Utterly Otterly

Why barley?

What barley?

Whither barley?

Why Barley?

• Barley was there first• Fertile Crescent• Bread and beer • Starch as carbohydrate for alcohol• Enzymes• Nutrients for yeast growth• Husk for filtration• Availability

Why Barley?

• Bread and beer • Wheat appealed to the wealthy• Barley bread for the poor• Barley for all men as beer• Other cereals?• Migration across Europe

What Barley?

• Landraces• Varieties• Classification

– Winter / Spring

1.5

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What Barley?

• Landraces• Varieties• Classification

– Winter / Spring– 2-row / 6-row

1.7

What Barley?

• Landraces• Varieties• Classification

– Winter / Spring– 2-row / 6-row– Malting / Feed

• Varietal features

Longitudinal section of a malting barley corn

Modified endosperm

scutellar

epithelial cells

Unmodified endosperm

large starch granule

small starch granule

protein matrix

cell

wall

aleurone layer

acrospire

testapericarp

husk

vascular pathway

scutellum

roots

1.10

Agronomy

• Improved grain yields• Shorter and stiffer straws • Ears that do not shatter• Earlier ripening • Greater disease resistance• Greater uniformity

Market

• Brewhouse extract• Processability

– Malting• Water uptake• Rapid germination• Complete cell wall breakdown

– Brewing• Enzymes• Filterability

Journey to Maris Otter

• Landraces• Selection• Chevallier 1824• Plumage, Spratt, Archer to 1900• Pioneer 1943• Proctor 1953• Plant Varieties and Seeds Act 1964• Maris Otter 1965

Journey from Maris Otter

• Plant Varieties and Seeds Act 1964• Breeding cycles• 1976 – 1985 - Yield• Halcyon, Pipkin – Quality• 1985 – 2000 - Yield/Quality• 2000 onwards – Yield and Quality

– Pearl, Flagon

Journey from Maris Otter

Chevallier

• • Gene marker-assisted breeding project for mould resistance

• 1824 – wettest autumn since records began!

Athos

Cross1

Puffin

Igri

Finesse

NFC296-7

Cross2

Flagon

Opal

Fanfare

Torrent T

MarisOtter

Halcyon Pipkin

Pearl

W arboys

Pioneer Proctor

Angora

Sergeant

NRPB87/5378

Cassata

Rifle

NSL96-7157

Winter Malting Quality Pedigree

Whither barley?

• New varieties – tried and tested– For the farmer– For the brewer

• A little bit of Otter in everything– And some Chevallier!

Date