Great trade associations help foster better industries. That’s what the Brewers Association (BA) is doing. The not-for-profit trade association, dedicated to small and independent American brewers, recently announced the recipients of its 2018 Research and Service Grants Program, designed to further the development of a healthy and sustainable raw materials supply chain. This year, 17 grants totaling $432,658 were awarded to researchers and organizations across the country.
Since the inception of the grant program in 2015, the BA has provided more than $1.2 million in funding for 60 projects — addressing public barley and hop variety development, hop disease and hop aroma — as well as supported affiliated national and state-level grower organizations.
“The Brewers Association is proud to fund beer research and service grants in support of BA member breweries,” said Bob Pease, president and CEO, Brewers Association. “Supporting research that aligns with member priorities ensures a sustainable and profitable future for small and independent breweries.”
“This funding cycle represents a continued focus on ensuring a healthy and accessible supply chain that satisfies the unique requirements of independent craft brewers,” said Chuck Skypeck, technical brewing projects manager, Brewers Association. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with a diverse group of world-class researchers and institutions.”
“The Research and Service Grants funds are an important and valuable benefit to the industry. They connect the craft brewing community with world-class research capabilities at Oregon State University to solve technical problems facing the entire brewing industry,” said Thomas H. Shellhammer, Ph.D., Nor’Wester professor of fermentation science, Oregon State University. “I am honored that the BA has chosen to fund work in my lab since it allows me to work on industry-relevant scientific and technical issues that not only advance science but answer important and practical questions faced by craft brewers.”
2018 Grant Recipients
Barley
Brewers Association Funded Research Grants Barley Creation and Development of Better Germplasm Lines for All-Malt Barley Varieties
Partner: USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Aberdeen, ID
Principal: Gongshe Hu
Breeding for Barley Contributions to Beer Flavor
Partner: Oregon State University
Principal: Pat Hayes
Stable and Sustainable Dryland Production of High Quality Malt Barley
Partner: Montana State University
Principal: Jamie Sherman
Mapping Malt Quality Traits to Facilitate Marker Assisted Breeding and Development of Winter Malt Barley
Partner: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Principal: Carl Griffey
Building a Winter Malting Barley Market for the Great Plains
Partner: University of Nebraska
Principal: Stephen Baenziger
Utilizing a Multi-State Dataset to Support Coordinated Breeding of Local Malting Barley
Partner: University of Minnesota
Principal: Kevin Smith
Improving Malting Quality in Two-Rowed Barley by Reducing Grain Protein Content Through Marker Assisted Backcrossing
Partner: University of California, Davis
Principal: Alicia del Blanco
All-malt Barley: Nitrogen and Cultivar Management Strategies for Idaho Growers
Partner: University of Idaho
Principal: Christopher Rogers
Enhancement of Winter Hardiness in Two-Rowed Barley Varieties for the Craft Brewing Industry
Partner: University of Minnesota
Principal: Brian Steffenson
Eastern United States Spring Barley Nursery (ESBN)
Partner: North Dakota State University
Principal: Richard Horsley
Metabolomics of Hot Steep Malt Extracts and Integration with Sensory Data
Partner: Colorado State University
Principal: Adam Heuberger
Prospects for Breeding Perennial Malting Barley
Partner: N/A
Principal: Colin Curwen-McAdams
Hops
Nitrogen Application Timing Effects on Nitrate Accumulation in Hop Cones, Yield and Cone Quality Factors
Partner: USDA Agricultural Research Service, OR
Researcher: David Gent
Assessing the Genomic Impact of Drought and Heat on Hop Growth and Production
Partner: USDA Agricultural Research Service, OR
Researcher: John Henning
Mapping Novel Loci for Powdery Mildew Resistance in Hops
Partner: University of Minnesota
Principal: Gary Muehlbauer
Developing Economic and Environmental Focused Hop Nitrogen Recommendations for Temperate Climates
Partner: University of Vermont
Principal: Heather Darby
Hop-Derived Dextrin-Reducing Enzymes from Dry-Hopping
Partner: Oregon State University
Researcher: Thomas Shellhammer
Proposals for 2019 funding will be accepted from March 1, 2018 to May 31, 2018. More information about the grant program can be found at BrewersAssociation.org.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.