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What started in 1937 remains a directive for Molson Coors today, whose commitment to using the best barley has been unwavering. And Bill Coors is largely responsible for that.
Here’s the deal…
Beer is basically four ingredients; malted grains (primarily barley) water, hops and yeast and while hops get the majority of the attention (especially in the craft beer biz) the importance of barley can’t be underestimated.
Malted barley gives a beer its color, its malty sweet flavor and body, and most important of all, the natural sugars needed for fermentation.
Barley’s role in beer making is equivalent to grapes’ role in winemaking, the grain is FUNDEMENTAL to beer.
In the eyes of Adolph Coors II, however, nothing was more important than quality barley.
“My grandfather (Adolph Coors II) used to always say that beer was made in the malt house,” says Pete Coors, chairman of Molson Coors Beverage Company.
According to Beer & Beyond, Adolph’s son, Bill, took the idea further. “Because if you don’t get good barley, you can’t make good beer.”
‘That’s why in 1946, when Coors was a smaller, regional brewer, its leaders determined that if the brewer would ever become the powerhouse it is today, it would need a reliable source of barley.”
Seventy-five years ago this year, Bill Coors established the brewery’s barley program, which, through partnerships with growers across the Rocky Mountain region, gave the brewery exclusive access to good quality, high-yield barley.
Those partnerships have led to a steady supply of the quality barley Bill Coors envisioned in 1946. As well as to barley growers adopting more sustainable practices, in the quest to make consistent, high-quality beer.
“In the last decade or so, the company has spent upwards of $22 million on sustainability initiatives, including its “Better Barley, Better Beer” program, which has outfitted growers with soil moisture monitors so they can precisely irrigate their crops,” reports Alex Parker. “In fact, 99% of Molson Coors’ barley is sourced from growers who recognize its sustainability standards.”
“Today, Molson Coors’ barley program is a model for breweries nationwide, allowing the second largest brewer in the US to field a team of agronomists and barley breeders who work hand-in-hand with farmers to study and create barley strains that withstand the elements and deliver on quality and yield.”
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Want more on barley? ( Don’t lie…we know some of you do.)
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABLE BARLEY GROWING PRACTICES
