Barley Quality and Growers

Sourced from the Pacific Northwest

Barley for Great Western Malting is sourced from growers across 5 states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California.

Long term relationships have been established and our barley procurement specialists frequently visit growers on site to check on the barley growth and quality.

Growers work with Great Western to grow barley that has agronomic traits beneficial to the grower and malting traits beneficial to the maltster.

Agronomic Traits:

Yield
Plant Height
Days to Maturity
Grain Protein
Kernel Size
Disease Resistance

Malting Traits:

Kernel Size
Extract Potential
Grain Protein
Grain Starch Content
Enzyme Potential
Husk Strength

Two types of barley are grown for malting; Spring and Winter varieties. This ensures maximal yields and staggered harvesting which ensures a continuous supply of barley for malting.

Spring: Planted in April / Harvested in August
Winter: Planted in October / Harvested in July

A chart showing the growing schedules for Spring and Winter barley varieties.

Barley Quality

Barley quality is influenced by the environment in which it is grown, handled and stored. The sample being evaluated must be representative of the entire lot. Hand evaluation for color, odor, damage and kernel quality is an essential step in the process.

Great Western also performs laboratory analysis on barley. Some of the many tests performed include: germinative capacity, moisture content, kernel plumpness, and acceptable levels of protein.

The barley selected for processing into malt must meet certain requirements:

It must be viable and capable of growth.
It must have a relatively low proportion of protein, the lower the protein the higher the amount of carbohydrate.
The kernels should be of an even size to allow for even growth.
The kernels should be plump and uniform in size. Plump corn contains more starch by proportion and therefore have a higher extract potential.
The kernels must be undamaged and free of disease.

A clip art style image of a barley grain pointing out the "Hull", "Bran", "Endosperm" and "Germ". On the right side is the text "Plumpness: Kernels with higher endosperm to hull ratio have more starch, leading to higher extract potential".

Today’s beverage producers are reaching beyond barley to explore a broader spectrum of flavor and function. That’s why we partner with trusted growers to source a variety of premium grains—offering a diverse ingredient selection, like our Low Color Wheat Malt and Biscuit Rye.

A clip art style image of a barley stock with grains and the word "Barley" below.

A clip art style image of a wheat stock with grains and the word "Wheat" below.

A clip art style image of a rye stock with grains and the word "Rye" below.

A clip art style image of an oat stock with grains and the word "Oats" below.

Aerial view of harvesting machines in the barley fields.