Entries by Scott Hickman

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Riverbend Malt House Publishes Record Numbers and Esteemed Recognitions in 2022 Year In Review

ASHEVILLE, NC— 2022 was a monumental year for Riverbend Malt House that included a 50 percent capacity increase, and deeper agricultural and environmental commitments than ever before. The malthouse was honored with a prestigious Malt Cup award for malt quality, and named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing  private companies— among many other milestones.

Here is the Riverbend Malt House 2022 Year In Review.

 

Production and Capacity

In 2022,

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Fireforge Crafted Beer – Tampanian Devil

Ahoy ye hearties! Tampanian Devil be back on tap just in time for our Gasparilla Pirate celebration. Inspired by the Cuban neighborhood where our co-owners Brian and Nicole lived for a few years, Tampanian Devil is a symphony of fruit and spice – flavors derived from the Belgian yeast strain – and Cuban desserts, which often feature guava and star anise.

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Chattanooga Whiskey – Barrel Finishing Series: Silver Oak Cabernet Cask Finished

To highlight and enhance the qualities of these finishing barrels, our distillers selected a range of 5 single malt mash bills, each containing a range of toasted, roasted & caramel malts – including a custom-toasted barley malt from Riverbend Malt House. Aged for greater than 4 years, including over 18 months in the Cabernet barrels, the result showcases a dynamic balance between bold flavors of malt, fruit & toasted oak – highlighting the best best of both wine &

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Little Animals Brewery – CHRONOMANCER

CHRONOMANCER- blended farmhouse ale made from young stainless fermented saison and 18 month barrel-aged mixed culture sour beer conditioned on 1 LB-per-gallon black currant purée. 6.2% ABV. Original art by @bserway.

Saison de Coupage (or blended farmhouse ale) is kind of our thing nowadays! It allows us to marriage what we love about both barrel aged sour beer and young saison into something that we feel is greater than the sum of its parts.

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Good Beer Hunting: Fields of Gold — As Barley Prices Rise, Craft Malt Hopes to Shine with Greater Cost Parity

The climate of the commodity grain supply chain in 2022 was bleak, to say the least. Our customers vented about shipping delays and inconsistencies, corporatization, and price upsurges— all served with a side of obtuse sales strategies and degraded product quality. As occasional issues turn endemic, we continue to scrutinize our malt quality, business model, and customer service standards. And we’re proud to report that our proactive mission has mitigated reactivity to the aggressively changing malt industry.

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Looking Back On 2022: The Return to Conviviality in the Craft Beer Industry

Conviviality – (noun) the quality of being friendly and lively; friendliness.

For good reason, face-to-face sales calls during the pandemic looked a lot different. Masks and social distancing made it tough to connect with customers sans curated tastings that had become the hallmark of our industry. Once we arrived on the other side of Omicron in early 2022, things began to ease up a bit– allowing a more comfortable vibe to return to our day to day routine.

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Craft Malt Converts: Fullsteam Brewery

Fullsteam

Durham, North Carolina-based Fullsteam Brewery is a long-standing partner of ours. Years ago, they were one of the first craft breweries to go all-in on our mission by switching to Riverbend as a primary base malt provider. Utilizing local ingredients falls in line with their Southern Beer Economy ethos and dedication to sourcing within North Carolina as much as possible. 

“We were proud to support Riverbend before expansion,

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