December 17, 2020 The first variety of spring malting barley bred by Cornell to succeed in New York’s wet climate and support the state’s $5.4 billion craft beer industry just got a new name: Excelsior Gold. Formerly called CU-31, the barley got its name as a result of a contest co-hosted this fall by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Richard Ball, commissioner of Ag and Markets, announced Excelsior Gold to more than 100 attendees from across the craft beverage supply chain at this year’s virtual Empire State Barley and Malt Summit, Dec. 16.