Alexis is a two-row, spring sown variety of

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

commonly used in the production of

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...

for the

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

industry.

Development

The variety originated from a cross of Br 1622d54 * Trumpf, done in 1975 by Josef Breun. It was introduced in Germany in 1986 and quickly became the dominant variety until 2006 in whole Europe. Due to its mildew resistance (''Erysiphe graminis'' ssp. ''hordei'') based on the mlo-9 mutation, induced in the variety Diamant, and the ''denso'' dwarfing gene combined with an excellent brewing quality Alexis has been a milestone in malting barley breeding. The pedigree: Besides

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Alexis was listed in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

und

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Mainly in Germany Alexis has been the dominant malting barley for more than a decade. There it had been the main source for malt for most of the - small or big - breweries. Its peak was in 1992 when she had 9048 ha of multiplication area. Alexis has been so far the variety with the highest multiplication area in Germany over the last 30 years.{{citation, surname1=Bundessortenamt, periodical=Beschreibende Sortenliste, title=Sommergerste - zweizeilig, date=1986–2006, language=German It has been supplanted by newer varieties with better agronomics, but it is in growing demand for premium products. It is one of the few barley malts marketed today by variety. Alexis is popular both in

homebrewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

circles and among traditional real ale breweries, many of whom note their exclusive use of Alexis in their promotional literature. It carries a price premium to most other varieties. Due to its broad acceptance and its consistently good results Alexis is one of the varieties most often used in modern pedigrees. Alexis can be rightly considered as a "

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

" of the current genetic in malting barley.

References

Barley cultivars