Quality seal: spring malting barley KWS JESSIE receives recommendation from the Berlin Program

“We are very pleased that our KWS JESSIE variety has received this distinction. Spring malting barley is processed into malt and plays a decisive role with respect to the beer’s color and taste. Only the best varieties are recommended by the Berlin Program. It is therefore the official quality seal when it comes to highlighting the excellent processing properties of our variety,” says Otto Köneke, international product manager for brewing grain at KWS. Within the scope of the Berlin Program and in close collaboration with the German Plant Variety Office, newly approved malting barley varieties have been assessed in terms of processing suitability in malt houses and breweries since 2005. The German Brewing Barley Association then bestows recommendations for those varieties that have successfully completed the program.

Despite declining beer sales in Germany, the malting barley market demonstrated dynamic development throughout the coronavirus crisis. Increasing malt exports to Asia and South America maintain price stability. The KWS breeding program for malting barley is orientated toward Europe, hybrids from Germany are tested and cultivated internationally. In addition to spring malting barley, the portfolio also comprises two and several multiline winter malting barley varieties, here the company is the market leader with KWS SOMERSET and KWS FARO. Otto Köneke: “The spring malting barley is the basis for beer particularly in Germany and accounts for around 80 percent of the spring barley cultivated in the country.”