Less Summer Barley in Bavaria Puts Pressure on Breweries

Bavaria’s summer barley harvest has fallen sharply, but the immediate supply of malt for the region’s breweries is not at risk. Existing stocks from last year should cover production into autumn, according to Walter König of the Malting Barley Association.

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Summer barley has lost a great deal of importance. After a slight recovery last year, the area fell this year to a new historic low.

Farmers planted 73,273 hectares of summer barley this year, compared with 85,037 hectares in 2025. The Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture described the figure as a new historic low. In the 1980s, farmers in the state harvested spring-sown barley on more than 300,000 hectares.

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We are in the fortunate situation of still having surpluses from the previous year that will last into autumn.

The harvest itself has also suffered. Dry conditions across much of Bavaria reduced production to about 0.37 million tonnes, 22.7% below the previous year, while the cultivated area fell by 13.8%. Barley that fails to meet malting standards can only be sold as feed grain, causing substantial losses for farmers.

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Political times are uncertain.

König said winter malting barley is becoming more important to maltsters and breweries. Once rejected by the industry, it can now be incorporated into production because new varieties have been developed. Bavaria’s maltsters nevertheless remain dependent on purchases from other regions, including Thuringia. The association is backing local cultivation because political uncertainty and low water levels have shown how vulnerable supply chains and transport can be. Despite lower yields, König said the harvested grain was healthy, with no disease pressure or fungal infestation. Beer sales in Bavaria are declining, but that does not automatically reduce demand for barley because alcohol-free beer also requires malt.

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That eases the impact of the low yields.