Sulphuric acid dehusked barley had a higher germinative energy and lower microbial infection than normal huskless (naked) barley, suggesting that the pericarp layer harboured microbial infection which may have limited the germination rate. Dehusking the normal huskless barley using sulphuric acid resulted in lower microbial infection, and increased germinative energy. The normal huskless barley sample had a higher b-glucan content than the acid-dehusked barley and had slower b-glucan breakdown during malting. This resulted in the release of seven times more b-glucan during mashing, and the production of wort of higher viscosity. The normal huskless barley sample had a higher total nitrogen content than the acid-dehusked barley but both samples produced similar levels of amylolytic (a-and b-amylase) activity over the same malting period. No direct correlation was found between barley total nitrogen level and the amylolytic activity of the malt. When barley loses its husk at harvest, the embryo is exposed and may be damaged. This may result in uneven germination which can reduce malting performance and hence malt quality.