I was recently invited to present on Specialty Malts and Malt Flavor at the NDSU/NCI Barley Malt Short Course: Barley and Malting Quality: Field to Brewhouse Perspective. This course brought breeders, growers, agronomists, maltsters and brewers together to take a high level, global overview of the barley supply chain from growers to brewers.
My interactive Malt Flavor presentation allowed many of the participants a first opportunity to perform the new ASBC Hot Steep Method and experience extractable malt flavors and aromas. They were amazed by the variety of flavors that could be tasted when sampling malts through worts. It opened discussions on how different raw materials and production methods influence flavor as well as malting quality. The course was limited to 30 participants, making it an intimate class that allowed for ample hands-on opportunities, which is most ideal for sensory learning.
The Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences and Northern Crops Institute offer this course annually on the campus of NDSU. It is an excellent opportunity to learn from a group of internationally recognized experts assembled from industry, academics and government. My experience of attending and instructing at this course was truly positive. I would highly recommend to anyone on the malting barley supply chain!
