Spring
2016
Grains
West
34
out there with growers and still being
evaluated by the brewing industry,”
Beattie said. He pointed to AAC Connect
and CDC Bow as two varieties that show
promise. “From a grower’s point of view,
they offer improved yield potential and
have quite good lodging resistance.
From a malting and brewing point of
view, they offer increased extract and
very low beta-glucan levels.”
Wade and Scott McAllister at Antler
Valley Farm focus on growing CDC
Copeland. For them, it’s a variety
that balances a relatively high level of
demand from the malt houses with
positive feedback from the craft brewers
they work with. In 2016, they have plans
to seed 20 per cent of their malt acres
in AAC Synergy in response to requests
from craft brewers.
“Working with craft brewers like
Graham at Tool Shed has been a great
experience for our family, as they explain
and show us how different malt barleys
create different products, and [the]
challenges they have to acquire the
finished product that they strive for,”
Wade McAllister said.
Even for barley farmers, making the
connection between what’s in the bin
and what’s in the bottle is a fairly new
concept. That connection is something
that Sherman and the team at Tool Shed
think is important to help cultivate the
stories that make their beer stand out.
“I think about the barley farmers
honing their craft, doing their best work,
then they send their barley off to the malt
house, and what? It’s like sending your
kids off to university and not being able
to see what they become when they
grow up,” Sherman said. “We want them
to know how much pride we take in what
they do. Our beers are the fruits of their
labours.”
It’s an idea that resonates at Antler
Valley Farm. It’s as much about the
personal fulfilment as it is about the
business opportunities.
“Our relationship with the craft brewers
has given us an opportunity to grow
what is needed in the local marketplace,
and we love to grow an excellent-quality
product that will fill that,” McAllister said.
“This also lowers our dependence on
our rail system for export markets, as the
transportation system has been letting
producers down in the past years.”
CRAFT MALT EVOLUTION
Despite the emphasis on the personal
connection that farmers have to craft
brewing, the connection between farmer
and brewer is most often brokered by
one of a few major malting companies.
Collectively, Canadian maltsters buy
approximately 1.1 million tonnes of malt
barley each year. Roughly two-thirds of
the malt they produce goes to export
markets, while domestic brewers use up
the remaining third.
As brewers and consumers seek more
complex flavours in their beers, the
emergence of craft maltsters seems to be
a natural evolution within the industry. At
Red Shed Malting, brothers Matt and Joe
Hamill are leveraging a passion for home
brewing and more than 85 years of family
history in barley growing into a micro-
malting business.
“Red Shed Malting is the missing link
in the chain between the barley grower
and the brewmaster,” Matt Hamill said.
“We will produce a traceable, local and
specialized malt that brewmasters can
use to create beer with consistently more
flavour.”
Once they are operating at full
capacity, Red Shed Malting will produce
about 250 tonnes of malt per year. The
brothers are partnering with their father,
John Hamill, at Hamill Farms to provide
the barley.
“Our farm has been growing malt
barley since 1929, so we’re pretty
experienced at growing and have had
good success at getting it accepted by
the big malt houses,” John Hamill said.
“Canada Malting and Rahr have specific
malts that they want us to grow, and I’m
excited to have more control over the
types of barley we grow here.”
Despite high demand for CDC
Copeland, Hamill prefers to plant AC
Newdale and Bentley—two varieties
known for their performance in the
brewhouse.
FAMILY AFFAIR:
Five generations of McAllister men have been a part of Antler Valley
Farm since it was established in 1890. Currently, it’s operated by brothers Wade (left) and
Scott (centre), and their father, Wayne (right).
