Barley is one of the three main grain products grown in New Zealand, grown in both the North

and South Island. In 2013, the total weight of barley grown in New Zealand was 435,773 tonnes, 

with approximately 16% of barley grown going towards the malting industry (Milner, Roskruge 

2013). It is this malt that is used in the production of beer. 

 

Malting is a process involving the controlled germination of a barley seed. The seeds are 

soaked in water to bring on germination, then left to germinate and grow for around 5 days, 

before being dried. This process converts the starch contained in the seed into more simple 

sugars which are much easier to break down during the fermentation process to make beer. 

Different drying times can give different strength malt, ranging from light to dark which will give 

the finished product different flavours (Schohn, 1999).