Riverbend Malt House is developing alongside the craft malt community, which means that education about everything from small grain production to final products – and everything in between— is critical. We’re committed to providing resources that help our craft brewing and artisanal distilling partners craft the highest quality beers and spirits.
This is your hub for grain research and sensory information, with best practices for marketing your ingredients to boot.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Tina-scaled.jpg
1536
2048
Scott Hickman
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.png
Scott Hickman2026-02-22 03:44:122026-03-02 15:30:51Brewing With Rye Malt
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-design-8.jpg
1080
1920
Emily Hutto
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.png
Emily Hutto2023-03-12 23:14:242026-03-02 15:31:58Malting 101Interested in a topic you don’t see here?
Meet the Brewer: Todd Boera of Fonta Flora
We’re starting a new series on the Kiln Blog: Meet the Brewer. The Meet the Brewer posts will introduce you to some of the special people that make what we do possible. They’re the ones crafting delicious brews out of our malt.
Todd Boera, foraging brewer extraordinaire
Though Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton just opened last fall, they’ve quickly made a name for themselves with their unique, locally-focused craft beer. Head brewer Todd Boera has made a wide range of beers that you just can’t find anywhere else: a dandelion brett saison, a local carrot IPA, a Belgian blonde with local kiwi. In anticipation of this weekend’s State of Origin beer festival (where Fonta Flora will debut their NC grain/NC honey honeysuckle blonde), we asked Todd a few questions to get a better sense of what he’s all about.
How does using Riverbend malt fit into your brewing philosophy?
The main brewing philosophy at Fonta Flora Brewery is to create a menagerie of complex, creative and rustic libations while utilizing local flora. Riverbend provides us with malted grain, which is obviously a huge component to creating the beer itself. The unique grain that Riverbend manipulates through malting is perfectly suited for the vast range of Belgian beers being created at Fonta Flora Brewery.
What’s your favorite beer to brew?
Fonta Flora Brewery focuses on Belgian/Appalachian Style Saisons. I use the term “Appalachian” to help the drinker realize that they are not typical Saisons. The style originated on farms across Belgium and was brewed with a variety of grains available at the time, which often became a multigrain beer. By utilizing their local grown and malted grains, Riverbend is instrumental in the quest for Fonta Flora Brewery to create a style of beer that is truly unique to the Appalachian Mountains.
You recently mentioned you love to brew with rye. Why is that?
I find Riverbend’s Carolina Rye™ to be the most complex and interesting grain I have ever worked with. The taste profile is incredibly earthy, slick, and slightly spicy. While most brewers stick to the traditional wheat addition in their Saisons, I prefer heavy additions of rye. Although a bit more fickle to work with, the taste profile fits with what I am looking for in my Saisons.
Tell us a little about the State of Origin festival coming up this Saturday. What beers are you looking forward to the most?
To our knowledge, this is the first craft beer festival in the state of North Carolina focused on local ingredients. We asked every invited brewer to craft at least one beer with some/all North Carolina grown ingredients. There are a variety of brewers out there who already do this and some who are crafting something special for the festival. We are releasing a highly anticipated Riverbend grain Belgian blond aged on local honeysuckle flowers and also have one last keg of our dandelion saison. The Wicked Weed/Fonta Flora collaboration will also be released at the festival. “Hipster Nuveau” is a Riverbend grain saison aged on local rhubarb. I am personally looking forward to trying all of the North Carolina ingredient beers from all of the awesome brewers in attendance!
Don’t miss the State of Origin festival this Saturday! VIP doors at 1:30pm, GA doors at 3pm, close at 7:30pm. Tickets available here.
Intracoastal Brewing Company – All Hearts IPA
This West Coast IPA is loaded with Pomegranate, Orange, & Pineapple – and $1 from every pour and 4-pack sold goes directly to benefit our friends Who We Play For,
RAK Brewing Co. – Deadstar
In collaboration with Guilford Hall Brewing, Deadstar showcases a clean, crisp backbone that lets hops take center stage. We dialed up the punch with Mosaic and Nectaron hops — a dynamic duo that delivers vibrant tropical fruit character with layers of juicy nectarine and citrus zest. Aromas of grapefruit and orange peel mingle with subtle resinous pine and floral notes, leading into a firm but balanced bitterness and a dry, refreshing finish. It’s a hop-forward celebration of classic West Coast IPA intensity with a modern fruit-driven edge. Featuring Riverbend Malt this beer is perfect for hop lovers who crave crisp drinkability, bold aromatics, and the bright flavors that define this West Coast favorite.
Riverbend Malt House 2025 Year In Review
Riverbend Malt House exemplified its Malt With A Mission ethos in 2025 with strong relationships across the supply chain, research and development on innovative products, and continued commitment to their environmental initiatives.
Here is the Riverbend Malt House 2025 Year In Review:
Production & Team
Last year, Riverbend produced nearly 4 million pounds of malt. In October, Riverbend’s production crew filled the GKV with the malt house’s 1000th batch.
The malt house installed a hammer mill to achieve a finer, distiller’s crush on malt.
2025 marked Riverbend’s fourth consecutive year of zero injuries or incidents.
The growing team at Riverbend now includes Customer Success Representative Tina Hoffert, who comes to the malt house after years of professional brewing experience. She is now one of 14 Riverbend employees.
Riverbend Malt Innovation
After becoming the world’s first Certified Regenified™ malt house in 2024, Riverbend produced the first certified malt this year. Fullsteam Brewery became the first-ever certified brewery in the Regenified program this year, crafting two beers in their Reset series with Regenified Southern Select malt.
Riverbend introduced Honey Malt, Crystal 20, and Crystal 50 malts to its portfolio last year. The production team also refreshed Speakeasy Distillers Malt with the new Vivar barley variety, which is negative for glycosidic nitrile and high in enzymatic activity— making it the perfect choice for distillers exploring export to the EU and Canada.
As Avalon 2-Row barley acreage continues to expand, Riverbend is purchasing this varietal from four states and incorporating it into its Cumberland Pilsner malt style. “This is exciting news, as this represents a big step forward for regionally-adapted varieties,” says Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brent Manning.
Local Farmers and Customers
In 2025, Riverbend sourced grain from family-owned farms across the Southeast region, including North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and Virginia— all within 500 miles of the malthouse.
Riverbend sold malt to more than 300 breweries and distilleries in 2025.
Because most brewhouses are fueled by coffee and not nut rolls, Riverbend partnered up with Asheville’s Coffee Library last year to give their pallet orders a boost. Now customers who order full pallets get a custom coffee blend selected by the Riverbend and Coffee Library teams.
Many of Riverbend’s customers were recognized with prestigious quality awards, including medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the North Carolina Brewers Cup, the South Carolina Brewers Cup, and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Events & Community
Riverbend was thrilled to bring its annual celebration of Southern Lager to the malt house in 2025. Riverbend customers are invited to serve their expressions of Southern Lager at this event again slated for May 1-2, this year with added technical and sensory training before the beer celebration.
Last year, the malt house made a donation to BeLoved Asheville for each of the annual customer surveys they received.
Throughout 2025, breweries across the Southeast collaborated on fundraiser beers made with Riverbend malt for causes they cared about. The team at Riverbend was delighted to support at brew days and with malt donations for beers crafted to support hurricane relief efforts, Veterans, and regenerative agriculture. Read about them here.
Environmental Stewardship
2025 was a year of incremental improvements in malthouse efficiency, with carbon emissions per pound falling by 0.1 percent. The rootlet recycling program recorded more than 190,000 pounds of material diverted from landfills, approximately 2,000 more than 2024. Riverbend’s polywoven recycling program also marked increases in overall volume.