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Alabama-grown barley malt used for new Yellowhammer beer
Alabama has some fantastic craft breweries, and Huntsville breweries in particular are brewing some of the best beer in the country. Now, with the help of HudsonAlpha, Auburn University and Alabama A&M, one Huntsville brewery is using Alabama-grown barley malt to make its beer.
Yellowhammer Brewing released its latest brew — Avalon Zwickelbier — using this local barley, and it is the result of an impressive statewide project.
Yellowhammer, HudsonAlpha, Auburn + AAMU
The collaboration included experts from HudsonAlpha, Auburn University and Alabama A&M University, who spent three years trying to discover how to grow hops and barley in Alabama — something that had not been previously successful due to Alabama’s climate.
Most barley comes from states further north, but Dr. Alex Harkess of HudsonAlpha said the team experimented with planting the barley in the fall here in Alabama.
They planted more than 50 barley varieties at field stations across Alabama in the fall of 2021, and eventually harvested 30,000 pounds of barley from an eight-acre field trial in North Alabama.
“The barley developed well and had low disease and insect pressure. It met the protein levels and the toxicity levels required by the industry. We sent it to Riverbend Malting in Asheville, N.C., where they confirmed it met the malting standard and had a great color and germination rate. Everything fell into place to start distributing the malt.”
Kaitlyn Williams, Auburn University
A ‘farm-to-table’ beer
Yellowhammer Brewing co-founder Ethan Couch said this Avalon Zwickelbier is “as close to a farm-to-table beer as we can get.” And Harkess said this concept has received tremendous feedback from local brewers.
We talked to brewers and asked if they would be open to the idea of paying a little extra to use locally grown barley and all of them we spoke to were on board with the idea.”
Dr. Alex Harkess, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Williams said she visited the farms all over the state and when the harvest proved successful, they knew their risk paid off. And it was definitely a risk, as the team had to first convince farmers that it was worth the work put in to grow the barley and then find the brewers who were willing to use it.
“I believed in it from the start. And we were able to build a trust with the farmers and they believed in it too. And it worked.”
Kaitlyn Williams, Auburn University
You can now get Avalon Zwickelbier beer at Yellowhammer Brewing at 2600 Clinton Ave W, Huntsville, AL 35805.
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