Mainstays Made With Riverbend Carolina Rye

For the Love of Malted Rye

For a decade, Riverbend Malt House has worked with Carter Farms in Eagle Springs, North Carolina, North Carolina, to source the Abruzzi rye variety for its Carolina Rye malt. This malted Rye pays homage to a crop that has been grown in the South for more than 200 years, and it’s no surprise that brewers and distillers love it for its unique flavor blend of herbal spice, black peppercorn, and citrus. Here is an assortment of those craft brewers and distillers crafting mainstays made with Riverbend Carolina Rye.

End of Days Distillery Rye Whiskey – Wilmington, NC

The ⁣⁠Survivor’s Cut Series Rye Whiskey by End Of Days Distillery— the first whiskey of this type to be produced in Wilmington, NC since prior to Prohibition— features Carolina Rye among other Riverbend malt styles. ⁣⁠”The quality of the grains and the love and care used in the distillation and maturation process show our continued commitment to the craft,” says the distillery website.

Beacon Brewing Co. BOM: Red Rye DIPA – La Grange, GA

“Probably my favorite usage of Riverbend malts are the Munich Rye and Carolina Rye malts in our Red Rye DIPA,” says Dave Hash, the Head Brewer at Beacon Brewing Co. “The spicy rye malt characteristics pair really well with English crystal malt and citrusy hop bitterness, and you can really get that tingling, slightly cooling mouthfeel that you’d get from a rye whiskey.”

Oak & Grist Distilling Company Rye Whiskey – Black Mountain, NC

Oak & Grist Distilling loves a good rye malt. Four years in the making, Oak & Grist’s Rye Whiskey is their smallest-batch spirit to date. Spicy, fruity, and locally produced from grain-to-glass with Riverbend Carolina Rye and Southern Select malts, this distillery-only exclusive spirit has garnered a cult-like following from locals and tourists alike.

Leveller Brewing Four Horned Farmhouse IPA – Weaverville, NC

This Farmhouse IPA made with Riverbend Carolina Rye and Oats has well-balanced bitterness, notes of pith, freshly cut flower stems, red raspberries, and overripe tropical fruit. It’s slightly hazy, and a touch juicy—a great example of a rye malt, well placed.

Weathered Ground Brewery Scrappy Rye Pale – Ghent, WV

A taproom favorite soon-to-hit cans, this rye malt-forward Pale Ale features Carolina Rye and also includes Riverbend Heritage Malt and Great Chit in the recipe.

District Made Spirits – Washington, DC

District Made Spirits has what we’d call a healthy obsession with malted rye, particularly our Carolina Rye, and they base all of their mainstay whiskey recipes (Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled In Bond Bourbon, and Straight Rye) off of it. Beyond their whiskeys, they include Carolina Rye in their Vodka, Ivy City Gin, and Barrel Rested Ivy City Gin as well. Why rye malt? “First and foremost— flavor,” says District Made Co-Founder and Head Distiller Alex Laufer. “We love the spice character that rye malt brings to spirits. It gives a flavorful base to vodka and gin.”

Read more about District Made’s rye-forward approach to distilling in this Craft Malt Converts piece.