Morning on a farm in Germany’s Hallertau region. They grow hops here, but also corn.
The most widely read beer related story last week was surely the one about a study published in the journal Nature detailing the impact of climate change on hops grown in Europe. No surprise, things are not looking great going forward. It seems as if every large publication in the country had a take on it. Jeff Alworth at Beervana summarized the study nicely.
I am all for anything that draws attention to what global warming is doing to the planet, although, quite honestly, there are more and larger disasters looming than the demise of certain hop varieties. Even the ones I love. But I do wish the authors had acknowledged there are more agronomically vigorous cultivars available. And that there are new ones on the way. Now is the time for brewers to consider using them. More of my thoughts in the most recent Hop Queries. The newsletter is archived here. You may subscribe here. It is free.
Speaking of hops
As well as writing about why wet-hopped IPAs went dry, Doug Veliky offers suggestions about how brewers outside the Northwest (where unkilned, or “wet,” hop beers continue to thrive) may make them more relevant.
He writes they can been good relationship builders. In fact, growers and brewers in several states have figured that out. In September, Billy Goat Hop Farm in Colorado hosted the second Southwest Freshfest. This past weekend, 14 breweries poured beers in Cincinnati that were made with fresh hops from six Ohio farms.
Pumpkins for pleasure
Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice. “Regrettably, it’s not uncommon for pumpkin beers (or really, pumpkin anything) to be mocked and feminised, written off as gross, girly, or both. And of course for a lot of people, it’s neither of those things—it’s just not to their taste. I have found, though, that there’s one consistent exception: ‘Not (Southern Tier) Pumking, though. Pumking is great.’”
The best of St. Louis. Noteworthy because Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale is, I am told, one of the best in the country. And 2nd Shift Brewing, which when we lived in St. Louis had pledged never to make a pumpkin beer, now brews one called When Pumpkins Fly.
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Raw beer is having a moment. In New Zealand. “It was the best brew day ever. It was incredible. Hard work, but I loved it.”
19th century Bavarian beer halls in Berlin. “Some contemporary publications commented on this as a ‘Bier-Kulturkampf’ (beer culture war) between the classic Berlin beer culture of top-fermented white and brown beer and the newfangled Bavarian beers that made an impact on Berlin architecture.”
The allure of Guinness. According to the World Travel Awards, a gala that has annually celebrated the best of travel, tourism and hospitality since 1993, The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is the leading tourist attraction in Europe. Other nominees included Buckingham Palace in London, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Acropolis of Athens.
The beer can as a canvas. “Is the chicken being hypnotized or is the chicken doing the hypnotizing? That’s the question.”
Your taste buds at 30,000 feet. Alaskan Airlines had created a blend intended to prove airlines coffee does not need to taste bad. “Taste buds react differently at high altitudes, and this blend was crafted with this in mind. Specifically, in an arid and pressurized environment, our palate’s ability to perceive nuance is diminished.” What might that mean for beer?
TikTok at its best. Jon May, a 25-year-old from Britain, plans to drink 10 pints of beer a day for 200 consecutive days. “On the one hand, you’re essentially killing your liver, and on the other, you’re doing something mildly impressive.”