Czechia Breeds Drought-Resistant Saaz Hops
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Dr. Vladimir Nesvadba at Czechia's Hop Research Institute has bred drought-resistant Saaz varieties including Saaz Shine and Saaz Comfort, saying they "are performing well on hop farms and in Czech breweries"
- Dr. Pavel Donner, also of the Hop Research Institute, warned that "Czech cultivars, Czech genetic resources, are not habituated to live in such high temperatures" as summer heat intensifies and rainfall declines
- Only about 25% of Czech hop farms are irrigated, leaving the industry highly vulnerable to irregular rainfall — droughts have cut both cone yields and the alpha acid that gives hops their characteristic bitterness
- BarrieHaus Beer Co. brewmaster Jim Barrie said he hasn't seen a Saaz varietal over 2.5% alpha acid in years, making his 2024 World Beer Cup–winning Czech-style pilsner "Bublina" harder to produce year over year
- US imports of Czech hops dropped by roughly half after a brutal 2022 drought, a major blow given that about 80% of Czechia's Saaz yields are exported to breweries abroad
- Czechia is entering its 2025 hop-growing season during the driest spring since record-keeping began in 1961, with Donner saying "we don't know what's coming" until estimates can be made in June or July
- Sardinian agronomist Federico Puddu spent a month working with Nesvadba to learn breeding techniques for growing hops on his native island — a region "typically considered far too hot and dry for hops" but one Puddu sees as a frontier for climate-adapted varieties
Why it matters: With roughly 80% of Czech Saaz hops exported and US imports already halving after the 2022 drought, climate-resilient varieties aren't just a Czech concern — they're a global supply question for brewers who depend on consistent alpha acid levels. Only 25% of Czech hop farms are irrigated, meaning the industry is racing both the climate and its own infrastructure deficit, and the 2025 crop enters the ground under the driest spring on record.
Ask SkimNews
