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Training Academy Specializes In Malting
The Malt Academy of Winnipeg, Canada, is a unique training institute with programming dedicated to malting barley. Malting is soaking barley in water to trigger germination and prepare its starches for conversion into fermentable sugars. This seemingly simple process is deceptively tricky to master.
“The Malt Academy was established in 2013,” says Managing Director Peter Watts. “The growth in the craft brewing sector in North America spawned a craft malting sector with some of the first operations opening in the U.S. around 2012. One of those was River Bend Malting in North Carolina. The owners contacted the CMBTC to see about training, and two months later, the first Malt Academy was held in Winnipeg.”
Both 1-week and 3-day courses are offered. The 1-week course is an intensive deep dive into theoretical and practical, hands-on instruction for malt processing. Students utilize the CMBTC’s state-of-the-art 75-kg pilot malthouse and Joe White micro-malting unit. “Our primary target audience ranges from staff working with malting companies, including malt plant operators, management, and procurement and sales staff,” says Watts. “In addition, the courses cater to a broad range of people working directly or peripherally related to malting operations from brewers to grain company staff that source and market malting barley to malting companies.”   
All Malt Academy instructors have significant practical malting and brewing experience, and the small class sizes allow students to receive hands-on training. The courses focus on practical knowledge of malting technology, manufacturing processes, and the minute details affecting malt quality and overall brewing performance. Says Watts, “Our courses are a blend of theory delivered through lectures and hands-on training in the CMBTC’s pilot malt plant. Participants have the opportunity to work with malting barley to understand how to do barley quality evaluation, malt processing, final malt analysis, and preparation for brewing. The students gain an understanding of how to optimize the quality of finished malt for the brewing process.”
The 3-day program focuses on the Canadian malting barley value chain. It dives deeper into breeding and varietal development as well as production, handling, malt processing, and brewing. Students gain an understanding of malting barley selection criteria, quality evaluation, malt analysis, specialty malts and brewing, and a better sense of global barley and brewing statistics. The course includes lectures, round-table discussions, guest lectures from representatives from the malting industry, hands-on instruction in the CMBTC malt plant, and hard copies of the lecture materials. It’s best suited to those who want a high-level understanding of the malting and brewing process and the Canadian malting barley value chain. Barley producers will also benefit from learning where everything in the industry stands.
The 1-week course is $2,100, and the 3-day course is $1,050. There’s one remaining 1-week course for 2024: December 2-6. Remote courses are also possible.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, 1365-303 Main St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 3G7 (ph 204-984-4399; cmbtc@cmbtc.com; www.cmbtc.com).


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2024 - Volume #48, Issue #4