Klamath plantations are looking for sturdy barley malts for beer

By Kathy Coatney

Patrick Hayes oversees barley research plantings for craft and mainstream brewers as the American beer market awakens new interest in growing barley in California and beyond.

“There’s an increase in barley acreage, there is an increase in malt use, and that’s driven by the craft industry because it uses most of the malts,” said Hayes, professor of plant and soil science at Oregon State University.

The growth of the craft industry has sparked interest in barley production from the west coast to Ohio and Michigan, places not normally considered barley producing areas, Hayes said.

Hayes has researched new types of barley that can adapt to climate change and potentially benefit large breweries, craft shops and malt houses.

“In our malting efforts, we seek to develop varieties that are of interest to both craft and mainstream industries,” said Hayes. “We are trying to transfer this knowledge into our variety development pipeline as quickly as possible.”

Hayes has tested winter and facultative barley varieties with Admiral Maltings in Alameda County and prepared a spring barley project on the California side of the Klamath Basin until it was scrapped for irrigation due to lack of water.

The Klamath Basin was historically the largest production area for malting barley due to its warm, dry conditions during the day and cool nights. This makes it an ideal climate for growing barley. There’s also a rotation of onions and potatoes as high quality crops – and barley goes with it as a rotation, Hayes said.

“It’s just a good place to grow barley; it has consistently good harvests,” said Hayes. “The farmers saw it as a valuable part of their crop rotations. And the local storage infrastructure was in place.”

This year was challenging, however, as the drought made growing barley in the Klamath Basin very difficult. Water scarcity threatens supply chains and livelihoods, said Hayes. His research increasingly reflects drought challenges and finding alternatives.

In extreme drought conditions, varieties typically used for malt would not provide good malt quality grain, he said.

But instead of looking at drought-resistant varieties, Hayes is taking an indirect route to increasing efficiency by focusing on fall barley. The barley planted in autumn has advantages. They ripen earlier, require less irrigation, and are more water efficient due to their growing habits.

“They will also produce their crops and crops before the really stressful periods,” said Hayes, adding that it is similar to how winter wheat is grown in California.

Hayes’ research in three areas of study is funded by the American Malting Barley Association. Members of the organization include craft and mainstream brewers.

Hayes studies barley varieties to make them disease and stress resistant while achieving high malt quality and rich taste. But, he said, “The definition of malt quality is very much in the eye of the beholder.”

That’s because craft and mainstream beer makers don’t agree on everything. The reason they differ is because most craft brewers use whole malt made from barley malt in their beers, and much of the mainstream industry uses additives like corn or rice, explained Hayes.

In his research on barley flavors, Hayes said, “We worked this through systematically to document that certain types of barley can impart certain flavors to beer.” He said the specific geography in which barley is grown can also give these flavors uniqueness.

With a focus on autumn plantings, Hayes researches barley, which drives out root systems in autumn and then grows very slowly in winter – using precipitation in the form of rain or snow. As soon as spring comes, it reaches its growth spurt before the spring barley is even planted.

One class of barley – the facultative barley – can be planted in the fall and has enough cold tolerance to survive the winter. It can also be planted in the spring, Hayes said.

“One of the things we’re really working on is trying to understand the genetics of these facultative growing habits so that we can offer the greatest possible flexibility to our farmers and industries,” said Hayes.

The Klamath Basin has excellent local grain storage and excellent rail links to the Great Western Malting facility in Vancouver, Washington, said Hayes.

But barley competes with other, higher quality crops, and it can also be difficult to find a market. Hayes said barley growers need to find out who they are selling to.

These customers could be large west coast companies like Admiral Malting in California or a trio of companies in the Pacific Northwest – Great Western Malting, Skagit Valley Malting, and LINC Malt. Or they could be emerging companies.

“There are a handful of other smaller malting operations, but growers need to make that local connection or build their own malting facility,” said Hayes, adding that they also need to have breweries interested in buying their barley.

Hayes said he and his team enjoy sharing their expertise. He can be reached at 541-737-5878 or [email protected].

(Kathy Coatney is a reporter based in Bend, Oregon. She can be contacted at [email protected].)

Permission to use is granted but credit must be given to the California Farm Bureau Federation as this article is reprinted.