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Summary
- More than 90 percent of Asahi's barley will be supplied directly by Australian farmers to meet quality and sustainability requirements of the company.
- Asahi will set some quality parameters for barley to meet quality beer requirements.
- Asahi Beverages buys 70,000 tonnes of barley every year before malting.
In what would give a new lease of life to Australia’s barley industry, Japanese soft drink maker Asahi Beverages announced that it would buy barley directly from Aussie farmers, according to a media release today.
This is first time in years that a company will support farmers through direct purchase of raw material. The new batch of beers will start from next month, the company said.
Asahi will use the barley for some of its bestselling beers like Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Great Northern and Pure Blonde. It owns Carlton & United Breweries situated in Yatala, Queensland and Abbotsford, Victoria.
It can be noted that Australia’s barley industry suffered a big blow last year in wake of fraying Australia-China trade relations which saw China imposing hefty tariffs on Australian barley.
Supply of Barley
Around 40,000 tonnes of malted barley will be supplied to Asahi’s Yatala Brewery in Queensland through seven farmers from Southern NSW while 30,000 tonnes barley will be sent to Abbotsford Brewery in Victoria.
More than 90 percent of Asahi's barley will be supplied by farmers directly to meet quality and sustainability requirements of the company.
“Barley malt is the heart and soul of beer and has a defining influence on the taste, colour, aroma and foam," said Asahi Beverages’ Group Chief Brewer Jaideep Chandrasekharan.
The company will run a quality-check programme in terms of getting high quality barley. It will also monitor quality parameters such as protein levels and grain size besides tracking water use and other agricultural inputs.
How Barley is a key ingredient
Barley is one of the key ingredients of beer making process besides hops, yeast, and water. It gives colour, malty sweet flavour, protein and is obviously a natural sugar source for beer.
Asahi Beverages buys 70,000 tonnes of barley every year before malting.
Asahi Beverages
Asahi manufactures and supplies a wide range of spirits (Cougar, Black Douglas, Lexington Hill, Karloff, Continental Liqueurs, Coyote and Prince Albert), beers (Great Northern, Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Carlton Dry, Cascade Premium, Pure Blonde, Matilda Bay, Fat Yak, Melbourne Bitter, Crown Lager, Pirate Life, 4 Pines, Fosterâs, Reschs and Balter) and ciders (Strongbow, Mercury, Bonamyâs, Little Green, Spring Cider Co, Dirty Granny, Pure Blonde Cider).
Last year in June, Asahi completed the deal of buying Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), Australia's leading brewery.
Also Read: What has been mending between Asahi and CUB
