The annual Master Brewers Association of America (MBAA) was in Calgary, Alberta, from October 30th to November 2nd, 2019.

This conference focuses on new research, communications, and innovations coming from the brewing industry and associated industries. The 3-day conference showcased plenary, special, and technical sessions, posters, and workshops. Canada Malting presented the following three, unique, peer-reviewed scientific posters and panel discussion:

The Ups and Downs of Fermentability
Richard W. Joy¹, Mawill Rodriguez¹, Martha Izydorczyk², Yueshu Li³, Eric Perry¹, Jodi Wong¹, Effendi Daud¹, Ashley Parkes¹, Kyle Po¹, and Murphy Ng¹

Showcasing fermentation studies across the GrainCorp, North American malt plants, this poster focused particularly on processing changes effecting fermentability. Three case studies illustrated the differences in processing that improved or degraded fermentability in the brewery.  The importance of this presentation was to demonstrate that aeration in the steeping process is highly correlated, not only to well-modified malt but also intricately linked to good fermentation characteristics in the brewery.

In January of 2020, it was officially announced by the MBAA that this poster was the recipient of the 2019 Best Poster Award.

Using Measurement Uncertainty to Improve Quality of Test Results
Mawill Rodriguez¹, Jodi Wong¹, Eric Perry¹, and Richard W. Joy¹

This work was a continuation of the study of measurement uncertainty in lab testing.  We continued to build over previous work and analyzed all the sources of error affecting the most important lab methods. With that information, we’re able to make improvements to our processes that increase the reliability of the lab results. The importance of this presentation was to provide an understanding of all the characteristics of the measurement of this test and to provide a framework for error determination in additional tests with the eventual view that these will be part of the lab ISO certification process.

Food Safety in the Malting Industry
Janice A. Landry¹, Richard W. Joy¹, and Mawill Rodriguez¹

This presentation provides cutting edge information on food safety programs that are ongoing in GrainCorp malt, North America.  The presentation touches upon how government involvement and regulations drive food safety programs and the implications from there as customer expectations continuously grow.  Topics touched on included: risk analysis, HACCP, pre-requisite programs, traceability, and certifications.  Lastly, there are 2 case studies presented to illustrate the malting, food safety program in real-time.

Where does your malt come from?
Richard W. Joy¹

Providing a 10,000-foot view of where malt comes from, this presentation started with the breeding process to the commercial lifetime (hence, the variety lifetime, from birth to death).  Further, there was an in-depth review of the current and new Canadian 2-row malting varieties, their agronomics, disease resistance, and commercial malting performance.  The talk also included the multiple interactions of how a new variety gains industry and customer acceptance.

*(1)Canada Malting Co. Limited, Calgary, AB, Canada, (2)Canadian Grain Commission, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, (3)Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada