Field to Bench: Genetics, Test Plots, and Terroir

By Meghan Howes, Contributing Writer for RadCraft Long before the term “craft malt” entered the beer industry’s imagination, enterprising scientist Dr. Jamie Sherman was breeding and testing barley and other grains. Working within Montana State University’s (MSU) Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Sherman studied the composition of several grains in an attempt to better understand the genetics…

Field to Bench: An Introduction to North America’s Malt Testing Labs

By Meghan Howes, Contributing Writer for RadCraft The malts finding their way into mash tuns these days vary widely. And more often than not, those barley kernels were coaxed and coddled from the second they hit the dirt until they found themselves packaged and headed out.  In 2013, five craft maltsters were operating in the…