Spring is almost in the air, but we’re not quite into the March madness of Maibocks and St. Patrick’s Day yet, so I’ll use this week to clear a few beer news items of note from my virtual desk.

I’ll start off with the good news, which could have just as easily been bad. Tennessee legislators have backed down from proposed legislation that would have outlawed the sale of cold beer.

You read that correctly. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State had introduced a bill in late January that would have prohibited the sale of cold beer as a preventative measure against drunk driving. The idea behind the bill was that cold beer can be imbibed immediately after purchase, which allows people to illegally drink in their cars.

Rep. Ron Gant, a co-sponsor of the bill, had said that the evidence of beers cans strewn on roadsides across the state was proof that people were drinking while driving and that he believed they were getting cold beer at convenience stores. But last week Gant told The Tennessean that the prohibition of cold beer sales would not be included in the legislation.

In a statement last week, Gant said, “This was one of several ideas being discussed by stakeholders across our state, however, I do not want to infringe on law-abiding citizens or be unfair to businesses.”

While the idea was well-meant, I have to agree that it was an overreach by the legislators. Craft beer, in particular, can be dependent on freshness and temperature control. Not being able to keep certain beers refrigerated consistently from brewery to point of sale could be disastrous to small craft brewers.

Sharon Cheek, executive director of the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild, told The Tennessean exactly that in a statement:

“Without refrigeration, breweries would face substantial economic challenges and potential job losses,” she said. “Many of our breweries are known for their unpasteurized beer and use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.”

Not only that, but outlawing cold beer sounds almost un-American.

Turning to the bad news, I’m sure it’s no surprise to learn that climate change is having a negative effect on brewing.

A story in , a science journal, indicated that climate change is hurting hops and the trend is probably going to get worse.

The Nature Communications study noted that hops could decline anywhere between 4% and 18% over the next few decades. Projections also say that the alpha content (the bittering agent) in hops could decrease by up to 31%.

Two factors contribute to these problems according to the report:

“The lowest hops yields were negatively affected by a lack of precipitation, while the lowest values of alpha content were caused by extremely high temperatures,” the study said.

While beer might not be at the top of the list when it comes to problems caused by climate change, it certainly is a concern for readers of this column. And it’s just one more reason that addressing this global crisis is crucial.

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