Testing Services
Barley and Malt must meet strict quality criteria to work for various industries, whether it be the Maltster wanting to make barley into a value added malt, or a brewer/distiller wanting to craft a beverage from the malt. Tight specifications of barley and malt are established to ensure good final product quality. Our lab provides convenient, reliable, and affordable testing of the various barley and malt aspects helping to determine selectability of barley for malt and malt for brewing.
Please See Testing Packages Listed Below!
Sample Submission:
Please complete the corresponding form: sampling, shipping & payment instructions are on the forms
Testing Service Agreement:
Parties wishing to submit samples to the MSU Malt Quality Lab must review and sign a Testing Service Agreement
Online Payment Portal:
Testing Options:
Grain Quality Testing
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
|
Selection Package: -Moisture, protein, plumpness, germination energy, stirring number, and DON |
$100/sample |
| Grain Moisture & Protein Content | $20/sample |
|
Germination Characteristics -Germination energy, capacity, and water sensitivity |
$40/sample |
|
DON |
$35/sample |
|
Stirring Number (PHS or sprouted grain evaluation) |
$35/sample |
|
Cereal Extract: -base malt suplemented mash protocol |
$150/sample |
|
Agronomic Variety Testing -Yield, protein, plump, test weight, heading date, height. *Grown in 11 locations across Montana (5 irrigated, 6 dryland) |
$3600/variety |
Food Grain Quality Testing
 |
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
|
Anthocyanin (antioxident color pigment) |
$30/sample |
|
B-glucan (food fiber) |
$30/sample |
Malt Quality Testing
 |
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Full Analysis - Moisture, assortment, friability, fine extract, coarse extract, F/C difference, B-glucan, FAN, soluble protein, S/T, DP, a-amylase, color, filtration time, clarity, pH | $150/sample |
|
*Basic Analysis - Moisture, friability, fine extract, B-glucan, FAN, DP, a-amylase, color, filtration time, clarity, pH, soluble protien, total protein, S/T *Appropriate for barley, and wheat. Wheat samples will not recieve friability testing. |
$100/sample |
|
Adjunct Malt Analysis (sorghum, maize, millet, rye, oats) *Mashing includes a pre-boil step and inclusion of base barley malt (sorghum, maize, millet) or grains are tested 1:1 with base barley malt (rye, oats). The same results as basic analysis are reported, minus friability, total protein and S/T as these testing methods are not appropriate for adjunct grains. |
$150/sample |
| Enzymes only-Diastatic Power & a-amylase | $50/sample |
|
*Specialty Malt Analysis - high dried, chocolate and roasted malt–Moisture, extract, color, pH *SRM 20+ samples Please specify if sample is High dried: higher color malt that stills has sufficient enzymes for self conversion (standard mash) Caramel - requires base malt for supplemental conversion (base malt supplemented mash) Roasted - high color malts - (no mash - extraction via boiling) Measure: color only |
$75/sample |
|
Color only |
$35/sample |
|
*Malting w/ Malt Analysis -Barley samples malted with our system and controls, includes Malt Analysis (Basic Malt w/ out friability) *Limited availability - please discuss specific project with the lab before submitting samples |
$250/sample |
Hop Quality Testing
 |
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
|
Acids Analysis -Alpha Acids (as is and 10%), Beta Acids (as is and 10%), Hop Storage Index (HSI), and moisture. Acids determined by spectrophotometric method, ASBC Hops-6. *100g required. |
$100/sample |
|
Total Oils -Determined by steam distillation. Reported as % (mL oil/100g), ASBC method Hops-13. *200g required
|
$100/sample |
|
Moisture Only -Forced air oven method. ASBC method Hops-4. *10g required |
$20/sample |
Beer Quality Testing
 |
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
|
Nutrition Analysis -Total sugars, carbohydrates, calories, protein, ABV |
$100/sample |
|
Beer QC - TTB Certified Analysis -ABV, SG, RE, RDF, IBU, Color, pH |
$75/sample |
|
Gluten screening (Competitive R-Biopharm) |
$80/Sample |
|
Total sugars |
$25/sample |
|
Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN) |
$25/sample |
|
Bitterness (IBU) |
$30/sample |
Distillate Quality Testing
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
|
Distillate QC - TTB Certified Analysis -Total solids, apparent proof, specific gravity, true proof |
$75/sample |
*All testing is conducted using official methods of the American Society of Brewing Chemists
*The Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality has been certified by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for analysis of beer and distillate products.
2023 Lab Schedule
Data Turnaround Time:
Typically, malt data can be expected within 7 or less business days, while grain samples will take closer to 10 due to germinations tests. During normal weeks malt analysis is performed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday -or- Monday, depending on demand. Samples received Thursday may not be run until the following Monday or Tuesday at the earliest. Germinations are always started Monday, so grain analyisis will not start till the following week if samples are recieved Tuesday - Friday.
2023 Holiday Schedule
The lab will be closed on the following dates:
Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King Day
Monay, February 20 - President's Day
Monday, May 29 - Memorial Day
Tuesday, July 4 - Independence Day
Monday, September 4 - Labor Day
Tuesday, November 8 - Election Day
Friday, November 10 - Veteran's Day
Thursday/Friday, November 23-24 - Thanksgiving
Monday, December 25 - Christmas