When brewing beer, breweries need to consider the following key factors when choosing barley malt:
- Appearance requirements
Beer barley is similar to forage barley in appearance but has higher internal quality requirements:
Protein content must be controlled within a reasonable range (usually 9%-12%). Too high a content can easily lead to turbid beer and rough taste.
Wheat grains must be full and uniform, with high starch content, to provide sufficient raw materials for saccharification and fermentation.
- Quality characteristics
High-quality beer barley must be drought-resistant and salt-resistant, adapt to natural rainfall environments, and reduce irrigation dependence.
The germmination rate must be high and uniform (it needs to reach more than 95%) to ensure the efficiency of the malting process.
After soaking, germination, and baking, the malt should form a loose structure to facilitate subsequent saccharification reactions.
- Variety selection
Preferably select high-yield and disease-resistant varieties (such as two-row barley) to reduce planting risks.
The wheat grains need to meet the following requirements:
- Thin skin (conducive to the precipitation of saccharification substances)
- Light yellow and shiny color (reflecting maturity and freshness)
- No musty or earthy smell (to avoid affecting the flavor of beer).
- Planting environment
Climate: Early spring crops are suitable for cool climates. The large temperature difference between day and night is conducive to the accumulation of starch.
Soil: Strong adaptability, well-drained loam/light loam is preferred, pH value 6.0-7.5.
Light: Sufficient sunlight is required during the maturity period to promote full grain.
- Production area requirements
Areas with an annual average temperature of 12-20℃ and an annual rainfall of 400-800mm (such as northwest China and temperate regions in Europe) are preferred, which can not only ensure yield but also maintain the high-quality characteristics of low protein and high starch.
Beer barley must have the biochemical characteristics of low protein and high starch, as well as the agronomic traits of strong stress resistance and uniform germination, and be grown under suitable climate and soil conditions to meet the core requirements of beer brewing for flavor, foam, and stability.
