Europe is home to prime areas for growing aromatic hops, a flower used in brewing beer. But, as conditions get hotter and drier, hop yields have declined in the continent’s hop-growing heartland, according to a study recently published in Nature Communications. Not only that, but soaring temperatures are also reducing hops’ alpha acid content, the source of beer’s bitter flavor.
Though the findings seem to spell an uncertain future for hoppy beer, some experts have cautioned that changing tastes and an adapting industry are likely contributing to the trends.
