9 Best Beers of 2025: Made With Riverbend Malt For Good Causes
Every year, we take time to identify some of our favorite beers we tried and why they stood out to us. In 2025, breweries across the Southeast collaborated on fundraiser beers made with Riverbend malt for causes they cared about. We were inspired to see so many of these initiatives, and delighted to support at brew days and with malt donations. Thank y’all for inviting us to be a part of these awareness and fundraising efforts.
Beers For Helene Relief
Hurricane relief is still ongoing across Western North Carolina. To do our part, we worked with our friends at Big Pillow Brewing, Whaley Farm Brewery, and Leveller Brewing on beers that raised needed funds for disaster recovery.
We were happy to donate Czech-Style Pilsner and Double Kilned Munich malts for a collaboration by Big Pillow Brewing and Black Mountain Brewing when Big Pillow was able to re-open after Hurricane Helene with this Czech Amber was pouring on their first night.
Whaley Farm Brewery was able to re-open with small batch beers on draft in June of this year. We were more than happy to send some malt to help restart their operation and are huge fans of Chris’s American Bitter recipe that was made with Riverbend Southern Select.
Leveller Brewing Co. Pearletta, a Saison made with an array of Riverbend malts including Honey Malt and Munich Rye, was released at a benefit for ReString Appalachia. This thoughtful group raised money to put quality instruments back in the hands of those who lost them in Hurricane Helene.
Beers For Soil Health
Props to our friends at Fullsteam Brewery, who became the world’s first Certified Regenified™ brewery this year! Their investment in soil health and conscious farming practices has been a part of their plow to pint ethos from their start. In 2025, Fullsteam crafted their Reset: ESB and Reset: Oktoberfest with our Certified Regenified Southern Select malt. The Reset series is a line of classic, true-to-style beers brewed with 100% North Carolina malt.
More Beers For Good
We collaborated with Greenville, South Carolina’s new Wild Yarrow Brewing Co. on Spirit Moves crafted in support of the Michael Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling. It’s a Hazy IPA made with Riverbend Southern Select, Hull & Oats, and Appalachian Wheat rich with notes of peach rings, raspberry, watermelon candy, and mango.
The second annual Craft Malt Month inspired festbier collaborations with Printshop Beer Co. and Lookout Brewing. Printshop channeled the spirit of traditional German brewing with old-school production techniques! Fermented with the traditional 3470 German lager strain, naturally carbonated to retain more malt flavor, and then lagered to craft a smooth, clean brew, this festbier balances flavor and drinkability. Lookout’s expression of the season had hop additions that give it a refreshing, tropical twist. Proceeds from both beers were donated to the Craft Maltsters Guild.
Veteran owned breweries from across the Southeast— Wild Heart Brewing, Scuffle Hill Brewing, Over The Horizon Brewing, Forgotten Road Ales, Seminar Brewing, and Surf City Brew Co. — created a Veteran’s Day collaboration double dry hopped hazy called ‘DDH-214’, a play on the term DD-214 that indicates a Veteran has departed from service. The grist on this collaboration was made with Riverbend Avalon Pilsner, Base Camp, Appalachian Wheat, Hull & Oats, and some Great Chit malt, and all proceeds will be donated to Fisher House Charleston.
