Coastal Barley.
Barley From Schleswig-Holstein.
Abstract
In a nutshell: That's why our FLENS reminds one of the sea.
Strong In Character, Like The North Itself.
A not inconsiderable proportion of the barley we use for brewing, namely at least 20%, grows under the influence of the typical northern German maritime climate in Schleswig-Holstein. That's why we call the barley we use to brew our beer coastal barley. What is so special about our coastal barley? It grows up here in the north between the seas and enjoys the rough sea air, which is extremely rich in iodine and salt. In malted form, it plays an important role in the brewing process and is partly responsible for the unique taste of our FLENS. At the same time, we support the farmers in our region by growing it in Schleswig-Holstein, because Flensburger has always been closely linked to its home region.
What Is Barley And What Is It Used For?
Barley, also known scientifically as Hordeum, is a cereal belonging to the sweet grass family. A basic distinction is made between spring barley and winter barley. Spring barley contains a lot of carbohydrates and is mainly used to make beer. Winter barley, on the other hand, contains lots of protein and is used as a nutritious source of feed for farm animals. Spring barley is grown in the spring and winter barley in the fall. Around 300 grains are sown per square meter. After sowing, the barley has time to ripen. Typical of the grain are the ears with long awns, which grow rapidly in the months following sowing. Barley, which is one of the oldest types of grain, is harvested in July and August when the grain has the right moisture content. In baking, however, the grain was replaced by wheat a long time ago, as it contains significantly more gluten and provides a better dough structure. However, barley in the form of malt is often used as an additive in baking. This is because malt provides a nutty-sweet aroma in bread, for example.
No Flensburger Without Barley.
The German Purity Law states that four ingredients are needed to brew beer: Water, hops, yeast and barley. Barley is therefore essential for the brewing process. Around 20 kg of our coastal barley is needed to brew 100 liters of FLENS. Barley is already used in the first step of the brewing process. The barley grains are soaked in advance by a maltster and processed into malt through the malting process. We then use the milled malt in our brewery for mashing by heating it with our water from the Flensburg glacial spring. This dissolves the starch contained in the malt grist and releases enzymes that convert malt starch into malt sugar. This is essential in the subsequent brewing process for alcoholic fermentation and the formation of carbon dioxide. The use of barley in our Flensburger therefore not only ensures the alcohol content and sometimes the necessary tingling sensation, but we also have it to thank for our typical FLENS plop‘.
