Malt Insider: What Loxless Barley Might Do for the Craft Brewery

Hybrid barley is nothing new—in fact, most of the malting barley grown today is the result of hybridization.

However, most of that hybridization was driven by agronomics—including yield, disease resistance, and the height and strength of the straw—or benefits to maltsters. When breeders have successfully grown hybrids that benefit brewers, it’s generally been limited to increasing malt’s enzyme package—specifically for the benefit of large beer companies working with high percentages of adjuncts, such as corn or rice.

Here’s what’s new: An increasing number of hybridized barley varieties are now available on the open market that were bred just for brewhouse benefits—for example, to improve flavor, shelf stability, foam formation, or efficiency.

Those benefits are obvious enough to any brewer, and some multinational brewers have been using these malts for years. Until recently, those larger companies used most of the supply. Today, however, smaller breweries can more easily access them and explore their potential.