Torched Earth Ale, a new beer created by New Belgium Brewing Company, tastes terrible. The limited-edition ale was created to taste poorly on purpose in honor of this year's Earth Day. The beer is meant to taste like how the alcohol will taste in a world drastically altered by climate change. In order to achieve the perfectly imperfect flavor, the brewery used drought-resistant grains, dandelion weeds, and smoke-tainted water.
Making beer is no easy task, and it relies on several environmental factors. The brewery specified that barley is "especially susceptible to the combination of heat and drought stress, which can decrease its seed yield up to 95%." In fact, most of the barley grown in the United States comes from one of four states. These states are Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, and Washington. If these states feel the effects, so will the beer.
In order to further show how bad this beer could be, the brewery also used shelf-stable hops extract instead of the fresh hops. Water is also a necessary asset, according to the brewery. "As climate change drastically alters and gradually reduces snowpack, it causes a tumultuous cycle of flooding, followed by water shortages," they said.
Don't let your happy hour taste this bad, go green now!