The list of recommended malting barley varieties for the 2018 crop year has been updated by the American Malting Barley Association.

The American Malting Barley Association is a nonprofit trade association of brewing, distilling and malting companies that are end users of malting barley.  The list is meant to inform U.S. producers which malting barley varieties the industry intends to use in the upcoming year. Not all varieties are used in large quantities and it is important that producers contact their local elevator, grain handler or processor to determine the market demand for a variety prior to seeding.

Two varieties from the 2017 list have been dropped and three varieties have been added for 2018. CDC Meredith and Stellar-ND are no longer recommended varieties.  Additions include the three spring, two-row varieties: Explorer, Newdale, and Propino.

Explorer was developed by the French company, Secobra Recherches and has been grown in Europe, Asia and South America.  It has been grown successfully in the west and upper Midwest.

Dr. William Legg, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, bred Newdale which received full registration for Canada in 2001.  In the U.S., Newdale is primarily being grown in Maine.

Propino was developed by Syngenta and has been recommended for brewing in the United Kingdom since 2010.  It has performed well in the western U.S.

The full list of recommended malting barley varieties for 2018 is as follows:

Two-Rows

Six-Rows

Charles, Endeavor, Wintmalt and Thoroughbred are winter varieties.        

Source: American Malting Barley Association