Brewers often refer to malt as the "soul of beer". But the collapse of prices for malting barley and malt, extending over many years, raises doubt about whether maltsters and brewers appreciate their most important raw material. Prices for malting barley have meanwhile dropped to a level where producers are seriously considering changing to economically more interesting alternatives.

In their own interest, maltsters and brewers should not close their eyes to a foreseeable possible drastic reduction of acreage under cultivation with high-value spring malting barley - as well as to the associated price increases and quality compromises.

The German Malting Barley Society sees the successes of past years as being jeopardised. Based on its statutes ("...
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The physiological significance of phenolic substances and hop bitter substances has been the subject of in-depth investigations, and a great many new facts have emerged in the last five years. This contribution provides an overview of the current state of knowledge.

The term polyphenols refers to substances which are made up of phenol derivatives. They primarily include phenolic acids and monomeric and oligomeric flavanols. In terms of volatility, phenolic substances in beer can be subdivided into monomeric monophenols, monomeric polyphenols and polymeric polyphenols.

In the order of 153 mg of polyphenols are present in one litre of German Pilsener lager. Plants use them, inter alia, as deterrents against plant pests, as growth regulators and as colourings.
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As in previous years, the authors of this list have collected data on the distribution and quality of barley varieties within the member countries of the EBC- and other countries with the aim of making them available to the international malting barley traders and the malting and brewing industries as a helpful tool for their transactions.

The present day globalisation of barley and malt markets makes it essential to possess information about the distribution and quality of varieties way beyond one’s national boundaries. Within Europe, for example, Germany imports malting barley from Denmark, France and England. A large selection of spring and winter malting barleys are traded internationally.
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An efficient breakdown of various brewing raw materials is achievable, using the dispersion mashing process. A further advantage of this new process is that particle sizes are optimised for substance conversion, with practically no oxygen uptake.

Enzymatic degradation of grain constituents during mashing is preceded by prior mechanical size reduction of raw materials used i.e. by milling. This purely mechanical process is of fundamental significance for chemical-biological conversions during mashing, for rapid and for best possible production of wort, for qualitative composition of same as well as for the amount of extract yield achievable.
- enlarge the surface, a fundamental prerequisite for physical and biochemical reactions and/or for accelerating same.e.g.g.
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This year Dr Stuart Milligan (Kings College London) and Professor Denis de Keukeleire (University of Ghent) published a paper on the presence of a new, very potent phytoestrogen in hops (Milligan et al 1999). This phytoestrogen was identified as 8-prenylnaringenin with a biological activity greater than most other established phytoestrogens. The potential health benefits that might be associated with phytoestrogens in beer are discussed.

Technically, phytoestrogens can be described as "plant-derived oestrogenic compounds". Like the "Help" windows on the computer, this definition suffers from being accurate but possibly not very useful when trying to understand what phytoestrogens actually "do" in the body. This compares with about 1 mg per day in the UK (Humfrey, 1998).
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The present contribution describes tests relating to addition of xanthohumol and to tracking of this substance during beer preparation. The results show whether xanthohumol can have a physiological effect through beer or whether it is generally just an interesting substance.

It has been reported recently that xanthohumol from hops may have a carcinostatic effect. The reports are based on research carried out at Oregon State University. Engelhardt i. a. (Hopfen-Rundschau No. 6 of June 1st, 1998, page 152 - 153) wrote about the particular research. This has been carried out in-vitro in the first instance, results from tests involving living organisms are not yet available. The in-vitro tests show anticarcinogenic effects for xanthohumol quantities from 10 to 100 mmol.35 to 3.
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In the second part of the industrial-scale brewing tests with Hersbrucker, Hallertauer Tradition and Spalter Select varieties, the authors take a closer look at the behaviour of substances originating from hops during six months’ storage of beer.

Brauwelt International no. I/2000, p. 51 reported about industrial-scale brew-ing tests with Hersbrucker, Hallertauer Tradition and Spalter Select varieties at Schmucker Private Brewery in Mossautal/Germany. The beers originating from these tests were stored for 6 months, and the bitter substances and aroma substances were analysed again after that period. Taste tests were also carried out.

Storage conditions

The beers were stored at 17°C in the dark for 6 months.
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It was found that lautering of millet malt worts is dependent on germination time of the malts. The longer the germination time, the worse lautering became and the more pentosans were released into the wort.

With sorghum malt also, protein modification increases, and with it the concentration of soluble nitrogen and FAN content in the malt wort rises, as germination time increases. Therefore it is proposed that, when brewing beer from millet, the millet malt to be mashed in should consist of a mixture of malts with different germination days; this mixture was referred to as synergy malt.

Introduction

Sorghum grains contain hemicellulose (b-glucans and pentosans) and water-soluble gums and mucins (b-glucans, pentosans, galactans and mannans) (1) and (2).
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For brewers, bitter substances, polyphenols and hop oils are important hop contents. By selective use of hops, introduction of the various groups of substances can lead to different effects in beer. For the brewing technologist, it is very important among other things to achieve good taste stability. Hops makes it possible to create a specific aroma and flavour profile, thus providing a basis for differentiating one’s own brand from that of competitors. Finally, hops is of importance for biological stability of a beer.

In some instances, researchers have diametrically opposed views about the composition of hop aroma and the specific contribution of individual compounds to hop aroma in beer.g. the humulene epoxide I and II, to hop aroma in beer is still taken for granted.
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When purchasing hop products, the crop year still plays a major role. This paper looks at the question of the significance of the crop year in assessment of hop products.

Hops and hop products - if produced within the European Union - are marketed in accordance with criteria of variety, growing area and year. The EU certification regulations have the aim of ensuring that hop products can be traced back to the original raw hops and are designated correctly in accordance with the stated characteristics.

Problem

Development of hop products has largely displaced raw hops in breweries. Of major importance is the fact that pellets and extracts retain quality much better. There was no protection against oxidation....

Progress in breeding malting spring barley varieties over the last 30 years has not been confined to yield alone. Sustained improvements in quality have also been achieved simultaneously.

In his presentation given at the 26th International Malting Barley Seminar 1997 on October 7, 1997 at Hotel Berlin, Berlin, Prof. Schildbach detailed the advantages that progress in breeding has provided for maltings.

Progress in breeding

Fierce competition between breeders has led to sustained development of high-performance malting barley varieties. 104 varieties have been newly certified by the Federal Varieties Office over the last 30 years alone (1). Higher yields and better qualities were taken for granted and exploited. 1). (Fig. 2)
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