Malt has a PR problem.
Hops get the spotlight in today’s craft-beer scene. Coolers are full of cans resplendent with dank cones. Any given tap list might be a litany of hop-punny beer names. And there’s a whole sector of agriculture focused on developing new cultivars and fresh ways to extract their essence for use in the brewery.
Malt, on the other hand, is a quieter contributor—despite being widely viewed as “the soul of beer” and the backbone of its flavor. However, in recent years—while hops were hogging the spotlight—brewers, maltsters, and barley-obsessed farmers have quietly forged new links in the supply chain that have the potential to change the culture of independent brewing.