It is the country that drinks more beer per capita than any other but in the last few years Czechia has been hit by droughts and heatwaves, which make it harder to grow the Saaz hops, one of the key ingredients that goes into the country’s world famous beer.
At the Hop Research Institute, however, scientists are working to create new, climate-resilient hop varieties that have shown promise in overcoming Czechia’s heat and its strict traditionalism.
“I see a very bright future for Czech hops,” said Dr Vladimir Nesvadba, the institute’s top breeder. “We have bred new drought-resistant varieties – Saaz Shine, Saaz Comfort, and others – that are performing well on hop farms and in Czech breweries.”
The reputation of Saaz hops extends well beyond Europe, with roughly 80% of Czechia’s Saaz yields going to breweries abroad. The US brewery BarrieHaus Beer Co in Tampa, Florida, imports them for its Czech-style pilsner called the “Bublina”, which won the 2024 World Beer Cup; their brewmaster, Jim Barrie, says Saaz “has a character that’s difficult to truly replicate”.
However, in recent years there has been an increase in summer temperatures and a decrease in rainfall in Czechia, which has affected the Saaz variety in particular. This reduces the amount of water available for the plant to use and makes it harder for the plants to stay cool during hot summers. According to Dr Pavel Donner, also of the Hop Research Institute, “Czech cultivars, Czech genetic resources, are not habituated to live in such high temperatures.”
Only about 25% of Czech hop farms are irrigated, making them highly vulnerable to irregular rainfall. The higher temperatures and lack of water result not only in fewer cones, but also less alpha acid, a compound that gives hops their characteristic bitterness. With less acid, brewers need to use more hops to achieve the same level of bitterness, which can change the flavour of the product. That variation creates challenges for brewers, who rely on consistent expectations when they put in their yearly hop orders.
According to Barrie, the droughts and higher temperatures in recent years have made BarrieHaus’s Bublina harder to produce. “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 said, referring to the lower alpha acid levels in the drought-afflicted hops. “This last crop of Saaz was the least appealing sensory-wise since we opened in 2019.”
That change in quality, as well as the drop in yields, may be one reason why imports of Czech hops to the US dropped by roughly half after a particularly brutal drought in 2022.
The stakes are especially high this year, as Czechia begins to move into the hop-growing season during the driest spring since record-keeping began in 1961. “We don’t know what’s coming,” said Donner. “The estimations can be made in June or July. Until then we just depend on the weather.”
This is why Nesvadba’s breeding work is so important. Working with home brewers to test new hop cultivars, he has created three varieties on the original Saaz hop that are able to thrive with less water and higher temperatures.
Earlier this month, Nesvadba unveiled a new lager crafted using his “Saaz Shine” variety at the Hákův brewery’s pub in Prague. An hour before the keg-tapping, dozens of craft-beer enthusiasts crowded in and waited, eager to try the new cultivar. As Nesvadba proudly held up the first glass of the drought-resistant brew in the dimly lit basement bar, the crowd burst into applause and began to line up to fill their own mugs. The event illustrated the excitement for novel varieties even in Czechia, which takes its beer tradition seriously.
The new varieties are also encouraging innovation in places that have never had a hop industry. The Sardinian agronomist Federico Puddu spent a month working closely with Nesvadba in the hopes of learning techniques he could use to create new breeds of native Sardinian hops to grow on his home island – the type of place typically considered far too hot and dry for hops.
“A lot of people say to me that I am crazy,” said Puddu. “The usual question is: ‘How can you even think about hops in Sardinia, in that heat?’ But the point is that heat and drought are becoming a problem for hops everywhere.” Puddu believes these new varieties present an exciting opportunity for hops not only to adapt to climate change, but also to expand hops agronomy to new regions.
Nesvadba’s work is also exciting for brewers such as Barrie, who are looking for consistency in their product but are not attached to a particular cultivar. “There’s a lot of innovation happening with growers, who are currently developing more drought-resistant and climate-resilient hop varieties,” said Barrie. “Hopefully these new varieties will be as appealing as the highly sought-after classic varieties like Saaz.”
Yet however far these new varieties travel, even their creator believes the original Saaz is not going anywhere. “The new Saaz Shine and Comfort varieties will never replace the original Saaz,” Nesvadba said. “Saaz is our gold.”
