Aside from some of the European malt varietals that are well known (and heavily marketed), such as Maris Otter, Golden Promise, Chevalier, Optic, Halcyon, Barke, etc…
…I seldom see much discussion of US barley varietals, other than Full Pint, Wintmalt, Charles, Endeavor, and Cerveza (at least those are the only ones I’ve seen mentioned, that I can recall).
I just stumbled upon a mention of the Thunder varietal. Apparently a cross of Wintmalt and Charles, I think. Does anyone know anything about it? Do you know commercial maltsters who use it? Have you tasted it?
My relatives own a farm in an area of Idaho that is apparently one of the big barley producing regions, but AFAIK, they have always grown either wheat or alfalfa. Apparently a recent USDA paper was saying that Thunder barley is well suited for their area. I know NOTHING about grain farming, and only a little bit about beer, but wondered if it was worthwhile to even start a conversation about barley with farming relatives.
Are you going to talk to them in terms of a commercial venture? If so, you should contact the Craft Maltster’s Gui.d to get an idea of market and what you might face.
Thanks! I wasn’t sure whether to advocate or suggest any change in crops. I may inherit a stake or share in the farm someday, and all I know is I like to make beer. I probably should just stay out of it, but I was slightly curious.
I wouldn’t have even known there was a such thing as Craft Maltster’s Guild. I really appreciate the suggestion!
You could pick a variety (assuming you can find seed for it) and plant a small test to see how it goes. Of course then you have to malt it or find someone who will.
Contact your local Ag Extension if you haven’t already. They should know which barley varieties do well in that part of Idaho. They should also be able to put you in touch with farmers growing barley there.
My brother started a malting business in Philadelphia and contracts local farmers to grow crops of barley, wheat and rye. He loves to talk about malt and is a member of the Craft Malt Guild. You can contact Alan through the Double Eagle Malt web site. He may have ideas on the varieties you mentioned.
ScallyWag asked the forum “Who will help me malt the barley?” “Not I” they said.
It sounds like a cool idea though, especially a test area, and even more especially if you know anything about farming grain crops or have someone to ask.
Yes, not to drag this thread out. But i was in korea and there is very generic malted barley crushed for a drink called shikhye, and i tried making a beer out of something like half that i got from a supermarket and 1/2 2row from an online store. it was not good, poor efficiency, lots of problems.
I remember hearing the guy behind Sugar Creek Malt and Matt Riggs from Riggs brewing in Urbana, IL talk about growing barley. The common thread was it was a lot easier to make money from wheat/corn/soy for farmers, so it was pretty tough to convince farmers to switch. Conversely, your family might not make a ton of money doing it. Matt Riggs is a heck of a nice guy, german trained brewer and from farming family. He might be a good person to talk to if the Craft Malt Guild doesn’t pan out.
Malting companies haven’t really spent a lot of time talking about malt varieties, at least the bigger ones. Probably not a consistent variety for most of the malt thats produced.