U.S. Hopes to Quench China’s Thirst for Beer : Agriculture: American grain council sends its barley to the Chinese, figuring brewers there will develop a taste for it.

Young professional Chinese have developed a thirst for beer, and American farmers hope that China’s beer makers will turn to U.S.-grown barley to produce their brew.

“Beer consumption is on the rise in China,” said Tom Sleight of the U.S. Feed Grains Council. “It is the ‘in’ drink now for young Chinese professionals.”

The council represents farmers and agriculture groups that produce and process the nation’s feed grains--barley, corn and sorghum.

China imports 800,000 metric tons of malt barley each year for beer brewing, and U.S. industry experts believe that figure will soon rise to 1 million tons. But so far none of the barley comes from the United States--a situation farmers and the grain council plan to change.

Recently, 500 tons of U.S. barley were shipped to China, where it was malted and used to brew a test batch of beer. In early March, a team of barley producers and industry experts will travel to China to taste the beer, Sleight said.

The Chinese have avoided American barley because they are unfamiliar with its malting characteristics. To correct that problem, the grains council sent malting and brewing experts to educate them on its use.

Growers are anxious to find a new market for their grain.

In 1991, farmers produced nearly 464.5 million bushels of barley, of which 15% to 20% was for the brewing industry, the rest mostly went for livestock feed.

China’s increasing thirst for beer and a drought in Australia has offered hope for domestic barley producers.