Barley is the main raw material for beer production. To obtain a high-quality drink, thin-film varieties of barley with a high starch content and low protein are of the greatest value. In the Russian Federation, double-row filmy spring barley is mainly used for brewing. In Europe, Canada and the USA, varieties of double-row and six-row winter malting barley are also common, however, the highest yields of winter varieties are combined with the worst quality.

The Amur, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Orel, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula regions, the left–bank districts of the Saratov Region, the non-Chernozem regions of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Primorsky Territory have the highest assessment of the natural and economic conditions for growing malting barley. In fact, spring–type malting barley is grown in the Central Chernozem region (80%), in the Central Region, primarily in the Tula and Ryazan regions (10%), in the Middle Volga region – in Mordovia, Tatarstan, Penza Region (5-7%), as well as in the Volga–Vyatka (Chuvashia), Northwestern (Kaliningrad region) and the West Siberian region (3-5%). These regions are the most suitable for obtaining high grain yields with good brewing properties and low cost.