The Use of Oats in Brewing

Abstract

Oats (Avena sativa) are one of the most popular cereals for human consumption. In the middle ages oats were the brewing cereal par excellence. Over the centuries they were substituted by other cereals and their brewing properties were nearly forgotten. Today oats are popular once more because of their excellent health-related properties. For people who suffer with celiac disease oats are also of interest. Based on their historical use in brewing and their health-related properties pilot malting trials were carried out with different varieties, followed by brewing trials with a selected variety. The results obtained showed that oat malt is an appropriate choice for brewing.