Craft beer leads push for fewer barley varieties

The world's largest malting company says Australia needs to reduce the number of barley varieties and focus on high quality product if it wants to remain at the forefront of the industry.

Around 17 different types of barley are grown across Australia, much of which is sold to make beer in China.

But Alain Caekaert, from French barley processor Malteurop, says Australia would be better served by focusing on higher end varieties, particularly for the emerging craft beer market.

A visiting French malting expert says the growing demand for craft beer should drive higher quality barley production.

"The craft market is 20 per cent of the US market, it's huge," he said.

"I see that coming to Western Europe and potentially to some other regions, even in China."

"Chinese people are travelling around the world and they want to have some specialty, high flavoured beer."

"So definitely I see that to be a long term trend."

Mr Caekaert says Australia's reputation for high quality barley needed in craft beer has been diminished by its move to sell lower grade Fair Average Quality (FAQ) barley to China.

"Australia used to be known for malt 1 type. Now you talk about FAQ, sometimes feed barley, going to China," he said.

While China imports about 60 per cent of Australia's malting barley, Mr Caekaert warns against focusing entirely on that market.

"Of course for China the FAQ varieties are fine, but to target the (craft beer) market you need to be selling a high quality type

"It could feed both the Asian market and the craft market....so they should definitely target this high quality market."

Australia used to grow just a few strains of barley, but over the past decades that has diversified, with more than 15 varieties now available to suit different climates and conditions.

But Mr Caekaert says Australia could take a lesson from Argentina, which has the highest malting rate in the world, in part due to efforts to restrict the number of varieties it grows.

"There are probably too many varieties in Australia today," he said.

"They should probably communicate on less varieties and the (get) the right communication on each variety."

Source: ABC Rural News, 2 August 2013