Breeding Barley to Make Budweiser

ifr180727–185
Breeding Barley to Make Budweiser
Josh Butler, Senior Manager Global Barley Breeding - Anheuser Busch

You might think of Anheuser Busch as a beverage company producing great American beers like Budweiser. However, as Todd Gleason reports from Idaho Falls, Idaho, it is a highly integrated agricultural company.

AB InBev develops and tests its own barley varieties…
1:20 radio
1:32 radio self-contained
1:20 tv
1:32 tv self-contained

AB InBev develops and tests its own barley varieties. Josh Butler is the senior manager for Global Barley Breeding. During this year’s Grower Days he explained to the farmers who raise barley for Anheuser Busch that his group has three main customers. There is the maltster, beer is made from malted barley; the brewer, the malt needs to be consistent in its enzyme and protein make up; and most importantly, he says, the farmer.

Butler :07 …agronomics that are beneficial to a grower.

Quote Summary: So, really, ultimately, the first goal is yield. Yield and standability and the other agronomics that are beneficial to a grower.

Breeding new high yielding barley varieties farmers will grow that also meet the needs of the other two customers, the maltster and brewer, is a pretty difficult task.

Butler :25 …it can get relatively complex.

Quote Summary: When you combine it with the other aspects for the other customers we are trying to make happy it can be difficult. Because of the unique specs of Budweiser beer and what we are looking for in the enzyme package it is more complex than breeding for craft type beers. So, it is a very unique set of specs. When you combine that with the traits we are looking for agronomically it can get relatively complex.

A complexity Anheuser Busch, the agricultural company, works to manage for the benefit of its barley growers, maltsters, and brewers.