Following a fantastic 2024 Craft Malt Conference in Davis, California, the Board is feeling grateful for a community that spans the globe and takes time out of busy schedules to come together like this, both in-person and virtually. Like so many of you shared at the conference and in feedback since, we’re also feeling energized by the clear potential for growth in the coming years. All of you new attendees have a way of helping the craft malt veterans remember just how special of a thing we have going here and the great things that are possible if we all keep leaning in. It’s easy to see our conference growing to double, triple, and well beyond its current size, adding value to membership while still retaining the intimacy and unique spirit of malt supply chain camaraderie we felt in Davis.
We encourage everyone reading this to read the full Malt Con 2024 recap here and consider joining us in 2025. The Conference session videos will also soon be available in the “Webinars and Videos” section of the website in case you want to relive some of the sessions or catch up on content that you missed.
Lastly, your feedback is greatly appreciated as we plan for 2025. This year’s conference made some format and content changes and we would love to hear how it all landed. If you attended and you have not filled out the conference survey, please do! In person conference attendees click here. Or Virtual conference attendees click here.
Following the Conference, the Board is back at work planning the webinar content for the balance of the year and completing goals for the balance of FY24. The educational content gathered for the member webinar series continues to be a huge resource for new and seasoned maltsters alike. You can always find archived sessions on the website. Watch for upcoming event announcements for 2024 in your inbox!
In case you missed our announcement last week, we are pleased to welcome Steve Kurowski on as the Executive Director for our Guild. Steve’s leadership with the Colorado Brewers Guild as well as his experience as a marketing director and brand consultant for both breweries and distilleries will be instrumental in shaping our message and growing the Craft Malt community. Steve dove straight into his immersion in craft malt by attending MaltCon24 prior to his official start date and has enthusiastically worked to expand his understanding of the craft malt industry and our needs. Welcome Steve!
In early March, Hillary Barile and Joel Alex of Blue Ox Malthouse traveled to Washington, DC with the NBIC (National Barley Improvement Committee) in support of new and continued funding for malting barley research. A diverse committee of barley growers, small grains breeders, agronomists, maltsters, and brewers, the NBIC is expertly organized by Ashley McFarland of the American Malting Barley Association. Each year, this group works to secure funding for the Barley Pest Initiative. This year, a new initiative, the Resilient Barley Initiative, was introduced with the goal of strengthening research capacity and collaboration to address increased resiliency of the barley crop though improved genetics and management. Thank you Ashley for leading this charge and keeping craft malt engaged in the conversation.
As always, thank you for your continued support and engagement as we work collectively to promote and sustain the tradition of craft malting!
- Hillary Barile
Board of Directors President