Barley contributions to beer flavor: The Flavor Pack and the Brewers Association

Background

This project is rigorously testing the hypothesis that barley has positive beer flavor attributes. IF there are novel flavors in barley that carry through malting and brewing and into beer, these flavors could provide new opportunities for brewers and expanded horizons for consumers. The first set of germplasm that we tested traced to the World Core. Subsequently, we fast-forwarded to more current germplasm - the "Oregon Promise" population - a set of doubled haploids derived from the cross of Golden Promise x Full Pint.   We're now on to the "Romp of Otters", "Next Pints", and a set of elite winter 2-rows grown in a non-traditional malt barley prodcution area. To test this hypothesis we are using a range of germplasm, small scale malts, small scale brews, sensory assessment, and analytical tools.

Participants and funders:

  • The Flavor pack: Deschutes Brewing, New Glarus Brewing, Russian River Brewing.
  • The Brewers Association is a key partner - their grants program funds integrated flavor-related endeavors.
  • Rahr Malting is a key partner in providing in-kind contributions of micro-malting, nano-brewing, sensory assessment, and beer analytics.
  • Mecca Grade Estate Malt and CPS-OreGro seeds are key partners, providing us with optimum locations for growing Oregon Promise test plots.

The first reports in the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists