Malt and Grains Session
Brian G Rossnagel, University of Saskatchewan
Co-author(s): William Legge, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada,
Canada; Michael Edney, Canadian Grain Commission, Canada; Aaron Beattie
and Graham Scoles, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
ABSTRACT: Hulless barley development has been a
significant segment of western Canadian barley breeding and research
programs at the Crop Development Centre (CDC), University of
Saskatchewan; the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon Research
Centre; and the Grain Research Lab, Canadian Grain Commission for more
than three decades. Since the CDC’s release of the first hulless
Canadian variety Scout (a feed variety) in 1982, program emphasis has
shifted to hulless barley for food and malting/brewing. The high
performing, agronomically superior variety CDC McGwire (released in
1999) set the stage for and provided the baseline for further hulless
malting barley variety development. CDC ExPlus and Taylor, with improved
malting quality, were released in 2009 specifically as hulless malting
varieties. These have been followed by CDC Clear (released in 2012),
which demonstrates agronomic improvement versus the agronomic standard
CDC McGwire and malting quality advantages versus CDC ExPlus and Taylor,
having lower grain protein, lower malt beta-glucan, and increased malt
enzyme activity. Malting and brewing research with other hulless malting
prototypes and these varieties consistently demonstrates a dramatic
improvement in malt extract. Even a 50% replacement of hulled malt can
provide effective filtration results in a >2% extract increase.
Combined with less spent grain and lower freight cost for barley and
malt, these factors should catch the attention of cost-conscious
brewers.
Brian Rossnagel received his Ph.D. degree from the
University of Manitoba in 1978 and is currently Professor Emeritus, Crop
Development Centre (CDC), University of Saskatchewan. He was a barley
and oat breeder at the CDC from 1977 to 2011 and has been the lead
scientist in the release of more than 90 varieties of barley and oat.
VIEW PRESENTATION 151
