Australia: The new malting varieties have major improvements in their quality characteristics

Recent initiatives have resulted in a plethora of new varieties hitting the Australian market. The time lag has reflected on the 10 year breeding cycle for the development of a typical malting variety, David Moody, Senior Barley Breeder, Victorian Department of Primary Industries commented in a statement, published by AWB. He wrote:

“Following the release of Stirling (1981), Grimmett (1982) and Schooner (1984), the only significant releases were Sloop (1998), Gairdner (1998) and, to a lesser degree, Franklin (1989) and Arapiles (1994). The varieties Tallon (1991), Picola (1998) and Wyalong (1998) were released but failed to gain market acceptance.

Since 2002, there have been nine new malting or potential malting varieties released: Dhow (2002), SloopSA (2002), SloopVic (2002), Baudin (2004), Hamelin (2004), Fitzroy (2005), Buloke (2005), Grout (2005) and Cowabbie (2005). A further three varieties are scheduled for release in 2006: Flagship, Gairdner Plus and an unnamed line WABAR2175.

A key feature of these new varieties is their suitability to the export brewing markets. These markets consume 85-90% of Australia’s malting barley production through either the direct sale of grain (principally to China) or through the sale of malt produced by Australia’s malting industry.

Typically, export brewers in China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand are all brewing full strength beers using starch adjuncts (such as maize or rice) in their brewing process.

Compared to the varieties released in the early 1980s, the new malting varieties have major improvements in their quality characteristics. With diastase levels have increased 30 to 50%, fermentability levels have increased from 77 to 83%, and the malt extract levels have increased from 80.5% to 83%. These chemical quality characteristics are equal, if not superior, to the best malting barley varieties available around the world.

The Australian domestic brewing industry requires different quality characteristics. The domestic brewing industry produces a high proportion of low to mid strength beers, and does not introduce starch adjuncts in their brewing process. Malting varieties suited to the domestic market should produce relatively low levels of diastatic enzymes and fermentability, yet high levels of malt extract.

Well-established varieties such as Schooner continue to be in strong demand, particularly in China. This is partly due to the association the Chinese brewers make between Schooner and the favourable Australian harvesting conditions which produce bright, clean and dry grain that stores well.

More discerning markets, such as Japan, place an emphasis on the chemical quality attributes of the variety as well as the physical grain characteristics.

The current challenge for the barley industry is to accommodate 10 or more new, high quality malting varieties, while gradually phasing out the existing five varieties. This will allow growers a wider selection of barley varieties, with the option to select those best suited to their local growing conditions.

From the point of view of both the maltster and the brewer, every new variety has its own “quality class”. That is, every variety behaves in different ways during the malting and brewing process. For optimal end-use quality, every variety needs to be segregated independently.

Obviously the large number of new varieties will place considerable pressure on grain storage facilities. Growers may need to make greater use of the on-farm or smaller grain storage facilities.

In addition to the improvements made in malting quality, the majority of the new varieties will also deliver to growers significant improvements in plant and root disease resistance. These improvements will achieve the breeders’ goals of improved yields and reduced risks for growers.

Over the next two to three years, we will see a range of varieties being used for the Australian market. From a grower’s point of view, the classification of a “malting variety” is based on the availability of segregation. To this end, a malting variety is a variety that has both the inherent quality attributes (both physical and chemical) and has sufficient volume of production to warrant the interest of brewing customers.

Unless both of these components are met, then a variety will not become accepted as a “malting variety”.

By 2010, Australian barley growers will know what level of choice they will have in the selection of malting varieties; the onus will be on the rest on the industry to decide whether a larger number of varieties are adequate or to revert to only a few.”

27 September, 2006