Plant secondary compounds | Barley does not always have a yellowish colour: some cultivars have a violet, blue or black colour. Using various analyses, it was possible to gain a more detailed understanding of the pigments of several historical barley breeds. On the one hand, anthocyanins which are regarded as having a health benefit and, on the other hand, a hitherto unknown melanin, the structure of which could be identified to a certain degree, were determined. While melanins are insoluble in water, the anthocyanins could also be used for brewing beers coloured red.

Nuremberg | On 16 July 2024, hop specialist BarthHaas presented the latest BarthHaas Report at an online press conference. It shows that the world hop acreage declined in 2023 for the second year in succession. It decreased by 3.3 percent year on year to stand at 60,641 hectares.

Europe | Spring barley growth in Europe is currently very heterogeneous. High rainfall in spring has led to protracted sowing in some regions.

Nuremberg | On 20 December 2024, BrewingScience will publish its 14th Hop Special, which covers all hop-related topics, from hop cultivation and hop varieties to hop technologies, analytics and the impact on beer. The call for papers is out now.

Mashing procedures | In 1996, Stenholm et al. [4] asked: “Are the days of Congress mashing over?” In the following article, Evan Evans and John Brauer examine this question and come to a conclusion which reflects modern brewing practice. Following the article, John Brauer talks with us about the joint Euromalt-EBC workshop on different mashing procedures in October 2023 and the implications for the brewing industry.

New technique | The advantages of malt conditioning are undisputed. However, owing to the high cost of procurement and complicated operation, in SME breweries malt is seldom conditioned prior to milling. In order to change this, BrauKon has developed a cost-effective, low-maintenance and fully CIP-able downdraft conditioning segment.

Australia | Hop Products Australia (HPA) have completed this year’s harvest. They picked 670 hectares across Victoria and Tasmania, which resulted in 1,340 tonnes of hops. This was a 177 hectare decrease and a 480 tonne decrease year-on-year across six proprietary varieties – Eclipse, Ella, Enigma, Galaxy, Topaz and Vic Secret, as well as Cascade.

Europe | The spring barley acreage in Europe may be larger this year. However, work has been delayed due to the high rainfall in many regions. It is therefore not possible to say for certain what quantities and qualities can be expected. However, it is already clear that the market will enter the new season without significant surplus.

Nuremberg | The international hop specialist BarthHaas has published its Hop Harvest Guide 2023 in March. Brewing and hop professionals all over the world value the guide for its comprehensive documentation of the quality of the most recent hop crop. It helps brewers to adapt their processes and recipes to the changes identified in the respective crop year.

Almost forgotten | “Conservation through use” is not only the motto for rare domestic animal breeds, the existence of many historically cultivated plant species and varieties are also threatened if they are no longer cultivated and used in a practical way. The team of authors has taken on the old, almost completely forgotten grain species, the “Dicke Trespe”, and tested its suitability for beer production.

Study results | For some time now the concept of sustainability has cropped up in practically all areas of our lives. Our brewing industry is no exception. At least all larger brewery groups and breweries publish sustainability reports containing information, among others, on the carbon footprint of their products. Regardless of the surprisingly great differences between the respective breweries’ carbon balance (depending on how this is assessed), malt as a raw material also contributes to the CO₂ emissions generated during production. This means that malting plants are also required to make an effort towards achieving greater sustainability. The following study aims to assess the savings potential of new varieties of malting barley with a view to reducing carbon footprints and cutting costs.