World: Reduced malt input results most often in lower beer quality

At the beginning of the financial and economic crisis brewers, especially the large groups, reduced both stocks and purchase contracts sharply, an analysts’ research note posted earlier this month reminds.

Brewers had to cope with lower disposable incomes of consumers, with higher beer taxes in a number of countries, with anti-smoking laws, and a continuing trend towards wine and other beverages in the richer countries.

Statistics show that beer sales dropped less than malt purchases by brewers: Japan, China, Russia and Ukraine are the extreme examples of reducing malt input in beer, for different reasons and with different replacements.

China’s malt basis of beer is about 7 kilos/hl, Russia reduced its malt input by at least 50% and brews a number of beers exclusively with raw barley and enzymes.

All over the world usage of malt substitutes has increased, most often to the detriment of beer quality.

Recently Euromalt, the European maltsters’ association, and Pilsner Urquell, the No. 1 brewer of the Czech Republic, have protested the continuing change of the product “beer” to an unspecific drink, and asked for legal help to protect the “real beer”, which is not exclusively, but mainly brewed of malt, water, hops and yeast.

21 April, 2010