DisplayTitle

​Quality Potential of a New Canadian Hulless Malting Barley Variety

The malting and brewing quality potential of CDC Clear, a Canadian two-row hulless malting barley variety registered in 2010, was examined at the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) using a 100-kg pilot malting system and a 3-hL pilot brewery. The hulless CDC Clear malt showed an overall quality comparable to a regular hulled barley malt but had significantly higher extract yield potential. All-malt brews were conducted using malt blends containing 0, 30, 50, and 100% CDC Clear malt (based on weight). For brews using 100% hulless malt, the malt was milled using a hammer mill, and the wort separation was performed using a mash filter. For brews using 50, 30, and 0% hulless malt, the malts were milled using a two-roller mill, and the wort separation was performed using a lauter tun. Similar brewing yields were achieved in the brewing trials, and no processing difficulties or significant chang​es in wort filtration time in lauter tun were recorded. The finished wort for all brews was pitched with a commercial lager yeast and fermented at 13.5°C. All beers were aged, filtered, bottled, and pasteurized according to CMBTC standard procedures. Organoleptic attributes of finished beers were evaluated by the CMBTC sensory panel. Beer sensory analysis indicated there were no quality concerns in the finished beer, and the quality of beer brewed using 100, 50, and 30% CDC Clear malt was comparable to beer produced from the 0% CDC Clear brewing trials. However, beer quality analysis indicated that beer turbidity after 3 months of storage increased substantially in beer produced with hulled barley malt than in beer produced with 100% CDC Clear malt. This suggests that quality malt and beer can be produced from this hulless barley and that the hulless barley malt can be used in the brewing process alongside hulled barley malt at 50 and 30% hulless malt inclusions and that satisfactory wort separation can be achieved using a regular lauter tun. With significantly higher extract levels than most hulled barleys, CDC Clear hulless barley could offer a competitive advantage for some brewers. 

Keywords: beer sensory, brewing, CDC Clear, hulless malt ​