To provide you with additional information about how we collect and use your personal data, we’ve recently updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Please review these pages now, as they apply to your continued use of our website.
Used as a flour or an animal feed, barley grain can be dead and still be nutritional, like any grain. But for malting, the grains must still be alive – at least 95 percent germinable – to drive the chain reaction that turns starch into sugar into alcohol. This is a tricky proposition in New York’s wet climate since water causes the mature grain to sprout and die before harvest.