Don Tse

First developed by multinational lager breweries, hybrid malting barleys are now available that can extend shelf life while eliminating DMS and improving quality, among other possible benefits. Will smaller breweries find a use for them?

• Malt Insider
• Loxless
• Ingredients

Researchers and yeast labs are looking closer at whether yeast-killing yeast—such as those that snuff out diastatic strains, preventing cross-contamination—may have broader applications in brewing.

• Under the Microscope
• Killer Yeast
• Diastatic Yeast

Amid the enduring popularity of soft, pale, hazy IPAs, maltsters have worked to develop wheat malts specifically meant to fit the (grain) bill. Here are two examples, with insights from brewers who use them.

• IPA
• Hazy IPA
• Malt Insider

When it comes to malt these days, brewers are spoiled for choice—and yet maltsters continue to try new things, working to release products that satisfy modern brewhouse demands … and, maybe, find a place in your next recipe.

• Raw Materials
• Malt

One way that yeast labs are developing new strains is a method called adaptive lab evolution, which avoids genetic modification while aiming for specific traits sought by brewers—such as greater tolerance to alcohol, or to terpenes. Here’s how it works.

• Yeast
• Under the Microscope
• Hybrid Yeast

Recent research into a handful of near-forgotten yeast strains reveals the potential for more distinctive hop-forward lagers.

• Lager
• Yeast
• Biotransformation

Developing a malt especially for your brewery takes some planning, but there are potential benefits—such as nailing a target flavor within your process, making beer from truly local grain … or just the fun of finding out what it tastes like.

• Raw Materials
• Malt
• Custom Malt

The farming practices are still new and not always clearly defined, but supporters of regenerative agriculture make the case that it could lead to better grains, better beer, and happier farmers.

• Malt Insider
• Regenerative Barley
• Regenerative Farming

From the barley farmer’s rain forecast to adjusting your grain bill, here’s how malt develops its protein content and what that means for your beer.

• Barley
• Malt Insider
• Malt Protein

In IPAs, hops do the talking, but building the right platform gives them the best chance to have their say. Here, a few award-winning brewers share advice on creating that malt base—especially for the American and West Coast styles—plus, we look at a new base malt designed especially for IPA.

• IPA
• Malt
• Malt Insider

Could floor-malted barley provide an edge for your beers? It has old-fashioned charm and its share of fans, even if its differences with pneumatic malt are relatively subtle. However, new research is beginning to explore what makes floor-malted barley different.

• Malt
• Raw Materials
• Floor Malt

Going beyond barley into ancient grains can be a way to form stronger connections with local farmers, promote sustainable agriculture, and produce more distinctive beers.

• Malt
• Malt Insider
• Ancient Grains