Winter Malting Barley: Variety Options for This Autumn
26 September 2024, UK: While winter barley drilling is now underway in many regions, for those growers still to buy their seed there is still time to review their plans and variety choices.
Winter malting barley can be a profitable option, attracting premiums for different markets. However, to be successful in achieving the higher malting premiums on offer it is important as a grower to achieve the required quality at harvest and to grow the right variety that is demanded by the end-users.
Variety Choice
Specialist winter varieties for the craft ale sector, malt distilling sector as well as the established mainstream brewing sector offer variety choice on farm. Agronomic differences between the varieties can further allow growers to pick the right variety fit for their conditions.
Before deciding which malting variety to grow though, it is essential to first to check the availability of local contracts and to ensure you have secured a ‘home’ for your grain at harvest before drilling the crop.
Those malting varieties that have MBC Approval are most likely to be on the list of end-users looking to place contracts for harvest 2025, so is the logical place to start when considering what varieties to grow. Varieties with Full Approval have successfully completed the MBC testing process and are generally more widely accepted, while those with Provisional Approval are still ongoing and maybe more limited in contracts available. Again, always check locally the availability of contracts first.
| Winter Varieties for Brewing Use | Spring Varieties for Brewing Use | Spring Varieties for Malt Distilling Use | Varieties for Special Use | |
| Full Approval | FLAGONCRAFTELECTRUM | LAUREATERGT PlanetLG DiabloSkyway | LAUREATEKWS SassyLG DiabloFirefoxxSY TENNYSON | FAIRING (S) – Grain Distilling |
| Provisional Approval 2 | Buccaneer | SY SIGNETSY TENNYSON | Diviner | SY VESSEL (W) – Malt Distilling |
| Provisional Approval 1 | LG AquariusBelterBountyOlsen | BelterOlsen |
Source: https://www.ukmalt.com/mbc-press-release-may-2024/
CRAFT
CRAFT has Full MBC Approval for brewing and is the number one winter malting barley in the UK, with the largest area grown and the largest percentage of the barley grain purchased by UK maltsters. The demand for this variety is very strong and most maltsters across England will take this variety. CRAFT is a very consistent variety, with similar yields across all regions of the UK. Agronomically, it has good stiff straw and an overall robust disease resistance package. CRAFT is known for its high specific weight and big, bold grains with low screenings, making it popular on farm and in the maltings.
You can find out more about CRAFT by clicking here.
SY VESSEL
The special end use quality of SY VESSEL makes it completely unique in the UK winter malting sector being the only variety offering malt distilling potential alongside that of brewing. SY VESSEL has now broken the dependency on the spring crop as the sole source of grain for malt distilling, providing risk mitigation for the grower and end-user alike. With Provisional MBC Approval for malt distilling, SY VESSEL has demonstrated its flexibility to meet specifications for both key markets. SY VESSEL has competitive yields on-farm and offers high Hot Water Extract and Predicted Spirit Yield figures required by brewers and maltsters respectively. Furthermore, high grain nitrogen contracts are now also available for SY VESSEL from certain maltsters.
You can find out more about SY VESSEL by clicking here.
Market specifications
It is essential to know the grain specifications you are aiming for and the exact requirements of your maltster when growing malting barley.
Local contracts for the malting varieties will specify the % grain nitrogen required along with other criteria such as screenings and specific weight.
Varieties such as ELECTRUM and CRAFT are used solely for the brewing market so would target brewing specification, whereas SY VESSEL can be used for malt distilling, brewing and even some high grain nitrogen contracts.
As a rule of thumb, domestic brewing markets require 1.6-1.75% grain nitrogen, while malt distilling requires grain nitrogen below 1.65%. High nitrogen contracts typically target grain nitrogen above 1.85%.
However, it is important to note these different market requirements can vary so always check locally with your intended maltster or your growing contract if you have one.
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