German hop growers are having a bad harvest this year.

Because of the heat and drought in the summer, the harvest volume of almost 37,700 tons was 21 percent lower than in the good previous year, the Association of German Hop Growers announced on Wednesday in Wolnzach in Upper Bavaria.

Production costs have risen by more than 25 percent, but sales prices for most of the harvests for this year and up to 2024 are already contractually fixed.

It is therefore very difficult to absorb the additional costs, said association president Adolf Schapfl.

Despite the poor harvest, the supply of the global brewing industry appears to be secured because stocks from the good 2021 harvest are still available.

"So nobody has to worry that their beer can't be brewed," emphasized the association.

A third of the world's cultivation area is in Germany.

By far the largest growing area is the Hallertau south of Ingolstadt.

The association estimates the harvest there this year at 32,500 tons.

There are also larger cultivation areas in the Elbe-Saale-Winkel (2691 tons) and in Tettnang on Lake Constance (2422 tons).

Worse quality than 2021

Last year, the rainy summer and increased global beer production played into the hands of the hop growers.

This year it was too hot and dry for the hops between June and August.

The harvest is a fifth smaller, and the alpha content, which is important for taste and quality, is lower than last year.

New hop varieties can withstand heat and drought stress better and are also less susceptible to diseases.

“Hop growers would very much like to produce many more of these new sustainable varieties.

However, the brewing industry is proving to be a bit sluggish when it comes to converting beer recipes to new hop varieties and only buys a few of these hops,” complained Schapfl.

The largest beer producers globally are China with 36 billion liters ahead of the USA (20 billion liters), Brazil and Mexico.

According to the world's largest hop specialist BarthHaas from Nuremberg, Germany follows in fifth place with 8.5 billion liters.