BANFF, ALTA. — Promising new malt barley varieties are gaining acceptance among western Canadian growers.
Metcalfe and Copeland remain the favourites but a new variety called AAC Synergy released in 2015 was the third most popular in the 2016 crop year.
New varieties that suit the tastes of major brewers in China or small craft breweries in North America are in development.
Earlier this year, 100 tonnes each of CDC Kindersley and AAC Synergy were shipped to China to evaluate them at commercial breweries.
“The intent was to try and get traction with these new varieties,” said Peter Watts of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre.
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China is the second largest market for Canadian malt barley next to the domestic market, he told the Alberta barley commission annual meeting held Dec. 8 in Banff.
Other new varieties like CDC Bow, AAC Connect and CDC Fraser are expected to be launched next year.
All the new varieties have significantly higher yields than Metcalfe but malting quality characteristics vary by variety.
“All these varieties have significant improvements in yields compared to AC Metcalfe and even compared to Copeland,” he said.
The trick is to match the barley to the maltsters’ specifications.
All want good germination and high extract yields of more than 85 percent but the Chinese are typically looking for 11.5 to 13 percent protein, whereas the craft industry wants no more than 11.5 percent protein and beta glucan as low as possible. Mainstream malting and brewing accepts protein levels of 11 to 13 percent.
A major opportunity for barley growers is the growth of the craft brew industry.
Craft brewers in the United States produced 30 million hectolitres last year, or about 15 percent of total beer production. By 2020, 20 percent of the beer production is expected to be craft.
The boon to growers is increased barley use because the crafters use proportionately about 44 pounds of barley compared to 15 lb. in conventional beer.
“The craft industry is very important in terms of their re-quirement and we need to keep this in mind when looking at quality characteristics,” he said.
However, the newest varieties may not fit the needs of craft brewers, but are well-suited for mainstream brewers.
“The new varieties that we are bringing into the system do not meet the specs for the craft brewing industry, at least based on what the craft brewing industry is indicating they want,” Watson said.
This is a wish list but they can work with some of these new varieties like Synergy.
Barley breeders are also looking for the next high quality variety to replace Metcalfe.
Kindersley and Synergy are potential candidates but it ultimately depends on what brewers want.
“We know that AC Metcalfe remains a favourite for brewers around the world. It is popular in China and North America,” he said.
For farmers these new varieties must have good agronomic characteristics.
Fusarium has been a problem this year due to the wet weather and these latest varieties appear to have better resistance.
Watson said fusarium resistance is critical because it affects beer quality.
