The barley behind our malt
Our varieties
Sebastian
Sebastian, our core barley variety in Ukraine, was developed in Denmark by Sejet Plant Breeding. Its appeal starts with the essentials: high extract, effective starch conversion and good fermentability. Together, these qualities make it a dependable raw material for brewing malt.
A spring barley with a long history in European malting, Sebastian has been used in markets including France, the Czech Republic and Poland. Its quality is well documented, and it has served as a reference variety in Czech trials assessing newer malting barleys. For maltsters and brewers, that experience provides a solid foundation for understanding how the variety performs.
Malting characteristics
- High extract potential: Dry matter extract averaged 83.2% in Czech trials from 2010–2012, demonstrating strong potential for wort yield.
- Effective modification and enzymes: Friability of 88% and diastatic power of 372 WK in the same trials indicate good grain modification and strong starch-converting capacity.
- Good fermentability: Apparent final attenuation averaged 82.1%, supporting a high proportion of fermentable extract in the wort. These results are documented in the Czech malting quality study.
Maximus CL
Maximus CL was developed in Australia by InterGrain. It is valued for its high yield, strong lodging tolerance and plump grain, combining the practical advantages of the Clearfield® growing system with the quality required for commercial malting.
Maximus CL is a two-row spring barley established across Australia, most notably in Western Australia, where it has become the dominant variety. It supplies international markets as both barley and malt, with strong acceptance in Latin America and a preference among Japanese shochu producers. Its high extract, enzyme potential and fermentability make it particularly suitable for brewing with starch adjuncts. GIWA’s variety guidance identifies gibberellic acid treatment during malting as necessary to achieve suitable modification.
Malting characteristics
- High extract potential: Strong extract performance, giving brewers an efficient yield of soluble material from the grain.
- Strong enzyme potential: Good starch-converting capacity, making the variety well suited to brewing recipes that include cereal adjuncts.
- High fermentability: A highly fermentable wort profile, supporting efficient fermentation and the requirements of established export brewing markets.
AAC Synergy
AAC Synergy was developed in Canada by Dr Bill Legge at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Brandon Research Centre. Registered in 2012, it is valued for its high yield, heavy, plump kernels and desirable malting quality, combining strong agronomic performance with well-documented brewing results.
AAC Synergy is a two-row spring barley widely grown across the Canadian Prairies, including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It was Western Canada’s most widely grown malting variety in 2025, accounting for 35.6% of malting barley acreage. Its high extract, good protein modification and low wort beta-glucans have helped establish it as a leading variety for Canadian malt production.
Malting characteristics
- High extract potential: Fine extract averaged 82.3% in Canadian pilot malting trials conducted between 2015 and 2019, demonstrating strong potential for brewing yield.
- Efficient wort processing: Good modification and relatively low beta-glucans support manageable wort viscosity, with pilot brewing trials showing runoff times comparable to established Canadian varieties.
- Strong fermentability: An average attenuation limit of 88.8% in those pilot brewing trials, comparable to CDC Copeland and above AC Metcalfe. CMBTC’s malting and brewing results document these characteristics.
Overture
Overture was developed in the United Kingdom by Limagrain from a cross between Concerto and Quench. It is valued for its high extract potential, strong malting quality and resistance to powdery mildew, and is a non-producer of glycosidic nitrile, a characteristic relevant to distilling malt specifications.
Overture is a two-row spring barley with an established presence in European malting, particularly in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Limagrain’s current variety profile lists it among the varieties preferred by regional maltsters and brewers, including Soufflet, Plzeňský Prazdroj, Heineken Slovensko Sladovne and Lycos Malt. Its combination of extract yield, modification and fermentability makes it an attractive raw material for brewing malt.
Malting characteristics
- High extract potential: Dry matter extract averaged 83.9% in Slovak registration trials conducted between 2012 and 2014, demonstrating excellent potential for wort yield.
- Good modification: Friability of 90% and wort beta-glucans averaging 145 mg/L in those trials indicate effective cell wall breakdown and favourable processing characteristics.
- Strong fermentability: Apparent final attenuation reached 82.7%, the highest among the varieties assessed in the same Slovak registration study.