The Cost of Beer Could Rise Due <br />to Climate Change Barley harvests plummet during heat waves <br />and drought, both extreme consequences of a warming planet. As a primary ingredient in beer, this poses a real threat to the future global supply of ales, lagers and stouts. Scientists say climate change could make barley harvests drop by 17% <br />at the century's end. With a choked barley supply and burgeoning population, beer prices would catapult. Today’s average six-pack in the U.S. would cost <br />around $16. If emissions persist as they are and farmers can’t adapt, the inevitable solution might be creating <br />beer without barley. Major producers like Budweiser are already using rice along with some malted barley to brew copious <br />amounts of beer.
