The historic heat wave of June 2021 in the Pacific Northwest caused alarm among hop growers

26 October 2026

The historic heat wave of June 2021 in the Pacific Northwest caused alarm among hop growers, who worried it would devastate the year's crop. Three months later, the picture had shifted. While some growers were hit hard, especially with certain aroma varieties, the overall outcome was not a catastrophe.

The links between climate change and the global hop crop surfaced harshly in June 2021. A heat wave in the Pacific Northwest brought temperatures in some areas to 120°F (48°C). Maximillian Sawicki, a grower in Yakima, Washington, told Cascade PBS he had never seen hop bines shortened like this by heat, with the impact varying based on when the vines were in bloom. His comment captured the devastating impact of the heat, as did the news that "all varieties were affected to some extent."

But the bioreactions of hops to summer heat are complex. Tri-Cities Business News noted that a record snowfall the previous winter had filled Yakima reservoirs, helping growers draw down bountiful irrigation as they tried to help their crops weather the heat. Hop Growers of America reported that by November 2021, U.S. hop production stood at 116.5 million pounds, a record breaking 11.18% above 2020. Record acreage (62,259), a 12-year high, and average regional yield (1,900 pounds per acre) signalled that the harvest had held together despite the heat.

Varietal vulnerabilities

One differentiator was the sensitivity of particular hop varieties. USDA Climate Hubs had noted that hop productivity is especially vulnerable to temperature and moisture. Models developed by the university of Oregon had signaled aroma varieties in particular.

The Brewers Association reported that Pacific Northwest growers expected average quality and yield in 2021, with an extreme-heat risk looming. Small fields of aroma hops like Citra took a near-60% cut, according to one grower cited by Capital Press news wire, while early-maturing varieties in other fields delivered 15-20% below average.

That's pressure, but not an outright shortage. The risk to overall supply comes from the fact that aroma varieties accounted for 80.5% of Pacific Northwest acreage in 2021, according to Hop Growers of America. NOAA reported that while aroma varieties were developing slowly, bitter/high-alpha varieties actually outyielded. Alpha yield dropping by 40% has been a scare-mongering media storyline, but the sources here don't back up that claim.

Industry response

For brewers, the message in 2021 was one of caution rather than panic. Prices would trend up for some key aroma varieties, but the 2021 yields had held up relatively well. Brewers Association economist Barton Morris told Capital News that the 6% acreage boost into 2022 was a rebuilding move after the spike in demand in 2020 and 2021. A Reserve Supply program with 10 million pounds, now 70% sold out, was another sign that the industry was not expecting to run out of alpha hops. Morris said that while the acreage was not enough to offset a loss of 40%, the industry had not anticipated a 40% loss.

The 2021 harvest assured brewers there was no alpha yield drop, even as industry planners grappled with red flags like the high heat that studies have signalled will come more often. Leading grower-independent Mike Giannini of YakimaValley Hops, told Spokane Business Journal in Spring 2021 that growers were looking at investing in "soil moisture probe technology ... to help inform irrigation and fertilizer application." The ability to keep plants hydrated in hot years like 2021 had been a big factor in the harvest.