In the face of human-caused climate change impacting water access and weather patterns in the Willamette Valley — a region known for hops growing — farmers are using all the new strategies they can get to stay afloat and provide for large and small breweries alike.
The quantity and quality of hops, a key ingredient in most beers, is being affected by global heating, according to a study. As a result, beer may become more expensive and manufacturers will have to adapt their brewing methods.
A group of Spanish scientists made up of 11 agronomists, chemists and biotechnologists who are part of the Ekonoke startup, have managed to cultivate a new species of hops with the aim of saving the world’s beer.
In warehouses outside Madrid, twists of hop vines grow under LED lights and close supervision in what is believed to be one of the best ways to future proof the supply of a key ingredient in beer which is now threatened by climate change.
