Quality Evaluation Program Procedures
The American Malting Barley Association's (AMBA) Quality Evaluation Program (QEP) provides a rigorous vetting process for new malting barley lines, typically developed by public barley breeding programs. This two-step evaluation analyzes both grain and malt quality and approximately 30 lines are reviewed annually by the Quality Evaluation Program Subcommittee with recommendations forwarded and reviewed by the Technical Committee. New selections that are rated satisfactory in this two-stage evaluation program, as described in the procedure document, may be recommended by AMBA as new malting barley varieties, subject to the preference and use by individual maltsters, brewers, and distillers.
The procedure document was reviewed, updated, and published September 2025.
