A new era has started with the breeding of innovative Flexi-Malt® brewing barley varieties which allow malt processing with variable steep-out moistures or different germination time and temperatures and so cheaper processing to malt. Flexi-Malt® varieties can reduce energy costs in the malthouse.
Flexi-Malt® varieties like AVALON, LEANDRA and LEXY enable malt processing even with protein levels of >12 % allowing higher nitrogen fertilisation and thus higher yields or reduced production risks for farmers on marginal sites.
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The Flexi-Malt® story
In 1975, Josef Breun started to introduce a new mildew resistance gene by crossing wild type barleys with existing varieties. MARNIE, approved in 2002, was the first variety with this trait.
- Two years later, mildew resistance disappeared. was broken. Nevertheless, the new genetics significantly improved malt quality!
- However, the malt quality of MARNIE as the first variety of its kind was still rather unbalanced.
- The Breun varieties SUNSHINE and AVALON were the first genuine Flexi-Malt® varieties.
- Our newest latest varieties LEANDRA and especially LEXY show even better malt characteristics with reliable high yields.
Malting barley with the Flexi-Malt Malt® property makes malting barley particularly easy to process. Significant cost and energy savings in the malting process are possible thanks to the possible steep out moisture reduction. Hence Flexi-Malt® varieties significantly contribute to a more sustainable food production.
What is the secret of Flexi-Malt® ?
Malting is possible with variable, lower moisture content during steeping and germination, compared to standard malting barley.
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Malting with the traditional steep out moisture content will be quicker than using standard malting barley types. A shorter germination times leads to the same requested degree of homologation.
- Possibly lower malting losses during the whole process.
- A balanced natural enzyme package leads to equal starch, protein and cell wall degradation, visible e.g. in the very low ß-glucan content
- “Flexi-Malt®” malting barley can provide high-quality malt and beer without the addition of growth hormones (gibberellic acid in the malting plant or technically produced enzymes during brewing .A balanced natural enzyme package leads to equal starch, protein and cell wall degradation, visible e.g. in the very low ß-glucan content
Flexi-Malt® - Advantages for the farmers?
- Long-term “secure” trading of the Flexi-Malt®
- Better exploitation of the malting barley variety's yield potential through higher nitrogen fertilizationbessere Ausnutzung des Ertragspotentials der Braugerstensorte durch höhere Stickstoff-Düngung
- Easier to market with protein contents higher than >11,5%
Flexi-Malt® - Advantages for the maltsters?"
- Cost savings due to lower malting losses and shorter kilning times due to the lower water content.
- Increase in malting capacity through faster malting, continuously or at peak times
- The requested brewery specifications are achieved more easily, even with protein contents above 11.5% without loss of capacity.
Comparison between a standard modification to a high modification variety
Flexi-Malt® - Advantages for the brewers?
- Lower “carbon footprint” per liter of beer
- No additional external enzymes necessary
- German “Purity Law” beer production possible
- Flexi-Malt® varieties support brewing with adjuncts (maize, sorghum, rice): Thanks to the good enzyme equipment in malt, fewer external enzymes are required.
- Balanced taste and a good beer “palatability” when using malt that has been processed with reduced steep out moistures.
What are the limits of Flexi-Malt® malting barleys?
- Barley protein contents significantly below 10.0 % can lead to malts that no longer fit the specifications (soluble N, FAN, etc.) if they are malted with too low steeping degrees.
- Higher fertilization due to higher yield expectations, like winter malting barley, is advisable. In very vigorous weather conditions, the use of growth regulators can be useful to ensure the significantly higher yield potential.
- For optimum taste and beer “palatability", the steep out moisture level should not be too low.
