Grainswest - Spring 2024

Spring 2024 Grains West 36 FCDC barley breeder Yadeta Kabeta and research cereal geneticist Jennifer Zantinge are enthusiastic about the program’s new direction. With Olds College, the Centre has increased its number of field test sites from four to nine. These are located across Alberta from Lethbridge to Fort Vermilion, which allows for wider field testing under varying soil and climatic conditions. New varieties are also tested in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec in collaboration with additional breeding programs. Before starting work on new varieties, the two researchers look to CMBTC and seed companies for market signals. CMBTC provides clarity on brewer and maltster demands, both domestically and internationally, while seed companies alert them to developing agronomic issues. Under the revamped program, Zantinge uses genomic technologies to speed up breeding and improve genetic selection. Doing so allows her to concentrate traits of importance. Together, she and Kabeta are attempting to determine which genetic markers are associated with low DON levels in Lowe and trying to bring better scald resistance into new feed and forage lines. Scald resistance markers are already used within the current malt breeding program. Kabeta is also convinced there is a lesson to be learned from Lowe. “In our breeding program, we want to do things differently. We’re hoping to work from field all the way to brewing. We have a competitive advantage being at Olds College, for sure.” COLLABORATION IS KEY In addition to the creation of new funding opportunities, FCDC’s move to Olds College offers opportunities to test new varieties in the lab, in the field and in its on-site brewery. Its location offers advantages, too. Craft maltster Red Shed and craft breweries Troubled Monk of Red Deer and Blindman Brewing of Lacombe are within 50 kilometres of the College. The Olds College Smart Farm has access to 3,600 acres of crop and forage land where varieties can be tested to ensure they meet agronomic demands. The teaching brewery has been used to compare taste attributes through the brewing of single-malt beers such as Lowe Down and Brew Up, made with AB BrewNet, another FCDC variety. Lori Oatway, FCDC’s cereal quality research scientist, acquired micro- malting equipment from Europe that will be installed in the teaching brewery and used to test small batches of promising new varieties. Samples previously had to be sent to outside facilities for testing. “The micro-malting equipment will allow us to analyze thousands of samples each year on a small malt basis, so we can find out what the extract is, what the enzyme levels are,” she said. Oatway also works with a sensory panel to detect and quantify beer attributes. Composed of trained experts, the panel evaluates beer for texture, flavour and aroma. While Oatway hasn’t had the opportunity to evaluate beers brewed with new FCDC varieties just yet, in the near future she plans to work with the sensory panel to do so. One participating panelist is Shane Groendahl, co-founder of Blindman Brewing in Lacombe. He and Oatway are considering brewing new varieties in small batches to assess their performance before these are registered and made available to seed companies. Groendahl is proud to be part of the process. “I try to talk about the importance of barley breeding for malt featuring FCDC every chance I get. No barley, no beer.” Oatway also sees opportunities to expand FCDC’s collaboration with Red Shed. Co-owner Matt Hamill is passionate about promoting new malting barley varieties and the modest size of the operation gives it flexibility. While the big maltsters may process 450 tonnes at once, Red Shed can handle as little as two tonnes of barley per batch. “We’ve been lucky to get first crack at some of these new varieties because we have such a small system,” said Hamill. “I love the role that we’re playing.” Also passionate about promoting new malting barley varieties, Charlie Bredo is co-founder of Troubled Monk, which produces craft beers and whiskies. He believes the province offers unique flavours that are influenced by terroir— the environmental conditions, including soil and climate that confer “taste of place.” To promote Alberta grain, industry has to work together, he said. “I think it’s integral to Alberta’s long- term success—from being a barley producer and developing our beer and whisky industries—that there’s integration throughout the entire chain. We need to work together to make this happen.” “The micro-malting equipment will allow us to analyze thousands of samples each year on a small malt basis, so we can find out what the extract is, what the enzyme levels are.” —Lori Oatway FEATURE