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For years, an increasing number of scientists have warned about the side effects of climate change like rising oceans and unpredictable changes in weather patterns.
But this may be the most serious repercussion of climate change identified to date: Beer may taste different.
That’s according to the research of Colleen Doherty, an associate professor of molecular and structural biochemistry at NC State University.
Doherty studies the connections between time and stress in plants, according to the university. In a recent post on the university’s website, she explained how changing temperatures will affect hops and other beer ingredients.
Growers have cultivated different varieties of hops that produce different chemical compounds in order to provide distinctive flavors in beers.
However, factors like climate, soil and weather can affect how plants used in beer taste by altering their internal chemistry, according to Doherty. She compared it to the concept of “terroir” in wine-making, which can affect grapes and then affect the wine made from those grapes.
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