A climate crisis threatens beer in the United States by impacting core ingredients like barley, hops, and water, prompting scientists and brewers to seek climate-proof options.

Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon partnered with Patagonia to create a beer using Kernza, a perennial grain with lower water use and carbon-sequestering roots, as an alternative to traditional barley.

Researchers at Yakima Chief Hops are developing drought- and disease-resistant hop varieties to mitigate climate risks and sustain hop production for beer.

Hops, essential for beer flavor and aroma, are highly climate-sensitive and primarily grown in Washington State’s Yakima Valley, which relies on irrigation from Cascade snowmelt that is declining due to warming temperatures.

Brewers and farmers are adopting innovations from experimental grains like Kernza to hardier hop varieties as part of real-time adaptation to climate pressures on beer’s ingredients.

Scientists project a 75% reduction in spring snowpack by the end of the century, threatening water availability for hop farming and raising concerns about drought frequency.