Nicholas Cowles Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 What is the best stain of barley for malting for whiskey that can be grown in the northeast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denver Distiller Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I don't know much about Vermont when it comes to growing, but 6-row variety, Robust, is what is grown in the largest quantities in the northern reaches of the grain belt (the Dakotas). Robust would work just fine for malt whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaware_phoenix Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 In the UK, the Institute of Brewing Barley Committee and the Scottish Agricultural College assess barley varieties (grown in the UK) and issue I think an annual report. You may want to try to see what they report, and whether such varieties are grown here in the US. Some that are grown in the UK are Derkado, Mareso, and Decanter. I'm sure there are many others. One possible issue is the presence of urethane in the barley. It's naturally occurring. It's also a precursor to ethyl carbamate. You may want to contact the state Department of Agriculture and any ag departments at VT colleges. They might be helpful in identifying varieties suitable to your climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaware_phoenix Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 You might also want to contact the various barley councils. Apparently in the US all the big distillers use 6-row grown in the Dakotas, Idaho and Montana. Doesn't mean 2-row can't be used, just that there might not be as much efficiency. For further information contact: Idaho Barley Commission 1199 Main Street, Suite G Boise, ID 83702-5630 Tel: 1-208-334-2090 Fax: 1-208-334-2335 Website: www.idahobarley.org Montana Wheat and Barley Comittee P.O. Box 3024 Great Falls, MT 59403-3024 Tel: 1-406-761-7732 Fax: 1-406-761-7851 Website: www.agr.state.mt.us National Barley Growers Association 821 West State Street Boise, ID 83702-5832 Tel: 1-208-334-2090 Fax: 1-208-334-2335 Website: www.nationalbarley.com National Barley Foods Council 905 West Riverside, Suite 501 Spokane, WA 99201 Tel: 1-509-456-4400 Fax: 1-509-456-2807 E-mail: info@barleyfoods.org Website: www.barleyfoods.org North Dakota Barley Council 505 40th St SW, Suite E Fargo, ND 58103 Tel: 1-701-239-7200 Fax: 1-701-239-7280 E-mail: ndbarley@ndbarley.net Website: www.ndbarley.net/ American Malting Barley Association 740 North Plankinton Avenue, Suite 830 Milwaukee, WI 53203 Tel: 1-414-272-4640 Fax: 1-414-272-4631 E-mail: info@ambainc.org Website: www.ambainc.org Washington Barley Commission 905 West Riverside Avenue, Suite 501 Spokane, WA 99201 Tel: 1-509-456-4400 Fax: 1-509-456-2807 Website: www.washingtonbarley.org btw, I found this info over at the US Grains Council (www.grains.org) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenstone Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Keep us posted on what you find out. It was my understanding that 2-row was the favorite for breweries because it has a slightly higher yield. http://brewingtechniques.com/bmg/schwarz.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absaroka Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 The variety and strain of barley for malting is almost entirely dependent on your growing region (and the engineered strains for those regions). I'm in the middle of high plains and mountain barley country and 2-row reigns supreme for malt while 6-row is grown for feed. Elsewhere, that's not always the case. Your mileage will vary on the physical/chemical breakdown for various strains in each region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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