Record Heat, Cool Heads: Rheinhessen’s Brewing Barley Brings Field and Malthouse Together
Two field days in June 2026 united farmers, breeders, traders, brewers and maltsters at the BESTMALZ site in Wallertheim – from the grain in the field to the malt tasting in the malthouse.
The sun beats down, the stalks are under stress – and right in the middle of it, experts are discussing tomorrow’s beer. Twice in June 2026, farmers, seed breeders, grain traders, brewers and maltsters gathered at the BESTMALZ site in Wallertheim near Mainz. The occasions: the Brewing Barley Tour hosted by the Fördergemeinschaft Braugerste Rheinland-Pfalz e.V. and the Alexis Barley Field Day – two events that brought the entire brewing barley value chain together in one place.
42 participants, three working fields – and an honest interim assessment
On the Brewing Barley Tour, 42 participants set out to visit three working fields and the trial plots of the regional variety trial (Landessortenversuch) around Wallertheim. The central question: how is the brewing barley season weathering the exceptional heat? On many fields, the answer was plain to see. Heat stress had clearly taken its toll on the crops, in some places forcing emergency harvests – at the expense of yield.
Jörg Müller, Chairman of the Fördergemeinschaft Braugerste Rheinland-Pfalz e.V., offered a more nuanced picture:
“Anyone who sowed early this year is being rewarded for it. The crops benefited from the spring rain and passed through the critical development phases largely before the heatwave. That gives them a clear advantage in both yield and quality. To what extent yield and quality have suffered under the enormous temperatures will only become clear at harvest – though we do not expect excessive protein levels.”
Straight from the field to the tasting table
From the field it was straight to the malthouse: at BESTMALZ in Wallertheim, the professional exchange continued along the entire value chain. The highlight was a malt tasting led by Dirk Schneider, Head of Quality Assurance. Participants sampled different malt types and learned first-hand how strongly the aroma, colour and character of the finished beer are already shaped in the grain. The message of the day: no quality beer without high-quality brewing barley – whether for the national or international market.
Alexis barley: a traditional variety with growing demand
Just a few days later, the Alexis Barley Field Day took place around Wallertheim and Armsheim-Schimsheim, following a similar programme. The time-honoured German variety Alexis is grown exclusively for BESTMALZ and processed into BEST A-XL malt. It gives beer a malty flavour, a full body, a golden colour and a particularly stable head of foam.
Alexis brewing barley is cultivated by a small, well-established group of Rheinhessen farmers – in significant quantities. And if BESTMALZ has its way, that area is set to grow.
“Given the very strong national and international demand for malt made from Alexis brewing barley, we would like to expand the cultivated area further.”
That was how Michael Huber, Head of Purchasing at BESTMALZ, summed it up. How cultivation and demand can be brought into balance was explained by Dr Ernst Loop of Saatzucht Breun, who supported the farmers on site with in-depth expertise and practical growing advice. As with the tour, this day too wound down at the BESTMALZ logistics centre in Wallertheim – over a light snack and lively conversations about the ongoing season.
Read more about the farmers behind BESTMALZ: From the Field to the Malthouse – the BEST grain for the BEST malt
Photo Gallery: Field Day Alexis Barley & Brewing Barley Tour
