Processing barley into malt for brewing is a persnickety business. Each lot of barley can vary in quality, which requires maltsters to adjust their processing approach. Factors such as protein level, germination and water absorption often require the process to be tailored by batch and sometimes adjusted in real time to produce a quality finished malt product that meets the brewer’s needs.

In recent years, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) has worked with major malting and brewing customers in China to facilitate commercial malting and brewing trials. This is the final stage in the roughly three-step process to secure new variety acceptance by end-users.