Entries by Scott Hickman

9 Best Beers of 2025: Made With Riverbend Malt For Good Causes

Beers made with Riverbend malt for good causes in 2025

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. 

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New Riff Distilling – Confluence Project – Vol. 1

For the inaugural release, both distilleries set out to make a whiskey neither had made before: a 100% wheated whiskey built on New Riff’s heirloom Red Turkey Wheat and shaped by Chattanooga’s signature High-Malt style.

Each Single Barrel in this release delivers its own distinct flavor profile, showcasing the unique character of the barrel it came from. As a collection, this release generally presents a bold and layered experience:

Nose: Clove,

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Riverbend Malt House and Asheville’s Coffee Library Partner On Pallet Coffee Program

Because most brewhouses are fueled by coffee and not nut rolls, we partnered up with Asheville’s Coffee Library to give our full pallet orders a boost! 

Meet Grain & Glory Coffee

Inspired by some of our favorite specialty malts, the first blend we created with the Coffee Library delivered a creamy, sweet cup with rich notes of bakers chocolate, dark fruit, and just a hint of smoke in the finish.

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Hurricane Helene Reflections from Riverbend Malt House

One year ago, Hurricane Helene shook the communities of Western North Carolina with irrevocable damage. At Riverbend, we lost power in our facility and subsequently a great deal of malt product— but we were lucky. Our incredible team stayed safe from the storm, and showed up diligently to help us create a new normal. Once the lights were back on, we were able to donate this unusable malt to farmers for feed and compost. 

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Riverbend Malt House 2025 Harvest Report

2025 harvest report from Riverbend Malt House

The Riverbend Malt House 2025 harvest report is here!

Growers throughout the Southeast work with winter grains that are typically planted in mid-October and harvested in late May or early June. This schedule gives the crops time to establish a stand before entering the dormancy stage over the winter months. As temperatures warm in the spring, the plants begin their journey toward maturity. Under ideal conditions, sufficient rain will support growth this period and then give way to a warm dry spell in late May that supports the development of bright,

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Understanding Distillers Malt, Part 1

Since the inception of Riverbend Malt House, we have been learning how to work with what grows in the South to produce not just high-quality beers, but also spirits. This exploration has plunged us into the often polarizing conversation about distillers malt. What is distillers malt? What’s the optimal enzymatic content for converting starch, and how does that vary across styles of spirits? 

The answers to these questions usually vary depending on who you ask.  » Read more about: Understanding Distillers Malt, Part 1  »

Craft Malt Converts: Bear Chase Brewing Company

We’re back, with another iteration of our Craft Malt Converts series. This one zooms in on our friends at Bear Chase Brewing in Virginia. Meet them and their beers made with Riverbend malt below.

From Farm to Foam in the Heart of Virginia

For Bear Chase Brewing Company, nestled in the rolling, wooded hills west of Loudoun, Virginia, the path to craft brewing started out as just a crazy idea hatched by five close friends in the middle of 2017.

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