Applied Barley Research

What's in a barley sandwich?

Only the best of malting barley varieties make the ingredient list of a glass of beer. And the GRL's Applied Barley Research team works closely with plant breeders to develop and evaluate improved varieties that will satisfy the processing requirements of maltsters as well as the agronomic needs of barley growers. These new varieties must also maintain the brewing characteristics of the traditional brands and styles of beer and appeal to the tastes of beer drinkers.

Collaborative research

The Applied Barley Research team is a key player in the malting barley industry of Canada. The GRL is responsible for evaluating the malting quality of two-rowed and six-rowed barley entries in the western Canadian cooperative tests. Through the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG), it cooperates in deciding which lines will advance to the collaborative pilot scale malting trials. Only the most promising malting lines are grown in collaborative barley plots for pilot-scale malting at the GRL and at the labs of the malting industry. The barley team is also working with plant breeders to develop hulless barley varieties for malting and food uses.

Similarly, the barley team cooperates closely with marketers and maltsters by providing an annual evaluation of the malting quality of the new crop. The results of the harvest survey of malting barley are published in hard copy.

Technology, methods and standards

The heart of applied barley research is two malting systems-the automatic micromalting system for 500-gram samples and the pilot malt plant for seven-kilogram samples of commercial scale malt. The malt analysis labs use the North American standard tests of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

Future developments

The Applied Barley Research team is upgrading the controls of the pilot malt plant from mechanical to computer automated. The GRL will be working in close collaboration with the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre's new malting and micro-brewing facilities to investigate the malting and brewing potential of new barley varieties.

Experience and expertise

The team holds key positions on the Barley and Oat Subcommittee of the PRRCG in recommending which of these varieties will go on to interim registration and market development. The GRL participates both nationally and internationally in collaborative malting barley research. For example, Applied Barley Research provided all quality analysis for the Canadian portion of the North American Barley Genome Project.

To find out more about our staff, their research and area of expertise, read the biographies for:

Michael Edney, Program Manager, Applied Barley Research