Torched Earth Ale Reveals What Beer Will Taste Like Amid Climate Disaster

Scientists have been warning for years now that unmitigated climate change will result in vast changes to the Earth, including scarcity among certain crops that play a key role in the food chain. The beer company New Belgium has made an activist version of its popular Fat Tire ale called 'Torched Earth' that gives the public a real-world experience of what beer would taste like in a planet ravaged by climate change.

To put it bluntly, 'Torched Earth' doesn't taste good — and that's the point. The company designed the beer using less than stellar ingredients to demonstrate how climate change may impact the future of one of humanity's favorite alcoholic beverages.

Fresh hops have been replaced with dandelions and hop extracts; malt extracts are used in the place of malt, and 'smoke-tainted water' is used in the place of freshwater. The new ale product has a 5.2-percent ABV and all profits made from the beer will go to Protect Our Winters, according to New Belgium.

New Belgium said that it made Torched Earth to 'inspire' the multitude of Fortune 500 companies that lack a 'real climate plan' to get the ball rolling 'before it's too late.' Though the beer isn't something you'd want to break out at a BBQ, it is an oddly sobering novelty that gives the public the opportunity to actually experience what the future of climate change may hold.

Fat Tire enthusiasts who'd like to try the post-apocalyptic beer for themselves can order Torched Earth from New Belgium for $39.99 USD. That'll get you two four-packs for a total of eight 16oz cans. It's unclear how long the company plans to sell Torched Earth.