Breweries rethink

Climate change has an impact on beer production

Beer is in high season all year round, but nowhere is it as expensive as at Oktoberfest, where it costs between 13.60 euros and 15.30 euros.(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Global warming is having an increasing impact on beer production. Two of the core ingredients of the popular beverage - malting barley and hops - are susceptible to heat, which means that farmers and breweries need to adapt. They are preparing themselves by switching to heat-resistant plants such as winter barley. Climate change is unlikely to have a major impact on beer prices.

The effects of climate change are particularly visible in spring barley, which has to contend with unusually warm temperatures for Austria. It simply lacks the biological properties to withstand the changes. This is because the plant produces smaller grains in drought, which makes it unusable for brewing purposes.

Major fluctuations
As a result, the area under spring barley cultivation in Germany has shrunk massively in recent decades, while the area under winter barley has recently increased. In addition, the weather, which is always extreme in Austria too, has an influence on quality and quantity. "Fluctuations of 20 to 30 percent per year are quite possible," explains agricultural economist Franz Sinabell from Wifo.

The consequences are similar for hops
Hops are also affected by the heat. Their growing areas could therefore shift northwards in future, from an Austrian perspective to Poland, the Czech Republic or even Finland, for example, where the climate is cooler and the conditions for cultivation are better. In this country, hops are mainly grown in the Mühlviertel in Upper Austria.

Research into climate-fit varieties
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) confirms that research into climate-fit varieties is bearing fruit. The development of new malting barley and other plant varieties is a lengthy process - it takes around ten years to develop a new variety - but new seeds are registered for testing every year.

More environmentally friendly production
The breweries themselves are responding to the changes on various levels: Firstly, they are increasingly relying on winter barley or barley that is grown in the fall. Secondly, many breweries are trying to stock up on regionally produced barley and hops through long-term purchase agreements. In general, the issue of environmentally friendly production is becoming increasingly important for breweries, especially as society is changing and consumer expectations are rising as a result.

No price increase to be expected
The good news for beer lovers is that no significant price increases are foreseeable due to the consequences of climate change. More important factors for pricing are marketing and logistics.