Maltose Negative Yeast

Jim Eckert of California’s Eckert Malting & Brewing—the world’s first maltster to focus on rice—discusses how he got into malting rice and the unique challenges of his niche.

As the climate changes, so does our malt. With the weather in barley-growing regions more prone to extremes than it once was, brewers are often facing lower efficiencies, higher finishing gravities, or stubborn lauters—unless they’re ready to adjust.

Amid craft lager’s surge, smaller maltsters are sending up signals for an unlikely trend, producing small batches of unusual smoked malts made with a variety of woods. Brewers dig it, too—but will drinkers follow?

Many smaller breweries lack the resources to perform regular cell counts on their yeast pitches or slurries. Luckily, yeast share some of their secrets with us via pH values, and that can be an easy way to check on their health. Here’s what to know.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the battle against staling, understanding your malt’s free amino nitrogen content is a tactic worth deploying.

Whether it’s the various costs involved, location, conveyance, or keeping peace with the neighbors, here are some key considerations when it’s time for your brewery to bulk up.

Despite recent troubles with input costs and supply chain, the vibes coming from the malt market seem relatively calm and upbeat. Hey, let’s not jinx it.

Are common misconceptions contaminating your cellar? We asked the yeast labs about what things brewers often get wrong. Here’s their advice.

Brewers don’t make beer, yeast do—but they also make a lot more yeast. Here’s a look at some of the specialized gear that brewers use to propagate and ensure consistent pitches from batch to batch.

It’s long been known that malt contains precursor compounds that can be unlocked via fermentation for bright, tropical-fruit aromas. Researchers are beginning to quantify those contributions, and brewers are putting them to work in the brewhouse.

There’s an exploratory movement among craft brewers to go beyond brewing with barley. The flavors coming out of this movement are delighting palates, helping to reduce environmental degradation, and promoting social justice.

While we have a plethora of options for ale yeast, lager strains have been few and relatively similar. That’s already changing thanks to recent research, and brewers who rethink lager may be the ones who stand out in a tightening market.

Could koji malt open new doors to flavor for creative brewers? Some researchers and a few breweries already are tinkering with the versatile molds responsible for sake, shōchū, and more.