Climate Change Affecting Hops Quality?

[Jonez]

http://blogs.pitch.com/fatcity/2009/09/cli...ecting_hops.php

 

[bum]

Couldn't possibly be. This board has convinced me climate change doesn't even exist.

 

[Jonez]

Couldn't possibly be. This board has convinced me climate change doesn't even exist.

haha
that may have to do with the CO2 produced by brewing..

 

[svyturys]

Quick solution.
Poland, Denmark and Tasmania become major hop producing areas. The czech republic starts growing Chardonnay.

Cheers

 

[warra48]

Stuff climate change.
It's just a new method of taxation for governments, and a new money spinning market for the carbon permit traders.
Why else has Al Gore invested heavily in a carbon trading brokerage?
Yes, my flameproof suit has been donned.

 

[bum]

Now all you need to do is convince the hops.

 

[warra48]

I'm happy to convince the hops, as soon as we have the results of the double blind testing to prove the changes are actually due to climate change.
I'd have thought that changes to the hop crops over several decades could be due to other reasons, or several other reasons, than "climate change".
Have they examined changes in agricultural practices, use of and types of fertilisers, cropping levels etc etc? Maybe the hops themselves are gradually changing their characteristics? Are the growers selecting the most productive varients of the hop rather than those with the best traditional quality characteristics? Just look at what's happened to tomatoes over the decades. That's not down to climate change, just commercial marketing reasons.

I'm all for doing our best to cut down on pollution etc as much as we realistically can, and save energy and water etc etc, but to put all our problems down to just carbon emissions or footprints is a somewhat simplistic view, in my opinion.

I'm happy to grow most of my own vegetables, and to do it organically. I don't waste water, I recapture most of what I use in brewing for my next batch. However, I don't feel guilty about using a bit of heating in winter to up my comfort level. During summer, we might run our aircon on about 7 or so of the hottest days, but no more. I worked darned hard for 43 years until I retired, and feel I've done my bit. I don't drive a gas guzzling car, I'm quite happy with a small mid sized 4 cylinder job. It's gets us where we need to go.

The little I can achieve in reducing my carbon footprint fades into total insignificance compared to the massive waste I see all around me. If the major cities can turn off their lights for earthday, why can't they program their computers and staff etc to do it all the time?

Rant over, I'm only on my second beer for the day. Flameproof suit still on.

 

[LLoyd]

I'm happy to convince the hops, as soon as we have the results of the double blind testing to prove the changes are actually due to climate change.
I'd have thought that changes to the hop crops over several decades could be due to other reasons, or several other reasons, than "climate change".
Have they examined changes in agricultural practices, use of and types of fertilisers, cropping levels etc etc? Maybe the hops themselves are gradually changing their characteristics? Are the growers selecting the most productive varients of the hop rather than those with the best traditional quality characteristics? Just look at what's happened to tomatoes over the decades. That's not down to climate change, just commercial marketing reasons.

I'm all for doing our best to cut down on pollution etc as much as we realistically can, and save energy and water etc etc, but to put all our problems down to just carbon emissions or footprints is a somewhat simplistic view, in my opinion.

I'm happy to grow most of my own vegetables, and to do it organically. I don't waste water, I recapture most of what I use in brewing for my next batch. However, I don't feel guilty about using a bit of heating in winter to up my comfort level. During summer, we might run our aircon on about 7 or so of the hottest days, but no more. I worked darned hard for 43 years until I retired, and feel I've done my bit. I don't drive a gas guzzling car, I'm quite happy with a small mid sized 4 cylinder job. It's gets us where we need to go.

The little I can achieve in reducing my carbon footprint fades into total insignificance compared to the massive waste I see all around me. If the major cities can turn off their lights for earthday, why can't they program their computers and staff etc to do it all the time?

Rant over, I'm only on my second beer for the day. Flameproof suit still on.

+1 mate.
Most of the crap I hear about how WE have to do something seems to actually mean THEY should do something.....

 

[Jonez]

Quick solution.
Poland, Denmark and Tasmania become major hop producing areas. The czech republic starts growing Chardonnay.

Cheers

I like that solution. Tasmania is not that far

 

[tcraig20]

I'm all for doing our best to cut down on pollution etc as much as we realistically can, and save energy and water etc etc, but to put all our problems down to just carbon emissions or footprints is a somewhat simplistic view, in my opinion.

The best thing most of us could do for the environment is kill ourselves.

A suprisingly unpopular solution, for some reason...

 

[bum]

Most of the crap I hear about how WE have to do something seems to actually mean THEY should do something.....

That is a two way street, however.

And you're right - it is crap. Absolute, self-serving bullshit.

 

[mwd]

The best thing most of us could do for the environment is kill ourselves.

A suprisingly unpopular solution, for some reason...

Actually sounds good to me 95% of earth's population are superfluous to our requirements.

Starting at the prison population.

Bit like a bloke from Austria in the 30's :lol:

plus we would have more space to grow the hops.

 

[Jonez]

No need to get defensive everyone.

Climate change does exist, the planet is indeed warming. It has been proved by the international scientist community. no the governments. The governments have been forced to act and now they have an excuse to introduce more taxes.

The theory has been there much earlier than Al Gore's campaign. What is still in debate is whether the warming is the result of human activity or not. There are other theories out there which claim the human contribution is negligible.

Cheer up, have a home brew. Nobody is saying you should give up your hobby or you are guilty of anything. I was just being sarcastic and trying to joke a bit in my reply bum.

I was hoping we would concentrate more on what they say it is happening to the quality of hops.

cheers
Jonez

 

[svyturys]

I like James Craig's idea.
Reminds me of a question I used to ask people in the 80's.
Q. Would you die to save the world?

A. Yes

Q. On New Years Eve every person in the world would take a cyanide capsule, therefore, saving the world. Would you take it?

A. No way!

Q. Why?

A. How could I trust everybody else is taking their capsule?

Bit Off Topic but kinda gives a summary of our global paranoia.

Cheers

 

[Tony]

Stuff climate change.
It's just a new method of taxation for governments, and a new money spinning market for the carbon permit traders.
Why else has Al Gore invested heavily in a carbon trading brokerage?
Yes, my flameproof suit has been donned.

+1

I drive a V8 and happily laugh at people in a Prius as a roll on by.

Climate change all smells a bit like "waepons of mass destruction" to me. Government invests in buisness that will profit from a war and start one to raice revenue.

War becomes unpopular and is losing votes so lets predict the end of the world and tax everyone more to fix it......... and they will vote for us for our support and environmental friendliness! and love it!

I do think the climate is warming but its a natural cycle IMO. Did the dinosours fart to much and cause the ice age?.......... well now its getting hot. Its natures way. It always finds a way to thin out the numbers when its time.

Hops...... there not the only thing that will suffer. There probably hasnt been a change but comercial requirememts have increased so they blame climate change and feed the HB marget lower quality products.

Rant over

 

[gregs]

Stuff climate change.
It's just a new method of taxation for governments, and a new money spinning market for the carbon permit traders.
Why else has Al Gore invested heavily in a carbon trading brokerage?
Yes, my flameproof suit has been donned.

Climate change may exist but your absolutely right.

 

[tcraig20]

Climate change all smells a bit like "waepons of mass destruction" to me.

I have to admit, I would be a lot less suspicious of climate change if the people pushing it didnt have such a long history of using government to enforce bad solutions to largely ficticious problems!

 

[chappo1970]

Does anyone remember that in the 70's the world was convinced, by very smart people, that it was getting colder and we were heading into a new ice age? Same sheep different clothes, no?

 

[Tony]

Does anyone remember that in the 70's the world was convinced, by very smart people, that it was getting colder and we were heading into a new ice age? Same sheep different clothes, no?

Same sheep.... Yes.

Remember........ i was born in the 70's ya old bugger....... thats a no :lol:

And that fella shot JFK from the observatory right...... thats why some guy in a suit shot him before the trial.

It never ends.

I dont believe much of what comes out of the media. The yanks won the first Iraq war by using CNN to broadcast complete lies of what was happening because they knew Sadam would be watching the news.

I dont watch the news any more...... ever. Its only what the government wants you to know and believe..... fed to you at 6pm every night.

cheers

 

[Jonez]

....... I do think the climate is warming but its a natural cycle IMO. Did the dinosours fart to much and cause the ice age?.......... well now its getting hot. Its natures way. It always finds a way to thin out the numbers when its time.

that is part of alternative theory I mentioned. Anyway; the planet is warming, for whatever reason it is, and the article in the link says that hops crops are becoming lower in quality due to the change in the air temperature.

Hops...... there not the only thing that will suffer. There probably hasnt been a change but comercial requirememts have increased so they blame climate change and feed the HB marget lower quality products.

Rant over

So you say they could produce hops of the same quality at higher temperatures but chose to blame the warming to hide that they can't supply the demand.