The Complete Handbook of Barley

Decent reference, but I expected more depth on the chemistry side. It does a great job explaining what to look for on a certificate of analysis and the two-row vs six-row section is clear enough that I finally understand why my lager was coming out thin. That said, the troubleshooting chapter feels like it assumes you already know what you're doing. If you're an absolute beginner to malting, you might get lost. I'm a small distiller and I found it useful, but I wouldn't call it complete.

Solid book overall. The storage chapter alone saved me from repeating a mistake I made last year with a damp batch that ruined 200 kilos. I appreciate that they don't waste your time with history or marketing fluff. The glossary is handy to keep in the workshop. My only gripe is that some of the specification tables reference specific varieties without enough context on what those varieties are used for — a bit of an inside-baseball issue if you're not in the Pacific Northwest.

Finally, a barley book that speaks to professionals without dumbing it down or fluffing it up. I run a specialty grain milling operation and the chapters on choosing the right barley and the maintenance sections were exactly what my team needed. The section on germination physiology was spot-on, and the troubleshooting table for water sensitivity completely changed how I do my steeps. This is the book I wish existed when I started in this industry ten years ago. Worth every penny.

This is the reference I keep on the desk, not the shelf. I bought it for the business opportunities chapter, but the early material on kernel morphology and what actually constitutes 'plump' is so clearly written that I read it cover to cover. The author clearly knows what they're talking about — the examples about how a 6-row feed variety can wreck a beer mash but save a distiller money on a light whisky program were spot on. I've already recommended it to two other brewers.

It's a fine book, but it leans a bit too heavy on the malting and brewing side for my taste. I work in poultry feed formulation and while the feed-grade specifications were covered, I was hoping for more on the digestibility side and how different varieties perform in rations. The author is clearly a brewing person first. There's still enough here — especially on moisture management and storage — that I'll keep it around, but I had to skip several chapters entirely.

As someone who's been in the barley trade for 25 years, I've seen a lot of references that get the details wrong. This one gets them right. The grading specs, the protein measurement explanations, the thin-kernel penalties — all accurate and well explained. I handed it to my new junior buyer and told her it's the first reading assignment. It covers the practical ground between the academic literature and the business real-world better than anything I've seen. The glossary alone is worth it.

Very useful handbook, though I docked a star because the market analysis in later chapters is already a bit dated — they mention a couple of varieties that have been largely replaced in my area. But the core material is timeless. The chapter on selecting barley for a specific situation was a great framework that I applied to my own operation. I particularly liked the section on what questions to ask your supplier before committing to a big purchase. Good value even if you think you already know barley.