E-Malt.com News article: The Czech Republic: Saaz hops under threat from global warming

Saaz hops, which give Czech beer it distinctive flavour, are being threatened by global warming. The Drinks Business (db) looks into how this may affect brewers in all countries reliant upon this noble variety for their lagers.

Following an increase in temperatures and a decrease in rainfall in Czechia, the prosperity of the Saaz hop is facing an uncertain future.

Back in 2023, Žatec and the Landscape of the Saaz Hops was added to the World Heritage list by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Saaz hops, often referred to as a ‘noble’ variety, are in fact named after the Czech town of Žatec and are used extensively in Bohemia to flavour beers such as lager, and more specifically in the region, Czech Pilsner.

The challenges, however, remain. In a study from the Czech Academy of Sciences, researchers had already warned that, unless swift adaptations are developed, European hops will be increasingly difficult to grow due to climate change affecting yields and alpha acid content. db also reported at the time that Europe will experience a drop of 4-18% in traditional aroma hops yields by 2050, plus a 20-31% fall in alpha acids.

The reduction to the amount of water available for the plant to use, along with the very hot summers in the region has continued to make it harder for the Saaz hops to stay cool and retain the same level of aromatic quality.

Hop merchants Charles Faram, which has recognised the dip in availability has also seen prices spike but has navigated the issues to protect customers from shortages for the short term.

Speaking to the drinks business, Charles Faram managing director Paul Corbett said: “Over the last five years we have noticed large fluctuations in yield. In drought years production has fallen significantly which has caused prices to rise. Our customers have been largely protected from the shortages as we have stocked up in the good years which has seen us through the bad years. However if we get several drought years in a row this could become more of a problem.”

Corbett told db: “Saaz are very popular for UK breweries wanting to produce a lager, it is one of the go to varieties for a lager recipe along with classic German hops like Hersbrucker and Mittlefruh. We are however getting more brewers interested in using British hops for lager recipes and we are currently planting more hops in the UK this year for that very purpose. We are also making crosses with the noble European varieties to produce new British lager varieties that will grow well in our climate.”

In recent reports via the US press, Hop Research Institute lead Dr Pavel Donner said: “Czech cultivars, Czech genetic resources, are not habituated to live in such high temperatures.”

The problems, which affect breweries beyond Europe, are gathering pace since approximately 80% of Czechia’s Saaz yields are exported to breweries overseas, forcing many brewers using these hops to seek alternatives while many of the Saaz crops become affected.

For instance, Florida’s BarrieHaus Beer Co imports Saaz hops for its Czech-style Pilsner Bublina and, describing the issues, its brewmaster Jim Barrie lamented that Saaz “has a character that’s difficult to truly replicate”.

Barrie explained: “We’ve definitely seen more year-to-year variation in alpha acid levels, aroma intensity, and overall availability, especially with drought pressure in Czechia. For example, I haven’t seen a Saaz varietal over 2.5% in years.”

He also admitted: “This last crop of Saaz was the least appealing sensory-wise since we opened in 2019.”

Compounding the situation, only around 25% of Czech hop farms are irrigated, making the plantings susceptible and easily affected by irregular rainfall. Added to this, the higher temperatures and lack of water is now continuing to result in fewer cones and reduced alpha acid for the hops.

This means that brewers are going through need to use more hops to achieve the same level of bitterness which will not only affect costs during hop orders but also the resulting flavour of the beers they produce.

The adaptation in quality, as well as the drop in yields, has led to speculation as key reasoning behind a drop in imports of Czech hops to the US in particular which are now considered to have been halved following a particularly harsh drought for the area back in 2022 with the land not fully recovering.

For brewers having difficulty sourcing Saaz hops, Corbett offered a few tips and told db that “the two varieties that we always recommend when Saaz are not available or too expensive are Tettnang from Germany and Lubelski from Poland. Both have very similar genetics and have given excellent results.”


01 June, 2026