Midwest Specialty Grains Conference

Return to Home Page September 14, 2004
Barley Malt Quality Course Begins at Northern Crops Institute Fargo, N.D., USA--Eighteen participants representing several international brewing and malting companies in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico are attending the Barley Malt Quality Evaluation technical course at Northern Crops Institute (NCI). The course runs from September 14-17. American Society of Brewing Chemists co-sponsors the course. “North Dakota remains the number one producer of barley in the U.S.,” according to Dr. Paul Schwarz, NDSU professor and program coordinator. “Malt is the major ingredient in making beer and has a huge impact on beer quality. Key to understanding beer quality in brewing is having a good understanding of malt,” he concluded. During the course, the group will learn more about the quality components of barley and malt necessary to produce an acceptable beer. Topics include U.S. barley production and variety development, barley malt production technology, biochemical changes in malting, malt enzymes, malt analysis, North American versus European/Australian malts, and a biotechnology update on barley. The group will also tour the Busch Agricultural Resources Elevator Operations in West Fargo, N.D., and the Busch Agricultural Resources Inc. Malt House, Moorhead, Minn. Steve Edwardson, executive director of the North Dakota Barley Council, said, “This course showcases the technical expertise that we have to offer here as a state at the production and variety development level and at the processing, malting, and brewing levels. By showing people how to use barley, how to understand malt quality, and barley quality in general, we end up with repeat business and customers who will continue to look to North Dakota as the source of supply,” he concluded. A variety of industry professionals and university faculty teach the course. In addition to Schwarz, they include Dr. Richard Horsley, NDSU; Bryce Lukes, Rahr Malting Canada; Dr. Lynn Dahleen, USDA Northern Crop Science Laboratory; Dave Kuske, Briess Malting Co.; Sherman Chan, Rahr Malting Co.; and Matthew Musial, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Northern Crops Institute supports regional agriculture and value-added processing by conducting technical education and services that expand and maintain domestic and international markets for northern-grown crops.

Barley Malt Quality Course Begins at Northern Crops Institute

Fargo, N.D., USA--Eighteen participants representing several international brewing and malting companies in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico are attending the Barley Malt Quality Evaluation technical course at Northern Crops Institute (NCI). The course runs from September 14-17. American Society of Brewing Chemists co-sponsors the course.

“North Dakota remains the number one producer of barley in the U.S.,” according to Dr. Paul Schwarz, NDSU professor and program coordinator. “Malt is the major ingredient in making beer and has a huge impact on beer quality. Key to understanding beer quality in brewing is having a good understanding of malt,” he concluded.

During the course, the group will learn more about the quality components of barley and malt necessary to produce an acceptable beer. Topics include U.S. barley production and variety development, barley malt production technology, biochemical changes in malting, malt enzymes, malt analysis, North American versus European/Australian malts, and a biotechnology update on barley. The group will also tour the Busch Agricultural Resources Elevator Operations in West Fargo, N.D., and the Busch Agricultural Resources Inc. Malt House, Moorhead, Minn.

Steve Edwardson, executive director of the North Dakota Barley Council, said, “This course showcases the technical expertise that we have to offer here as a state at the production and variety development level and at the processing, malting, and brewing levels. By showing people how to use barley, how to understand malt quality, and barley quality in general, we end up with repeat business and customers who will continue to look to North Dakota as the source of supply,” he concluded.

A variety of industry professionals and university faculty teach the course. In addition to Schwarz, they include Dr. Richard Horsley, NDSU; Bryce Lukes, Rahr Malting Canada; Dr. Lynn Dahleen, USDA Northern Crop Science Laboratory; Dave Kuske, Briess Malting Co.; Sherman Chan, Rahr Malting Co.; and Matthew Musial, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

Northern Crops Institute supports regional agriculture and value-added processing by conducting technical education and services that expand and maintain domestic and international markets for northern-grown crops.