A short course titled Barley and Malting Quality: A Field to Brewhouse Perspective was held Oct. 2-5 at the Northern Crops Institute at NDSU. A total of 30 people from malting and brewing industries, chemical companies, farms, wineries, plant breeding companies and universities attended.

Topics covered included barley growth and development, seed development and selection of good malting varieties, grain biology and biochemistry, malting technology, food safety concerns for maltsters, growers’ perspectives on barley production and markets, and specialty malts.

Participants also took part in hands-on germination testing and malt flavor demonstrations. They also toured local malting and brewing facilities.

Paul Schwarz, director of the Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences and the malting barley quality project leader, organized the course and taught some of the topics. Other experts who taught included Chris Anderson of the Fargo Brewing Co. and Intelligent Malt in Fargo; Katrina Christianson of Intelligent Malt in Fargo; Richard Horsley of NDSU; Curt Jacobson of Rahr Malting in Shakopee, Minnesota; Cassie Liscomb of Briess Malt in Chilton, Wisconsin; Frayne Olson of NDSU; Andrea Stanley of Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts; and Jochum Wiersma of the University of Minnesota in Crookston, Minnesota.

Schwarz said the goal of the short course is to “give a global overview of the barley chain from the grower to the brewer, in three and a half days.” The course will be offered again in 2018.

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.