Global warming threatens European hop production

Growing high-quality hops in hot conditions will be more difficult and expensive; scientists are working on the selection of heat-resistant varieties. Philip James writes about this in an article posted on the portal The Conversation: “According to the EU Climate Service, September 2023 was the warmest on record: the average surface air temperature on Earth reached a maximum of 16.38 ° C. Average global temperatures were also at least 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels on about a third of the days in 2023, according to another recent report. Both of these indicators are indicators of accelerating climate change, which will affect the hop industry in the European Union. The main ingredients of beer are water, malting barley, yeast and hops. Hops (Humulus lupulus), a climbing herbaceous perennial plant whose cones add aroma and flavor to beer. As with any crop, climate (temperature, precipitation and hours of sunshine) determines the development of hops and the quality of the ...