By Hannah Turner – Montana State University Barley and Malt Quality Lab Sprouting of grain to alter nutritional composition and flavor has been practiced for thousands of years, particularly in the Orient and the Middle East. More recently the Western health food world has taken a greater interest. In fact, annual increases of 14% for…
Interview with Matt Enns, Founder of Maker’s Malt
This interview was conducted in early May. It has been edited for clarity. Jesse Bussard, Craft Maltsters Guild (JB): Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? Matt Enns (ME): I grew up in small-town Saskatchewan playing sports, music, and helping on the family farm. I went to the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) initially…
It’s Not the Malt’s Fault – Q2 Edition
By Joseph Hertrich – Retired Group Director, Brewing Raw Materials at Anheauser-Busch, Inc. Brewers have high expectations for their malt supply regarding high extract recovery and consistent attenuation. They closely manage water to grist ratios and temperature profiles at mashing, but also must manage effective mixing through the use of a fore masher and the…
Craft maltsters persist amid decreasing malt sales
Published May 26, 2020 Craft maltsters continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, show results of a second industry survey conducted by the Craft Maltsters Guild (CMG). The non-profit trade organization represents the interests of small-batch, independent maltsters across North America and beyond. The results of the first survey are available here. A total…
94% of Craft Maltsters Impacted by COVID-19, Craft Maltsters Guild Survey Finds
Published April 6, 2020 Nearly every craft maltster has been impacted in some form or another by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, according to the results of an industry survey conducted by the Craft Maltsters Guild (CMG) in late March. On March 19th, the federal government classified craft malthouses, which are part of the food…
COVID-19 Pandemic Disaster Funding Awareness
By Phil Neumann, Mainstem Malt Disclaimer: The following content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. I hope you all are staying healthy, safe, and sane during these unprecedented times for small businesses. Responding to this kind of disruption…
It’s Not the Malt’s Fault – Q1 Edition
By Dave Thomas The kiln operator of a large western malthouse noticed that friability was always lower from Kiln #3 of the six steam-heated kilns in the malthouse. She told this to the malt chemist in the lab, who replied “That’s weird! It’s the same barley, growing area, and crop year malted in exactly the…
10 Questions with 2020 Sole of Malt Award Recipient, Ryan Hamilton
by Ryan Hamilton, Michigan Barley / MSU Extension How did you become involved in craft malt? I answered a mysteriously vague post on CraigsList that was seeking someone to help out in a food-grade processing facility serving the local craft brewing industry. I was offered the position and split my time between…
Crushing it: Maximize Malt Performance with Grist Analysis
By Aaron MacLeod, Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage Achieving a proper crush in the brewer’s mill is critical to maximizing the performance of malt in the brewery. In cases where the mill is not adjusted correctly for a particular malt, a brewer can experience either poor mash efficiency or long runoff time…
2nd Annual Malt Cup category winners, best of show announced at 2020 Craft Malt Conference
On February 7th, 2020 the winners of the 2020 Malt Cup were announced at the Craft Malt Conference. This is the second year the Craft Maltsters Guild held the competition which is open to American maltsters. In 2020, there were two categories (up from one the previous year) – Light Munich and Pale Malt. Quality…