Craft beer makers in these parts are enthused that malted Kernza is now commercially available for their recipes.

The perennial grain developed and improved at The Land Institute near Salina, is being marketed by Kansas- and Nebraska-rooted Sustain-A-Grain, and other proponents around the country.

Malting grains involves germinating them, then halting the process with heat, which makes more starch and sugars available during fermentation, said Brandon Schlautman, Sustain-A-Grain co-founder from Henderson, NE. Among his endeavors is introducing the Earth-friendly grain to the producers and consumers.

Beer provides one of the avenues in Sustain-A-Grain’s mission to push Kernza into the food and beverage mainstream.

“Malted barley, and sometimes other malted grains, are a main ingredient in beer,” he said. “Creating malted forms of Kernza® is a key way of making it more of a functional and familiar ingredient form for the beer industry.”

Adding malted Kernza® provides more of the vital stuff that makes beer happen, Schlautman said, and it adds value to the perennial grain.

“There have been universities that have experimented with malting Kernza, but we’re the first in the world to do it and sell it,” he said.

The feat was met in a partnership with Colorado Malting Company, of Alamosa, CO.

“What we accomplished was turning Kernza into a real beer product,” Schlautman said. “Instead of harvesting the grain and handing it to the brewers in a raw form, we created a new ingredient that they desire.”

The announcement came during the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference April 28 through May 1 in Indianapolis.

“We malted the Kernza because brewers asked for it at the 2024 conference. We gave them what they wanted this year, and it was really positive. We had a lot of interest,” he said. “Since then, brewers have been buying malted Kernza and we are excited to see and taste the first beers made with malted Kernza in the next couple months.”

The conference was in the wake of Earth Day promotions of Kernza during late April in Salina and Minneapolis, in north-central Kansas.

Kernza and perennial crops are aimed at revolutionizing food production, in part by mimicking the prairie and adopting other forms of natural systems agriculture.

Malting Kernza is another major step in the grain’s evolution.

Craft brewers are among Kernza’s early users, and have boosted its popularity.

“I’m excited to get some malted Kernza and try it out,” said Kyle Banman, head brewer at The Farm & The Odd Fellows in Minneapolis. One of its signature brews, 10 Ft Roots, is made with Kernza.

“A lot of us would like to get our hands on it and see what we can do with it,” he said. “My brain is kind of chewing on this. I am designing (beer) recipes just thinking about it. I could potentially do 80-percent Kernza, or 40-percent malted Kernza, 40-percent malted barley and 20-percent flaked Kernza. If I got it malted, I could probably have the finished products in two weeks.”

Ian Smith was equally intrigued. The owner of Three Rings Brewery in McPherson.

“We’re kind of at the start of the Kernza-in-beer movement,” he said. “We can’t make an all-Kernza® beer because it just won’t work unless it’s malted in the early stages. This is exciting.”

How customers respond is an individual thing, Smith said.

“Half of them won’t care, as long as it tastes good,” he said. “The other half sees Kernza as what it is and will be on board with is as a malted version.”

Knowing its story and “that it started kind of in this area”

is interesting to some,” Smith said.

Three Rings has done a share of research and development, taking Cucumber Kernza® beer to the April 25 tasting event in Minneapolis.

“Instead of using 20-percent Kernza, using 50-percent malted Kernza® will turn some people on, if they’re interested in it in the first place,” he said. “It’s another step toward 100-percent Kernza. I’m currently making 100-percent wheat beers. Now I think I could incorporate Kernza into that conversation.”

Because of a lower yield relative to annual wheat, the perennial grain is more expensive, he said.

Not enough people are aware of Kernza.

“It’s kind of an education thing,” Smith said. “If you can tell people you have this unique product that’s out there, and with the science behind it, perennial grains have the chance to change the world, more people will give it a try.”

It’s not that brewers are clamoring to be the first to offer a malted Kernza beer, Banman said, but he’s eager to put it to the test at The Farm & The Odd Fellows.

“It’s very much a friendly competition. It would be cool to be the first one in Kansas to do it,” Banman said, “but I won’t be losing any sleep over it.”

Malted Kernza is definitely a significant step, said Brandon Miller, certified cicerone (beer connoisseur) from Eugene, OR, who spoke at the event in Minneapolis, KS.

“I would say it’s somewhat of a breakthrough. I am very intrigued,” he said. “It opens the door to 100-percent Kernza-based beers. Malt of any grain is the backbone of your beer. That’s where the sugars ultimately come from that you need to ferment.

“Craft beer geeks would probably get a kick out of it for sure.”

Kernza needs to continue its momentum, Miller said, by spreading awareness and encouraging companies to include it in their food and drink.

Sustain-A-Grain has endeavored to do its part for the beer world.

“A lot of brewers have asked us when Kernza was going to be available in malted form,” Schlautman said. “We delivered on that request this year.”

Cicerone Miller is stoked to help, and aims to create videos on what he learned in Kansas.

“We need a system to keep the reality of what’s possible,” he said. “This is making history. We’re gonna take it to the top.”

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Photo: James Bowden, left, the director of community engagement at Sustain-A-Grain, enjoys a glass of 10 Ft. Roots Kernza beer with Kyle Banman, head brewer at The Farm & The Odd Fellows in Minneapolis, KS.  Photo by   Anna Andersson