SESSIONS TO
IMPROVE YOUR CRAFT
The #MaltCon2024 sessions are designed to present digestible expert advice that spans industries along the small grains supply chain.
KEYNOTES
Malting: Bringing Out the Best & Worst in Barley
Dr. Patrick Hayes
8:30AM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Malting is a transformational experience in so many ways, including through malting barley becomes meaningful for brewing and distilling. In this talk, we’ll share some malting-related meaningful lessons learned, challenging questions raised, and prospective new horizons for research.
Sustainable
Malting
Dr. Xiang Yin
4:00PM | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24
This session will contain a general overview of the status in the industry for ESG (environmental, social, and governance), industry initiatives, Boortmalt goals, and specific efforts at Boortmalt. It will also cover technologies like MB and RO treatment of steeping water, OptiSteep, and heat pumps.
INDUSTRY UPDATES
Katie Fromuth
Brewers Association
9:30AM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Utilizing comprehensive Brewers Association statistics and data, this presentation offers an exploration into the ever-evolving landscape within the American craft brewing industry. Delving into its dynamic trajectory, the presentation navigates through its historical journey, current position, and the intriguing possibilities that lie ahead in the year 2024. Key focal points encompass a holistic examination factor including the influence of climate change, the intricate web of the supply chain, and the ongoing drive for innovation. As we discuss the industry's milestones and immediate challenges, this presentation delivers a forward-looking perspective on the state of craft beer.
Michael Walker
The Walker Group
9:30AM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Michael Walker will represent the American Craft Spirits Association as a policy advisor to deliver an industry update focusing on state issues. He will also report on federal policy items of interest, as well as what the ACSA has been up to.
Ashley McFarland
American Malting Barley Association
2:30PM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Bringing better barley to the malting, brewing, and distilling industries is a long game that requires diligence and patience. That kind of discipline, however, is not well suited to a rapidly evolving landscape of consumer preferences and climatic challenges. Furthermore, how does barley stay relevant in a highly competitive field of crop options for farmers?
Continuous barley improvement that embraces modern breeding technologies must be a priority for anyone working in the barley supply chain in order to be more efficient and precise in our selections. Learn how a network of public and private researchers are working to bring you Better Barley and how you can support and influence this work.
BUILDING A SAFE & HEALTHY FACILITY FOR EMPLOYEES & CUSTOMERS
Friday, February 23 @ 11:00AM
Creating a Safety Culture
PAUL BOLIN
Busch Agricultural Resources
Safety can be seen as a program or things I need to do to prevent injuries. Programs, checklists, and SOPs are all necessary to prevent injuries, but how do you know that what you think is happening is actually happening in the plant? How do we move from safety being something we talk about to something we do? We do this by creating a safety culture where each person feels responsible for themselves, those around them, and the territory they are working in. Where safety goes from being a priority to a value. The first step in this transition is behavior. The behavior of everyone at the facility, from the operators to the managers, needs to put safety first. The focus of this presentation will be on practical tools to facilitate this transition. We will begin with the stages of safety culture and work our way through plant-scale tools down to daily practices at the floor level. Each of these tools can modified to fit each individual plant and be used in the practice of safety.
Development of a Safety Program for Small Manufacturers
GARY MCIVER, JR.
CAL-OSHA
This session will focus on the development of a safety program in a small manufacturing facility, utilizing your state OSHA consultation and resources. Questions from those just beginning this process are encouraged.
From Lot Number to a Food Safety Plan
ANDREA STANLEY
Valley Malt
This presentation will demonstrate how a malthouse can evolve from basic traceability to a Food Safety Plan. In 2010, Valley Malt steeped out its first batch of local malt. Assigned Lot#001, this batch of pale malt went to one customer and one beer (name of beer). Thirteen years later and malting Lot#2222, Valley Malt has worked its way up to having a Food Safety Plan, which includes HACCP. This presentation will provide an overview of laws, forms, and systems Craft Maltsters should consider in complying with food safety regulations.
RESEARCH TRACK:
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRAFT MALTSTERS
Friday, February 23 @ 1:00PM
Glycosidic Nitrile -
The Quest for Answers
Harmonie Bettenhausen
Hartwick College
Updates on the glycosidic nitrile/ethyl carbamate situation as it pertains to distilling, where breeding efforts are at.
Supporting Adoption of Superior Spring Barley Varieties in Michigan
Christian Kapp
Michigan State University
Small plot variety trial research is effective at identifying elite cultivars. However, it does not allow for spatial variability within a larger landscape. Farmers are reluctant to adopt new varieties without first seeing field level data. In addition to local agronomic data, growers also require information on malting and feed quality of available barley varieties to support marketing and value in the craft beverage and local livestock economies. Four elite spring barley varieties were identified and grown throughout Michigan in 2023 to further understand the agronomic and quality potential for possible large-scale field adoption.
Malting and Brewing with Naked Barley
Brigid Meints
Oregon State University
Brigid Meints (Assistant Professor and Naked Barley Breeder) will share the latest research updates on malting and brewing with naked barley. She will give some background on naked barley, its potential benefits and downsides as an ingredient, and different projects that she and her collaborators have been working on to look at the effects of different protocols and varieties on malt and beer quality.
Tasked with Terroir
Hannah Turner
Montana State University
Investigating the contributions of barley and malt to wort mineral composition, impacting brew process and flavor. Terroir is the combination of factors in a cultivated ecosystem, including soil and climate, which impact the final quality of an agricultural food product. The concept is well-defined for grapes and wine, and recent studies support terroir for brewing/distilling. However, causation is not understood. An important and unexplored explanation of barley terroir could lie in the mineral composition of malted barley wort. In this talk, a review of results from multiple trials, including heirloom barleys with widely varying genetics, barley’s grown across diverse Montana environments, malts processed with tailored water profiles (high, mid, and low/zero-level mineral content), as well as results from a commercial case study altering steep water mineral profiles will be reviewed.
INNOVATION & INSIGHT:
PIONEERING MALTING TECHNIQUES &
TACKLING TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
Friday, February 23 @ 3:30PM
Understanding Beer
Style Anatomy
Jen Blair
Advanced Cicerone
Malt and other grains play a critical role not only in brewing chemistry but also in beer flavor. Understanding how beer styles are classified, as well as the range of flavors associated with beer styles, can help maltsters communicate the difference their malt makes to the finished beer. In this seminar, we’ll cover the quantitative and qualitative parameters for beer styles and learn about some of the historical, economic, and environmental reasons behind how beer styles developed. Additionally, we’ll discuss the fluidity of beer styles and how craft maltsters can adapt their marketing language to meet the needs of brewers.
Unveiling the Role of Air Psychometrics: A Comprehensive Exploration of Moist Air's Impact on the Malting Process
Wayne Moore
Malters Advantage
The physical and thermal properties of moist air have a major influence on the malting processes from start to finish. Understanding the basic principles is critical to understanding and effectively controlling the malting process. We’ll cover the basic principles and discuss how the psychometrics of air impact every stage of the malting process, as well as discussing the practical applications of malting.
Learning to Make Lambic Style Malts: A sharing of the intricate details of the process
Jason Cody
Colorado Malting Co.
From grain to Kiln: In this session, Jason will explain exactly how to make this unique style of malt known by the Cody Family as Lambic Style Malt.
GUILD SPECIAL SESSION:
RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTIONS GUIDELINES
Saturday, February 24 @ 8:45AM
Responsible Production Guidelines
Bruce French
Malting Consultant
This presentation is an overview of the Responsible Production of Quality Craft Malt Guidelines currently under development by the Technical Committee of the Craft Malting Guild. Information on how members can utilize these documents to support Quality Management System, HACCP and Food Defense management system development within their organizations will be presented. The development process of the Responsible Production Guideline documents will also be presented along with the remaining steps to complete this project.
FROM SENSORY TO SPIRITS:
NAVIGATING THE CRAFT OF MALT & DISTILLATION
Saturday, February 24 @ 9:30AM
Yeah, But
How Does it Taste?
Lindsay Barr
DraughtLab
As a craft maltster, you know that taste plays a huge role in your success. 88% of consumers say that "Taste" is the primary reason for buying a product, and yet few maltsters routinely measure flavor. In this discussion, we will display how flavor analysis can help answer everyday questions like what product to launch, what materials to source, and what malting parameters to apply. Through specific case studies, we will reveal the exact steps you can take to de-risk and drive everyday production decisions.
From The Malthouse To The Rickhouse
Mary Jane Maurice
Black Frost Distilling
Distillers have quality requirements for their grains, much like brewers do. These requirements can be met by various raw and malted grains and will be set to satisfy the desired outcome. This presentation will be geared towards the use of barley, wheat, and rye as raw or malted substrates. Particular attention will be given to the flavor implications of the different options as well as functional performance in the distillery.
BARLEY BREEDING & CRAFT MALTING -
DEVELOPING MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS FOR RESEARCH, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, & VARIETY RELEASE
Saturday, February 24 @ 11:00AM
Campbell Morrissy
pFriem Family Brewers
Ron Silberstein
Admiral Malting
Nicholas Santantonio
Virginia Tech University
Brent Manning
Riverbend Malt House
Alicia Del Blanco
University of California, Davis
This panel presentation and discussion outlines success stories of craft maltsters collaborating with breeders to share knowledge, provide resources and feedback for malting evaluations, and even contribute to variety development and release. The goal of the panel is to provide insight into how craft maltsters can engage with breeders to mutually benefit each other’s programs and develop relationships with key stakeholders in the barley-to-beer supply chain. These relationships help start conversations on breeding for unique environments, the demands of the craft brewing and distilling industries, and the interest in more flavorful varieties.
RESEARCH TRACK:
RICE, MALTING, & CLIMATE CHANGE -
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN ANALYSIS AND QUALITY
Saturday, February 24 @ 1:00PM
Using Machine Learning to Combat Climate Change in Malting Barley
Maany Raaman
University of California, Davis
TBD
Investigating the malting suitability and brewing quality of different rice cultivars
Bernardo Guimaraes
University of Arkansas
Historically, rice has been treated as a neutral flavor adjunct in brewing as opposed to being utilized as malted grain. Therefore, the malt quality of rice cultivars has been minimally evaluated to date. Nineteen globally diverse rice cultivars were analyzed for various chemical parameters important to malting, including germination energy, protein, gelatinization temperatures (GT), and apparent amylose content. The rice was then malted, and congress mashes were produced to measure several parameters important to brewing (extract, soluble protein, free amino nitrogen (FAN), GT, etc). The rice malts produced were saccharified to varying degrees, had high-level limit dextrinase activities, and potentially contained adequate amounts of FAN/protein to yield healthy fermentations. Moreover, rice cultivars with purple-pigmented bran were found to contain moderately high levels of β-amylase and could serve as novel natural gluten-free colorants for future beer and food recipes. Overall, these findings suggest that rice malt could offer a more climate-resilient and locally produced gluten-free source of starch for brewers and beverage/ food producers as compared to barley.
Micro-malting method within industrial batches as a simple, non-expensive alternative.
Neus Prieto Diez
Malteria La Moravia, Damm Group
Description of an alternative method of micro-malting by buried mesh bags in industrial batches. After comparison with a traditional micro-malting method in the laboratory and with industrial batches, it was found to be more representative. Furthermore, through this alternative micro-malting method, there is the possibility to study the varietal and environmental relative effects on the malt quality. This alternative micro-malting bag scale was inexpensive, easy to implement, safe, and more representative of actual industrial scale data.
KERNZA UNLEASHED:
THE POTENTIAL OF PERENNIALS
Saturday, February 24 @ 2:30PM
Natalie Cilurzo
Russian River Brewing
Brandon Schlautman
This panel discussion will dig into the use of kernza in malting and brewing and developments thereof.