Dr Chris Ridout in a field of Chevallier barley
For the first time in nearly 100 years, drinkers will be able to taste beer made from Chevallier, a classic heritage barley from the Victorian period.
Old varieties are a rich source of new genes, and scientists at the John Innes Centre (JIC) revived Chevallier as part of a barley improvement project. Historic records indicate that the variety produced premium quality malt and good yields.
“‘We wanted to find out how the variety performed, what the malt was like and how the beer tasted,” said Dr Chris Ridout, who leads the project.
The scientists revived the variety from seed in JIC’s genetic gesources unit and started to evaluate its performance. In collaboration with Brewlab and the University of Sunderland, the scientists discovered that Chevallier had valuable disease resistance that can prevent contamination of grain with mycotoxins, which are a concern in the malting industry.
Dr Sarah de Vos, of Stumptail Brewery, who has created beer using the Chevallier malt
They went on to grow half an acre of the Victorian barley during 2012, and the grain was then floor-malted by Crisp Malting Group at Great Ryburgh, Norfolk.
From April 19, a heritage special bitter made from Chevallier by Stumptail Brewery will be available at the Duke of Wellington pub in Norwich. This nut-brown ale has a rich malty flavour and a lasting bitter finish. It comes with an ABV of 4.7%.
The launch coincides with the AGM of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which takes place at St Andrews Hall in Norwich from April19-21.
This year, visitors will be able to see Chevallier growing at the Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life in Norfolk.
Dr Ridout has now registered Chevallier as a conservation variety, recently published in the Plant Varieties and Seeds Gazette. He has also received a £250,000 grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council to explore the commercial potential of Chevallier and new varieties derived from heritage barleys.
