Beer Apocalypse – Climate Change Threatens The Brewing Industry

Americans consume more than 6 billion gallons of beer annually—about 80% of which is also produced here in the US. And plenty of clean water, barley, and hops are needed to meet this demand.

But according to Climate Central “each of these ingredients is facing different risks due to climate change.”

First of all there’s no beer without water. It makes up 90%-95% of every bottle, can, or keg – and brewing requires five to six times more water than what ends up in each glass.  Beer’s total water footprint extends well beyond the brewery and into the fields where barley and hops are grown.

Accounting for barley cultivation alone, the average water footprint of a pint of beer is about 44 gallons of water.

Unfortunately climate change is contributing to nationwide changes in the quality and quantity of freshwater. Reduced snowpack and groundwater depletion further limit water supplies available for irrigation and brewing.

Barley is also a brewing essential part of the brewing process adding color, flavor and froth, as well being key to a beer’s fermentation. But barley is also highly sensitive to extreme heat and drought, putting it at risk in a warming climate.

By the end of this century, heat waves and droughts brought on by climate change could occur every three years leading to barley destruction on a global scale and roughly a 16% drop in beer consumption compared to today.

In the future global warming could raise atmospheric temperatures over land over 9 degrees Fahrenheit according to a study published in Nature Plants. And if that happens the world’s barley supply could potentially drop as much as 15% by the end of the century.

And it’s not like we’ll have to wait till the end of the century to see barley endangered. In 2018 Europe suffered from high temperatures and a consequential drought that impacted its grain crops dramatically.

The good news is that increasingly big brewers like Anheuser-Busch and craft beer companies like BrewDog and New Belgium Brewing are taking the impact of climate change on the brewing industry seriously, and taking steps to stem the tide.

The last five years has seen brewers around the world embark on water reclamation projects and impressive barley sustainability campaigns.

Anheuser-Busch has invested $100 million in EverGrain, a sustainable ingredient company created to unlock every grain of potential in barley and make a positive impact on people and the planet. And New Belgium has taken outstanding steps to champion renewable brewing.

But unfortunately the climate change clock is still ticking and there’s so much more that needs to be done to ensure  a healthy beer future.

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