Ontario craft beer is taking a huge step forward, by taking a 100-year step backward.

Here, a storied, century-old Canadian heritage barley variety called OAC 21 is being reintroduced, especially for the craft beer market.

OAC stands for Ontario Agricultural College. The number 21 refers to this barley’s row number in the research plot cultivated in 1903 in Guelph, by Canadian crop breeding icon Charles Zavitz. Read more about this story in the Toronto Star by Owen Roberts.