Joe White Maltings has selected high performing Baudin variety barley from a single farm in Ungarie, Central Western NSW as its Signature Malt for 2022.
The Joe White technical team undertook a rigorous assessment of high quality barley samples from 12 different farms, with the Ungarie crop the clear standout this year.
Its Signature Malt debut follows the selection of barley from a farm in Tungamah, northern Victoria, for both the 2020 and 2021 editions.
Available in two varieties – Signature Pilsner and Signature Ale – Signature Malt is a gamechanging product for Australian craft brewers by enabling full traceability from grower to point of sale.
This years Signature Malt completely bypasses the bulk handler system, whereby highly variable barley crops from 20-30 different growers are tipped into one stack at a central location.
“You can’t isolate those individual grain parcels in any way, because we are such a minor piece of the bulk handler’s programme for the year. If you compare barley from one side of the state to the other, the grain sizes and protein levels are going to be very, very different, which means there will be some inconsistency in how they perform in the brewery,” says Joe White malt barley merchant Liam Moltoni.
For Signature Malt, Joe White requests barley samples from growers that store their barley on-site at their farm, which is the first step in keeping it segregated.
“We trial malt a very small amount of each sample, assessing key parameters such as consistency of grain size, germination, malt extract, colour and run-off.
We choose the parcel that has the most exceptional performance as our Signature Malt for the year.
When we sell malt to brewers, they know that everything they’re getting is the same, with full traceability through the supply chain, completely isolated.
Once we narrow down our best barley and use it for Signature Malt, our aim is that brewers don’t have to make any brewing adjustments throughout the year”, Moltoni says.
Bintani, the distributor of Joe White malt, conceived Signature Malt in its continuing quest to source the highest quality ingredients for its customers at an unrivalled scale.
Joe White will produce thousands of tonnes of Signature Malt in 2022, ensuring consistency of supply for brewers of all sizes throughout the year.
Contact your Bintani representative to secure your Joe White Signature Malt contract today.