News - 24.11.20
At the end of September this year, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I (part of AB InBev) announced that it had achieved its goal of sourcing 100% of the barley used for its UK-produced beers from British farms.
This milestone, reached ahead of schedule, eliminates the company’s needs to import barley – reducing carbon emissions and helping towards improving food security, while also championing British agriculture.
Explorer contracts now available for harvest 2021.
Budweiser’s UK breweries at Magor in South Wales and Samlesbury in Lancashire produce more than 17 million bottles and cans of Budweiser each week alone. Prior to 2014, Budweiser imported 100% of barley for British-brewed Budweiser, as the type of high-protein malting barley required for brewing the beer was not traditionally growing in Britain. In 2014, a collaboration between Agrii, Viterra UK Ltd (previously Glencore Agriculture UK Ltd), Crisp/Boortmalt and AB InBev led to the introduction of Explorer barley to the UK. Explorer is a continental variety of barley with the right quality traits at the higher nitrogen levels required for Budweiser’s famous recipe. The collaboration began as a pilot with Agrii, using Explorer barley grown on 8 farms, which illustrated to AB InBev that they could reliably source the barley of the right quality they needed from the UK. There are now more than 300 farmers growing barley for Budweiser in the UK, covering more than 6000 hectares of British farms and producing 85,000 tonnes of barley each year.
Contracts are now available for the 2021 Explorer harvest, and Viterra UK Ltd are offering a minimum premium for the first time. Movement terms are flexible, with sampling and movement being well supported. Explorer is now tried and tested, with a carefully researched agronomy programme that has been fine-tuned through Agrii trials over the 7 years of work with AB InBev and other partners. Growers are supported throughout the year with the latest agronomy advice and updates.
Find out more here
What do some of our growers have to say?
“Having grown Explorer spring barley since 2015, we have found that its ability to come out of the ground running, and excellent competitiveness, have allowed us to establish a very useful spring crop on heavy Northamptonshire soils. The backup from Agrii gives us the confidence to commit up to 1/3 of our annual cropping to Explorer showing significant improvements in the control of blackgrass whilst still providing respectable margins. The fact that we are part of a group able to supply 100% of the Explorer needed for UK production of Budweiser from British farms is great for British agriculture, and makes me proud to be part of this industry.”
Nick Paton, Wakefield Estate
“I grow Explorer because it allows me to achieve a premium and control blackgrass on my heavy land.”
Chris Richardson, CW Richardson and Sons, Lincolnshire
If you’d like to find out more about the contracts available for harvest 2021, please get in touch with your usual Agrii or Viterra contact for more details, or contact:
The Agrii Seed Desk on 01277 898202, email info@agrii.co.uk, or
Viterra on 01844 261261, email thame.origination@viterra.com
FAQs
Budweiser is produced using malted barley, rice, water, hops and yeast.
Where does Anheuser-Busch get their barley from? ›
Anheuser-Busch works with 1,000 U.S. farmers who grow barley, rice, and hops for the company's products.
Is Budweiser brewed in the UK? ›
Budweiser's UK breweries at Magor in South Wales and Samlesbury in Lancashire produce more than 17 million bottles and cans of Budweiser each week alone.
Is barley used in beer making? ›
Malted barley is the main source for fermentable sugars used by yeasts in the traditional brewing of beers but its use has been increasingly substituted by unmalted barley and other raw grain adjuncts in recent years.
What beer has a lot of barley in it? ›
One beer style that tends to be high in β-glucan is Irish stout, with of course Guinness being the most famous. The brew contains plenty of roasted barley and flaked barley, both of which contain a lot of this gum. I love my Guinness when I go to Dublin.
Is Budweiser a natural beer? ›
The sweetness comes from the all natural grains consisting of barley malt, cereal grains, hops and yeast. None of Anheuser-Busch brewed beers or other products contain any animal ingredients (such as milk, eggs, etc), or process aids such as isinglass or gelatin.
Who produces the most barley in the US? ›
In 2023, Idaho was the leading U.S. state in terms of barley production. That year, some 60.5 million bushels of barley were produced in Idaho. Montana was another major producer of barley in the United States, at 49.7 million bushels.
Where does Budweiser source their ingredients? ›
We are a major purchaser of agricultural products from the U.S. and proudly source nearly all of the ingredients in our iconic American beers from U.S. farmers, including 99 percent of our barley and 100 percent of our rice and corn.
Is Bud Light made with barley? ›
Unlike other light beers, Bud Light is brewed with just four ingredients: barley, rice, hops and water. No corn syrup.
Is Budweiser still American owned? ›
Budweiser is produced by Anheuser-Busch LLC. Anheuser-Busch is an American brewing company, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri. Anheuser-Busch is an international company, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
Anheuser-Busch, founded by German immigrants Adolphus Busch and Busch's father-in-law Eberhard Anheuser, is banned from using the "Budweiser" trademark in Germany due to legal disputes with Czech brewer Budweiser Budvar. Germans must buy their Budweiser beer under the "Anheuser-Busch Bud" label.
Why does Budweiser taste so good? ›
Brewed using a blend of imported and classic American aroma hops, and a blend of barley malts and rice. Budweiser is brewed with time-honored methods including “kraeusening” for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in unparalleled balance and character.
Can beer only be made with barley? ›
While beer is traditionally brewed with malted barley, the truth is that with the right enzymatic toolbox beer can be brewed from any starch-rich material. There are many naturally gluten-free sources of starch such as corn, millet, rice, sorghum, cassava and teff.
Which is better, wheat or barley? ›
Barley provides more health benefits than wheat, and is an excellent alternative to white wheat. This is because it contains more fiber than wheat. It also undergoes less processing, meaning it loses fewer nutrients. It's also rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
What happens to barley after making beer? ›
Home brewing enthusiasts and major manufacturers alike experience the same result of the beer-making process: mounds of leftover grain. Once all the flavour has been extracted from barley and other grains, what's left is a protein- and fibre-rich powder that is typically used in cattle feed or put in landfills.
What grain is used in Budweiser beer? ›
The flagship beer, simply called Budweiser, is an extremely pale lager with a mild, bready aroma, a bit of apple fruitiness, a clean, dry palate, and a crisp finish. The recipe consists of a mix of about 30% four-row barley malt from A-B's own maltings and 40% six-row malt; the remaining 30% is rice grits.
Are any beers made without barley? ›
Fast-forward to today and brewers are turning out beers made from millet, corn, sorghum, rice, maguey, buckwheat and other ingredients. The majority serve the demand for gluten-free products but a minority taps into an interest in cultural and historic beers.
Is Bud Light wheat or barley? ›
BARLEY. An ancient grain and a whole grain, barley gives Bud Light its signature malt character and golden color.
What ingredient is in Budweiser? ›
Anheuser-Busch says Budweiser and Bud Light are brewed with the same ingredients: water, barley malt, rice, yeast and hops.
