Using barley over other cereal adjuncts offers significant advantages to the brewer. Because its starch has a similar gelatinisation temperature (53-58˚C) to malted barley (61-65˚C), it can be easily incorporated into conventional malted barley mashing procedures. Its endogenous ß-amylase ensures maltose production during mashing. Likewise, the presence of a husk can aid mash filtration through a traditional lauter tun. However, because of its low endogenous enzyme levels and high levels of unmodified cell wall components, brewing with raw barley can present many processing difficulties to a brewer.
Barley brewing also has a significantly positive environmental advantage over malting, because it is a less energy-intensive process. The potential savings for brewing with barley, and the decision at what level to brew with, depend on several factors, including:
Barley % | € Savings/1000hl |
0 | 0 |
10 | 180 |
20 | 340 |
50 | 690 |
80 | 1080 |
100 | 1390 |
Typical Barley Brewing Problem | Kerry's Solution |
Poor mash or beer filtration | Promalt, Bioglucanase |
Insufficient levels of free amino nitrogen | Promalt, Bioprotease |
High mash viscosities and starch positive wort | Hitempase |
Wort clarity | Whirlfloc |
Limited vitamins, essential salts and amino acids for yeast | Yeast nutrients |
Beer clarity/stability | Biotannin™, Profix |