• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

U.S. malting barley industry moving towards two-row varieties

November 21, 2017Pretty Much a Press Release

malted barley
The industry was founded on the production of six-rowed varieties, but now the shift is toward two-row.

The North American malting barley industry has undergone some significant changes in the last quarter century. There has been a decline in the area planted to barley, particularly feed types, an increase in direct contracting with producers and a shift toward two-row varieties.

The industry was founded on the production of six-rowed varieties. Early production was concentrated near the large brewing centers in the eastern half of the continent and growers found that the available six-row varieties performed best in these humid regions. Brewers too, favored these varieties which had quality attributes best suited to making the beer that the public was drinking. They had higher levels of enzymes that aided in the smooth processing of these beers. The major drawback was that they had smaller kernels and it took a little bit more six-row malt to yield the same amount of beer.

Barley production began to increase in the semi-arid plains in the middle of the twentieth century where two-row varieties were better adapted. The industry supported research that led to higher enzyme levels and other improvements to two-row varieties, and plantings began to increase. By 1987, more area was seeded to two-row varieties than six-rows in Canada. It took longer in the United States, but by 2009, two-rows dominated here as well. A major reason why the switch happened in Canada sooner, was the large volumes of malt and malting barley exports to a world market in which two-row types dominate.

While there is still a large area in North Dakota and Minnesota where six-row varieties still predominate, efforts by barley breeders Richard Horsley, North Dakota State University (NDSU), and Kevin Smith, University of Minnesota, are underway to develop spring and winter two-row malting varieties that perform well in the region.

“We will continue to evaluate six-row selection in the breeding pipeline, but are excited with the two-row lines coming through these programs,” noted Michael Davis, president of the American Malting Barley Association. “Our members have made it clear that this is the direction that they want to go in the long term.”

There have been several two-row malting varieties released by NDSU with each showing improved agronomics and quality over the previous one. The latest is ND Genesis and was recommended to growers for malting in 2016.

 

malted barley cbb crop
American Malting Barley Association pushes new varieties, notes seven barley lines with sufficient malting quality for commercial trials
barley field sun cbb crop
Cargill closes malting facility in North Dakota, cites brewers moving to two-row varieties
malted barley
The American Malting Barley Association shares its recommended malting barley varieties for 2018
malted barley
Why increasing the selection rate of malting barley is so important

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • BarthHaas is conducting a series of free ‘hopinars’ this fall
  • Wiley Roots Brewing brings Apumpalyptica back from the dead and more fall beers to know this week
  • Reflections in risk: How craft brewing risks evolved the past decade
  • We’re snagging this Ohio Pint Day glass on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at one of 180 craft breweries

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • insurance-risk-exposureReflections in risk: How craft brewing risks evolved the past decade
    September 21, 2023
  • Watch how the bacteria in Bell’s Cube wastewater facility are raised on craft beer
    September 20, 2023
  • Can Transport (1)Cheers to 10 Years: Paradox Brewing asks the key questions to revamp retail strategy
    September 19, 2023
  • Ziemann Holvrieka Managing Director Florian Schneider discusses the brewing equipment brand’s relaunch
    September 14, 2023
  • scorecardHow to scorecard brewery taproom performance
    September 13, 2023
  • Brooklyn Brewery continues beyond beer journey, invests in Hoplark’s NA beer, hop teas and hop waters
    September 12, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC