CMBTC's 2027–28 recommended list highlights growing demand for CDC Churchill and the continued transition toward newer Canadian barley genetics.
Western Canadian barley growers heading into the 2027 planting season are being encouraged to pay close attention to market demand when choosing malting barley varieties, as newer genetics gain acreage and acceptance among international brewers.
The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) has released its 2027–28 Recommended Malting Barley Varieties List, providing growers with an indication of varieties showing both strong malting characteristics and market potential.
The new list shows a Canadian malting barley industry in transition. AAC Synergy remains by far the most widely planted major variety, but CDC Churchill has quickly gained acreage, while longtime industry standard CDC Copeland continues to decline.
AAC Synergy accounted for 37.6 per cent of Western Canadian malting barley acreage in 2026, up from 35.6 per cent in 2025 and 33.6 per cent in 2024.
CDC Churchill posted an even more dramatic increase. Its share rose from 7.1 per cent in 2024 to 9.6 per cent in 2025 and 13.7 per cent in 2026.
That growth is increasingly being supported by international customers.
In July 2026, Tsingtao Brewery, China's second-largest brewer, added CDC Churchill to its list of accepted Canadian barley varieties, according to CMBTC. The approval followed Chinese industry acceptance of AAC Connect and CDC Fraser.
“Canada's breeding programs continue to deliver improved barley varieties for farmers, and we’re seeing encouraging progress as international customers evaluate and accept them,” said Peter Watts, managing director of CMBTC.
“As farmers adopt newer varieties, our priority is to build customer acceptance that can lead to long-term commercial demand. That work is important to maintaining Canada's established markets as our production changes.”
CMBTC works with maltsters and brewers in markets including China, Japan, Mexico, Colombia and the United States to help newer Canadian varieties gain commercial acceptance.
That process can take several years. Brewers and maltsters need to determine how a variety performs in their facilities and whether it consistently delivers the flavour, processing and quality characteristics they require.
Demand signals differ by variety
The 2027–28 recommended list provides particularly useful signals for farmers evaluating their seeding options.
AAC Synergy's domestic demand is listed as peaked, while export demand is considered steady. For CDC Churchill, both domestic and export demand are described as growing. Export demand for AAC Connect is also growing, while CDC Fraser is listed as having steady domestic demand and limited export demand.
The acreage numbers also show how rapidly growers are adjusting.
AAC Connect represented 10.9 per cent of Western Canadian malting barley acreage in 2026, compared with 11.7 per cent in 2025. CDC Fraser represented 8.7 per cent, compared with 8.9 per cent a year earlier.
Meanwhile, CDC Copeland's share continued to fall, dropping from 17.4 per cent in 2024 to 13.5 per cent in 2025 and 10.6 per cent in 2026.
CMBTC has now moved CDC Copeland into the list's “additional varieties” category, although opportunities remain in domestic and export markets and growers are advised to contact local buyers about potential contracts.
“Our barley varieties are our competitive advantage, whether we're exporting barley or Canadian-made malt,” said Jon White, CMBTC board chair.
“Customers value established varieties because they know how to process them and what results to expect. Canada's strength is combining that dependability with a strong pipeline of improved genetics.”
More varieties are coming
The transition is unlikely to stop with the varieties currently gaining acres.
Three registered varieties are identified by CMBTC as being in seed propagation and market development: AAC Prairie, AB Foothills and SY Stanza.
AAC Prairie is described as having short, strong straw, medium protein and high enzyme levels. AB Foothills offers high yield, lower protein and high enzyme levels. SY Stanza features short, strong straw, medium protein and low enzymes and is a non-glycosidic nitrile variety, making it suitable for all-malt distilling.
The 2027–28 list also identifies potential marketing opportunities for CDC Goldstar, BillCoors 100 and Legacy, in addition to CDC Copeland.
For farmers, however, the key message is that agronomic performance is only one part of a malting barley planting decision.
Unlike feed barley, producing a technically strong malting variety does not guarantee a premium market. A buyer must want the specific variety and the crop must meet the purchaser's specifications.
That makes communication with buyers especially important before seed goes into the ground.
CMBTC recommends growers talk with their grain or malting company representatives about marketing and contracting opportunities before selecting a variety for 2027.
The shift toward newer varieties therefore represents both an agronomic and marketing transition for Canada's barley sector. Breeders can deliver improved genetics and farmers can increase production, but sustainable adoption ultimately depends on maltsters and brewers being prepared to buy and use the grain.
The complete 2027–28 Recommended Malting Barley Varieties List is available through CMBTC. CMBTC develops its recommended lists with industry consultation and technical evaluation of varieties for malting performance and market potential. CMBTC Recommended List