Barley: The Staff of Beery Life
Barley (Hordeum vulgare) was one of the grains cultivated at humankind's first settlements. It's a hardy, drought-tolerant crop that grew alongside another core grain, Emmer wheat. Barley grasses are found almost globally.
Brewing barley grows in two major family varieties, two-and six-row. The rows are the lines of barley kernels gathered around the central stalk. Two-row has fat plump kernels with room to grow and is the norm in Europe. Six-row has more starch conversion power in smaller, tough kernels.
A kernel consists of a large protein starch matrix called the endosperm surrounded by a thin coat, the aleurane. At the base of the kernel is a rootlet. Surrounding the seed is a papery husk, useful to brewers as filtering material. All of these structures change when barley is readied for brewing.
Approximately one-quarter of all the barley grown in the United States meets maltsters' exacting standards. Livestock feed on more than half of the barley grown. The growing Chinese and Indian markets are putting strains on the available global supply. The resulting rapid price increase (20 to 30 percent over a year) currently squeezes a number of America's craft brewers.
