E-Malt.com News article: Germany: The hottest and sunniest spring this year is increasing beer consumption and killing barley growing

The beer garden season started early in Germany this year because this year happens to have one of the hottest and the sunniest springs on record, CNN reported May 8. However, those enjoying their cold blond brew in Munich don't realise the sun they worship is killing barley grower, Wolfgang Lichti's crop.

Lichti grows barley one of the main ingredients for beer, but the earth around the fledgling plants is dry and dusty. Too much sun and too little rain, Lichti says, may mean that this year there will be no harvest.

"If it rains within the next couple of days, we may only loose 20 per cent. But if it doesn't rain soon the entire crop could fail,” Lichti says adding the barley would be unusable.

Meanwhile, Peter Hahan of the German brewers union says a barley shortage in Germany could drive beer prices through the roof by fall.

“We fear that through this really early, warm and dry weather barley will not be available in the quantities we need. And as you know, scarce commodities are expensive and so we fear a heavy increase in prices," Hanan says.

But there is another reason for the barley shortage, the brewers' union claims. And it also has to do with environmental politics.

The oil from these rape plants is used to make environmentally friendly fuels like eco diesel. Crops like the rape field are highly subsidised by the German government and the European Union. Brewer's say that because of these crops being so highly subsidised fewer farmers are growing barley and that further drives prices.

For now the beer continues to flow at beer gardens in Munich and the brewer's union says it's not sure by how much prices could increase.

One thing seems certain, however, its president says global warming could make the commodity Germans consume in such abundance a lot scarcer.


08 May, 2007