl, but also .33cl).
For those that don't like beer, climate change is coming for you, too. Coffee is also destined to disappear. Already, in its cradle of Ethiopia, the crops are climbing the mountains. There will come a day when there are no more mountains. Tea isn't safe, either, for those who prefer their afternoon fix, with or without tea cakes. When we think about climate change, we tend to think about hot summer days becoming more frequent. But climate change will also affect our stomachs, beginning with those little luxuries that have become so common in the last century. Well, they're about to become luxuries again. Will we wake up to climate change when we can't even find a crust of bread to eat?
I'm sure that sounds like the ultimate catastrophe to many. That foamy beer after work, with friends, on a sultry summer's afternoon, will become a luxury item until it disappears altogether. Nooo! Well, yes.
It's really an idea that has been around for a few years. A few days ago a study came out showing it is true. The quantity of hops and barley will wither thanks to climate change. When one stops to think about it, it's really very simple and predictable. The hotter temperatures don't only affect us, with simmering heat waves and increased storms, they also affect our crops. So, climate change affects us in more ways than one. It also affects our stomachs and our taste buds.
In 2009, it was estimated that crops were moving north about a quarter of a mile a year. That means that the ideal growing zones for a specific crop were changing. Soy and corn crops were moving north into areas previously planted with barley, and were also more advantageous for farmers, offering more dollars per yield. (What farmer will say no to many dollars more per bushel in these times?) In the Great Plains, it merely means a shift northwards, from the United States to Canada. In other places, it means extinction. Belgium, for instance, has long been known for its wondrous artesenal beers, traditionally made by monks. But the shift northwards for them means heading for the sea. As far as I know, it's difficult to plant barley in the North Sea.
Lack of water is also a problem. As droughts rage with more frequency, and the flora changes, so does water quality. Consisting of mostly water, the taste and quality of beer is also affected by the water used. When rivers run dry, and well water starts tasting like copper, it's difficult to make a beer anyone will want to drink, much less pay for.
Hops are also delicate. They have those growing zones, and they like them. They're like a difficult teenager. If they don't have precisely everything they want, they go on a tantrum and don't produce the way they should. Their preferred maximum temperatures are around 70ºF/22ºC. A few days above that, and they'll survive; too many days, and they will spit in your face and in your beer. They can't move too far north, either, because they like a maximum of 15 hours of sunlight a day. After that, they'll ask you to turn out the light. Light is tricky in plant growth. You can see it in poinsettias. Have you ever tried to make it bloom the following year? Impossible, right? That's because it's native to Mexico, where the daylight hours in summer are less than the daylight hours further north. Professional growers imitate their natural environment through lamps and complete blackness. Try growing hops above the Arctic Circle. The paraphernalia needed will bankrupt a small country.
So, beer is on its way out. The first signs will be the rise in price. I've already seen that here, in Spain, with a jump of a euro in some brands for a six pack of 33cl bottles. The artesenal and imported beers already cost from just over a euro to close to three euros a bottle (usually .50cl, but also .33cl).
For those that don't like beer, climate change is coming for you, too. Coffee is also destined to disappear. Already, in its cradle of Ethiopia, the crops are climbing the mountains. There will come a day when there are no more mountains. Tea isn't safe, either, for those who prefer their afternoon fix, with or without tea cakes. When we think about climate change, we tend to think about hot summer days becoming more frequent. But climate change will also affect our stomachs, beginning with those little luxuries that have become so common in the last century. Well, they're about to become luxuries again. Will we wake up to climate change when we can't even find a crust of bread to eat?
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