Photo courtesy of Ryefield Hops.
Much of Australia’s East Coast has been in drought since 2017, and now, as the country faces its worst bushfire season in history, impacts of the ongoing natural disaster are being felt across the country’s brewing industry, from farmers to maltsters to beer producers.
As the country’s losses reach into the billions of dollars, the local beer community has launched campaigns—including an Australian take on Sierra Nevada’s Resilience initiative—to assist in fundraising efforts for breweries, wildlife, and Australia’s country and regional volunteer firefighters. Businesses need support, not only to recover immediate costs, but to bring visitors back to affected regions—even while fires are still burning across the country.
But even with some glimpses of hope, the situation looks grim.
“The reality is that at any point in time, things can go south. You’re just stressed all the time,” says Nathan Munt, founder of King River Brewing, in King River, Victoria. “As much as it should be going away and everything’s fine, it’s not. Not when you can see new smoke clouds billowing up.”
Current estimates put the total area burned by bushfires since September at over 46 million acres. In comparison, the 2018 California wildfires burned 2 million acres, and the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires burned 2.2 million acres.
Immediate animal loss is projected to reach into the billions. The toxic smoke from the fires has choked major cities, causing breathing mask shortages and general health warnings. The smoke has been linked to at least one death, in addition to the 34 deaths suffered from the bushfires. The fires have also created supercell thunderstorms and fire-generated tornadoes. Fires are still burning, and there are three months of the usual fire season left.
“It’s been something that’s kind of intangible. How big they’ve been, how much damage they’ve done and given they’ve been so prolonged—they didn’t just tear through and get put out a few days later—it’s this weird limbo,” says Liam Jackson, head brewer at Cupitt Craft Brewers in Ulladulla, New South Wales. “There’s been devastation around us but it’s business as usual. We’ll open up and keep trading as we can. We’ll keep doing our shopping and going about our business.”
Earlier this month, Jackson’s view from the brewery looked straight toward a line of black and burnt ground. Cupitt, which is attached to a winery and restaurant, lost power on New Year’s Eve, and was closed due to bushfire risk until Jan. 6. The Cupitt family spent those days watching the fires, ready to defend the property with hoses should spot fires break out. These events took place during the business’s busiest time of the year. In addition to 30 full-time staff, Cupitt hired 34 seasonal employees for just the summer months. Since the fires, many have resigned to find work in unaffected areas. One staff member lost their home to the fire.
“It was all a little bit surreal, I guess. Everyone in areas like ours has been affected. Many more people than we’re used to with bushfires,” Jackson says. “People have been directly affected being near the fire front or having their house burn down. There’s tens of thousands of people wondering, ‘What's going to happen when the wind turns around?’”
Tourism bodies in Australia are encouraging people to visit affected areas to help keep local economies active, but with the disclaimer that visitors may need to evacuate should the winds turn. It’s a precarious request, given the daily unknowns of what and where the fires may burn next. In a press release, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service added context, noting that people could return, but that they should continually monitor weather, fire, and traffic apps.
In the neighboring state of Victoria, the brewers in the northern high country have been on high alert. Like in Ulladulla, the advice is that tourists can visit, but that danger is still present. King River’s Nathan Munt says that the period since Jan. 1 typically accounts for one-fifth of the business’s total revenue. Taproom sales make up 60% of that annual income, so if tourists don’t return, losses will grow. Munt says the brewery is just aiming to get through to Easter, another busy tourist time.
“Who knows if I can really handle another year of this incredibly hard slog to keep in the business and industry I'm passionate about,” Munt says. “We're going to give it our best but we've also lost two staff [one casual, one part-time], which are nigh-on irreplaceable up here.”
He stresses, however, that his business is more fortunate than many. The brewery is intact, and there has been no loss of property or life among the brewery staff.
On the other side of Mount Buffalo, 40 miles away, is over 700 acres of crop at Hop Products Australia’s (HPA) Rostrevor Hop Gardens and Buffalo Valley farms. HPA produces 90% of Australia’s hops, including Galaxy, the bulk of which is grown in these two locations. HPA sales and marketing manager Owen Johnston is quick to say that everyone is safe, and that the farms have been untouched and unaffected by the fires directly, despite the area needing to evacuate twice.
Johnston says HPA will still meet all its contracts, which in 2020 should amount to 85% of its harvest (in 2019 it harvested 1,633 tons of hops). The business won’t be sure of impacts until harvest actually begins in March.
“As far as our understanding goes, the crop isn’t enduring anything out of the ordinary and the crop looks pretty good,” he says. The ideal growing conditions for the plants are hot and dry, which is typical for this time of year, and the smoke isn’t causing problems.
Less fortunate is Ryefield Hops in Bemboka, NSW. The young hop farm is coming into its fourth season, and spent more than $1 million AUD ($683,000 USD) to expand during what was shaping up to be another record year. On the back of demand, and relationships with breweries around Australia, Ryefield planned to grow from two to 10 acres, and also upgraded machinery by purchasing a mechanical harvester and building a new processing facility. The expansion was expected to be ready in time for this year’s harvest, but the drought and heat from the bushfires have killed the two acres of existing hops and 10 acres of new rhizomes. Now, there’s nothing to harvest.
“I estimated we lost about 50% [of new plantings] due to the drought,” says co-owner Jade McManus. “Before the bushfires we were purchasing water and hand watering to conserve water and trying to focus our resources on our existing field to try and get some sort of harvest.”
That was before the bushfires began, and high winds and residual heat from the fires devastated their crop.
“Since [December] 31st we’ve been living by each moment really,” she adds.
New plantings take three to four years to mature, and their loss pushes their crop back a year as McManus and team replant. The owners are still assessing the financial damage, but at most they might recover some small handfuls here and there.
McManus, along with her two business partners, Morgan and Karen Taylor, all work additional, full-time jobs. Before the disaster, they employed three additional people, plus more temporary workers during the harvest. They are unable to employ anyone at this stage, but work will continue on the processing facility in the hopes the next season will bring with it some new hope.
The smoke is also causing problems for maltsters. Road closures have meant supplies can’t be delivered. Stu Whytcross, co-owner of Voyager Craft Malt, tells Good Beer Hunting that even though the operation is over 100 miles from any of the fire fronts, the smoke has still put a halt to maltings.
“We’re blowing, normally, fresh country air up through, and the malt when it’s wet takes on a lot of that character. Unless we’re making smoked malt, which we do in small quantities, we haven’t produced much at all during the last four weeks.”
This disaster was not unexpected. Most significantly, the 2008 Garnaut Climate Change Review, commissioned by the then-federal opposition Labor party, plus state and territory governments, predicted its outcome.
“...fire seasons will start earlier, end later and be more intense,” the report read. “This effect increases over time but should be directly observable by 2020.”
Labor was elected as a majority government in 2007 and instituted a carbon tax, which saw carbon emissions in Australia drop. The current Liberal government, in power since 2013, repealed that tax. There have been budget cuts to essential and emergency services and the government has taken an agenda that is described in international media as “pro-coal.” To show his commitment, current prime minister Scott Morrison once bought a chunk of coal into Federal Parliament to illustrate that coal is nothing to be afraid of. His fellow ministers all giggled and laughed.
In the midst of this climate disaster, the government is not backing down on its coal commitment, citing economic reasons. Australia’s emissions, including those exported through coal and natural gas, make up 3.6% of global carbon emissions. The bushfires this season have added the equivalent of two-thirds of Australia’s national emissions.
In April 2019, 23 former emergency chiefs signed a statement to Morrison asking for a meeting to discuss the escalated fire risks for the immediate and long-term future. Spokesperson for the group Greg Mullins said at the time, “The first thing is we need whoever is in government nationally to take climate change seriously, rather than making jokes about it in Parliament with lumps of coal.” The Prime Minister has not met with the group, despite repeated requests. He did, however, manage a trip to Hawaii in the middle of this fire disaster. Since returning, his reception has been less than warm.
After Sierra Nevada Brewing Company led fundraising efforts in 2018 to support communities impacted by California wildfires, it’s allowing its Australian peers to revive its Resilience concept to do the same.
The Australian project got off the ground when Jos Ruffell of New Zealand’s Garage Project contacted Ken Grossman from Sierra Nevada in early January to ask about using the Resilience name to support local fundraising efforts. Grossman gave the project his blessing, and in Australia, Jamie Cook, chair of the Independent Brewers Association, assisted in coordinating and providing resources.
Cook says that it took just over a week to get from early discussions to where the project is now: a finalized recipe and more than 100 participating breweries, including both Garage Project and Sierra Nevada, as well as other international breweries like Trillium Brewing Company in Massachusetts, Thornbridge Brewery in northern England, and Collective Arts Brewing in Ontario.
Australian brewers are coordinating to reach as large of an audience as possible by getting their version of Resilience into national retailers, and selling the beer in taprooms across the country. Cook stresses this isn’t an Independent Brewers Association project, and hopes that breweries of any size and ownership are inspired to take part.
“We’re involved, and we’ve put resources on to help coordinate it, but this is bipartisan when it comes to the industry, so we’re happy to any brewery to be involved really,” he says.
According to Cook, breweries impacted directly by the fires should keep profits from sales of their version of Resilience, and others should donate proceeds to local fire services and wildlife charities listed on the Resilience Beer website. Breweries signing up need to forecast the fundraising tally and agree to a donation statement, and nominate where donations will go, before being approved to use the trademark. The organizing group is keeping a list of affected breweries, and will be asking for receipts and proof of donation from participants, though there isn't a plan in place to police breweries that take part. The community is expected to police itself.
Scott Hargrave of Balter Brewing helped build the Australian recipe, with the aim of making the beer (in this case a Pale Ale, rather than the original Sierra Nevada IPA version) more suited to local audiences and palates. The recipe uses hops such as Mosaic and Simcoe—rather than strictly Australian hops, which can be in short supply—as well as Australian Cascade. Hargrave expects U.S. breweries will sub in their local Cascade in its place, however.
“It makes the resources thing a little easier. They’ve probably had plenty of experience using [these hops] and they know how to wrangle it in their breweries. Most folks are tried and true with those varieties,” Hargrave says.
Cook and Hargrave hope this rebirth of Resilience will see it evolve into an ongoing project, able to drum up funds and support in places where the brewing industry needs help. It has been trademarked for this purpose in Australia and New Zealand, and under the European Madrid Protocol. In the U.S., Schilling Beer Company in New Hampshire owns the trademark and has given its blessing.
“This has the potential to position this brand to be something that can be used in the future. A platform ready to be rolled out, should the brewing community want to get behind something globally,” says Cook. “That’s why the name really appealed. It’s such an apt name for where we are at around the globe at the moment.”
While the physical and financial impacts of the bushfires are obvious, the mental toll of the disaster is less discussed, but will be no less damaging. Research conducted after Victoria’s “Black Saturday” bushfires in 2009, which resulted in 173 deaths, concluded that residents in the most-impacted communities suffered from “persistent PTSD, depression, and psychological distress,” and says a variety of physical and mental health services are needed to assist with overcoming severe natural disasters.
Melbourne-based wellbeing and performance psychology center The Mind Room is offering free consultations (as part of the federal government's mental health response package) to fire-affected people. Co-founder Dr. Jo Mitchell explains that people need to be patient with their minds and bodies during a disaster. Her advice to anyone affected, especially small business owners used to doing everything themselves, is not to be stubborn, or too proud to accept help.
“The best thing to do is recognize you’ve been through a distressing experience and give yourself permission to have a reaction to it. Often people are surprised by their response or feeling annoyed for feeling the way they are,” she says. “There isn’t a right or wrong way to feel. Everybody will be a bit different. Some people will get the emotional psychological impact in the moment, and others might be a few months down the track.”
No one is clear on the impacts of these fires in the medium- or long-term. Since the worst of the fires have subsided, it’s been reported that rain is causing toxic ash to enter water systems, killing marine life. This has been followed by hailstorms, flash floods and dust storms.
The Australian tourism industry is facing an estimated $4.5 billion AUD ($3 billion USD) loss for 2020. Past that, the impacts of the bushfires are still unknown. For Whytcross at Voyager Craft Malt, this is just another disaster in a long chain of climate-change-related events. As he talks of his industry peers, he uses the word “suicide” surprisingly nonchalantly.
“Farming’s a tough game, and the last couple of years have been tough. It’s sadly become the norm,” he says. Last summer, the temperatures hit 118° Fahrenheit in this part of the world. This summer, the region has already seen two days at 116° Fahrenheit, and it’s not yet the peak of the season. “It’s definitely having an impact on how we process, and thinking about when we process.”
Whytcross is, however, hopeful for the future.
“We’re seeing a lot better farming techniques,” he says. “Even with the drier conditions and lower rainfall, farms are still harvesting grain. Soil quality, and moisture retention, different varieties, stock rotation, and better management practices.”
Whytcross is energized by farmers approaching him, excited to get their grain into other products like beer and whiskey. He says he’s encountered one smile after another on the faces of farmers who, until recently, had no idea where their grain was going. Now their names are on beer and whiskey labels.
“I think there’s a real social aspect to what we’re doing that I like to think is benefitting growers, brewers and consumers,” he says.
At King River Brewing, Munt hopes people will remain mindful of what families and businesses have lost, even after the immediate threat passes. He also hopes people will return to these areas, and show support where they can.
For now, he’s thankful for the efforts of the industry to support those impacted by the fires. As we speak, his beers are making their way into Melbourne for fundraisers, and to help recoup lost income for the brewery. The results of those efforts will recover some lost sales, but only a small percentage.
“It’s been overwhelming really. It shows you what the beer industry is really like. People can see we are suffering and are helping us out,” Munt says. “I’m so lucky to be part of the community—people are actually beautiful, and it’s been a really uplifting part of the experience.”
Munt will be joining in Resilience as well, as will Cupitt. Cupitt’s Jackson says that, while things will be lean, his business is established and should be able to manage the times ahead. He is concerned for other young businesses in the area, however, including Dangerous Ales and Jervis Bay Brewing Co., and says the three will team up on brewing a Resilience beer to raise funds in that region.
With so many different areas affected, tourism is going to be a key driver of ongoing recovery. Late last week, the federal government announced a $76-million tourism campaign. In Victoria, the state government is leading a campaign for businesses and organizations to hold conferences in affected regions to help stimulate local economies. And grassroots campaigns such as the “Empty Esky” project, which asks holidaymakers to travel to affected places with an empty cooler and return with it full of produce from small businesses, are also doing their part.
These campaigns put an emphasis on small, regional businesses around Australia, and are forcing serious discussions about our climate future. Perhaps they’ll even spur long-term change.
“Hope is about setting anchors in the future,” says Dr. Mitchell. “We know what we don’t want, but let’s talk about what we do want, and use that energy and discomfort to direct it and guide it. The only we way we are going to get through this is together.”
For information on Resilience, head to this site.
To support Ryefield Hops’ Help a Hop campaign, click here.
For information on industry fundraisers around Australia, click here.
For more information on mental health support, click here.
Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
Words by Luke Robertson