Ep 11 - Understanding Malt - Part 1 - Jamie Ramshaw & Dan Cooper

Joined by Jamie Ramshaw and Dan Cooper of Simpsons Malt, this is part 1 of a 3 part mini series on understanding one of the most important ingredients in beer, malt. In this episode we start to discuss barley varieties, growing conditions, current and future trends in barley. Then we start to discuss the malting process starting with steeping. By the end of the mini-series you will understand in full you malt certificate of analysis, which analysis you need to monitor and how the malting process creates them. Chapters 02:51 - Intros 05:20 - How well are malt COAs understood by brewers07:19 - Barley overview11:05 - Importance of barley variety16:40 - What are the future varieties to look out for? 18:24 - What important field characteristics are there for barley 20:03 - How sustainability is affecting barley farming25:00 - How will this affect heritage varieties like Maris Otter?26:50 - How new barley varieties come to market31:35 - How is the 2023 crop looking?34:06 - High level view of steeping 37:11 - How important is water quality? 38:15 - Is the water used in steeping reused? 41:11 - Moisture content in steeping A big thank you to Simpsons Malt.