Made With Riverbend: 2024 Beers Of The Year

2024 beers of the year made with Riverbend malt

Shawn, Brent, and Tyler in a field of barley at Biltmore Estate

The end of the year is a time of reflection for us, when we always wind up raving about the beers and spirits made with Riverbend that stood out to us the most. This year, some of our favorite creations came out of inspired collaborations between brewery friends; Craft Malt Month in September being the catalyst for several of them. Here are top picks from your friendly malt sales folks Brent, Shawn, and Tyler! 

 

Brent Manning

After reviewing my photos from the year, it turns out my favorite beers were found close to home for me in Asheville. In no particular order, here are my standout beers and spirits of 2024. 

 

Riveted Corset – Printshop Beer Co.

This Craft Malt Month celebration beer by Printshop Beer Co. is a classic hybrid lager recipe reimagined with a 100% local grain bill. This one was made with Riverbend Avalon Pilsner, Crystal 50, Double Kilned Munich, and Great Chit malt styles that created just the right amount of body to balance the hop character.

 

American Bitter – Whaley Farm Brewery

This beer hit perfectly after a late summer hike in the Black Mountains. Refreshingly light, but still displaying great complexity. NAME was made with Riverbend Southern Select and Double Kilned Munich offerings, and hopped with Oregon-grown East Kent Goldings and Loral hops.

 

Tastebud Theatre – Burning Blush Brewery

A beautiful example of an Italian Pilsner, with one of my favorite beer names of the year too. Bone dry, effervescent, and aromatic. Czech Saaz hops paired with a 100% Riverbend grain bill of Czech Pilsner, Flo-rye-da, Appalachian Wheat, and now retired Heritage Malt. 

 

Shawn Waggoner

It was tough to choose just a few favorite beers made with Riverbend in the Carolinas! Also in no particular order, here are some standouts.

 

Weight of Sound – Wild Heart Brewing & Southern Hops Brewing Company

This Dry-hopped West Coast Pils made with Riverbend Avalon Pilsner and Great Chit was a collaboration to support Pouring for Neighbors perfectly fuses the clean drinkability of a pilsner with the bright hop aroma and flavor from the Nectaron and Citra Cyro hops. 

 

Country Kush IPA – Sycamore Brewing

This rye IPA made with Riverbend Carolina Rye malt adds a hearty, spicy, earthy flavor that sets this IPA apart from other hazy IPAs. It’s also made with Great Chit, which adds mouthfeel to the great burst flavor you get with every sip.  

 

Fraggle Rogg Roggenbier – The Southern Growl & Fireforge Crafted Beer

This one’s another Craft Malt Month collaboration beer— a German style rye beer with spicy notes of pumpernickel and clove. It was made with Riverbend Base Camp, Carolina Rye, and Munich Rye malts. It was the perfect sipper for fall, and great for the cooler South Carolina weather ahead!

 

Tyler Adams

These are my top 3 beers made with Riverbend malt in 2024!

 

Czech’s Mix – Grand Central Brewhouse

This is one of those beers that has always stuck out to me. Yet, this year especially the brewers have really just fine- tuned this beer to hit my palate just right. It’s super crisp and brilliant, with a whipped cream head. What really sets it over the top for me though is its dry bitterness that is more elevated than the typical Czech-style Pilsner.

 

Lou Anne Aged Hop Saison – Barrique Brewing & Blending

Although I have been enjoying craft beer for a long time, it was not until experiencing mixed culture fermented beer for me to truly chase knowledge and understanding of what makes craft beer special. This beer throws me back to when I was chasing that pursuit of knowledge, learning about the aging process and the care that goes into it— an often forgotten part of the beer making process. This mixed culture is in the elite class of mix culture beer, and I expect nothing less from Barrique. 

 

Glacier Lookout – NOFO Brew Co.

This New Zealand Pilsner made with Riverbend Cumberland Pilsner, Hickory King Corn, and Great Chit malts is the direction in which I hope to see more Southern craft beer go. It lets fruity, juicy, and modern hops let their flavor flourish like an IPA or Pale Ale— but in a light lager. This beer brings such a refreshing light body and finish. I hope to see this beer style continue to grow. 

 

What were your favorite beers of 2024? Tell us in the comments, especially if they were #madewithRiverbend malt! 

 

Craft Malt Converts: Savage Craft Ale Works

Savage Craft Ale Works uses mostly Riverbend craft malt

In this competitive marketplace, making and serving beer is just one part of the consumer experience. We tip our hats to the newest Riverbend Craft Malt Converts Savage Craft Ale Works in West Columbia, South Carolina, where world-class craft beer is the star of the show, joined with other characters like location, community, food, and story. Now, they can add local ingredients to that cast of characteristics! 

 

The Switch To Craft Malt

Savage Craft is located in a beautiful old fire station. This family friendly community hub has a dog-friendly biergarten, and a 21+ rooftop patio, plus a full menu with tacos, lots of share-able items, and wine and cocktails too. You can find everything you’re looking for in a craft brewing establishment at Savage Craft— including mainstay beers made with local malt. 

“I’ve been peppering Riverbend malt into all of our flagship beers,” says Brandon Evans, Head Brewer at Savage Craft. Over the course of the last several months, he’s made the switch to Riverbend malt. 

Whenever a brewer switches malt providers, some of the biggest concerns are consistency and efficiency, Evans says. His previous provider sold 25 kilo bags (basically 55 pounds) bags, and ours are available in 50-pound increments. He reports that so far he’s done a 1 to 1 substitute for all malt bags in his recipes, “and I haven’t missed efficiency numbers yet. I’ve seen an improvement in everything from efficiency to quality.” 

Some of the other improvements Evans noted when he switched to Riverbend were freshness and cleanliness. “Something I noticed immediately when opening a bag was the freshness. Usually there’s a lot of junk in a bag of malt, and with Riverbend malt bags, he says, “We’re seeing these super clean kernels without a lot of friable stuff in the bottom.” 

 

Mainstays Made With Riverbend Malt

Savage Craft’s Purge Under Pilsner is a German-style Pilsner crafted using traditional German decoction methods. Crisp-finishing, golden-hued, and refreshing, Purge Under Pilsner is a 2024 South Carolina Brewers Cup Medalist in the Pale Malty European Lager category. 

Savage Craft recently replaced the European-sourced Pilsner malt in Purge Under Pilsner with our Tennessee-grown Cumberland Pilsner malt— the style of beer, Evans explains, that can have the most noticeable differences when evolving a recipe. “I’ve picked up zero off-flavors- no diacetyl, no sulfur, none of the young lager compounds that I’m expecting to have around 4 weeks”, which has cut a week off their lagering time. Evans “won’t promise it’s just based on one factor because we’ve changed our yeast over time to”, but he swears the malt plays a part. 

We agree! So many Craft Malt Converts like Savage Craft report more efficiency, more flavor, and better quality malt. Their investment in Riverbend Malt House uplevels their beers, ultimately contributing to an already exceptional customer experience. 

Visiting or roaming Columbia? Don’t miss some of Savage Craft’s other mainstay beers made with Riverbend malt, such as Galaxy Banger IPA, Carolina Light Cream Ale, V/Ale Cream Ale, CAE Hazy IPA, Canopy Surfer Sours, and Kandahar Candy Man Stout— to name a few. Visiting on a Sunday? Savage Craft serves top notch brunch!
,

Riverbend Malt House Selected As Business North Carolina Small Business Of The Year

Riverbend Malt House is a Business North Carolina Small Business Of The Year!

ASHEVILLE, NC, December 3, 2024— Riverbend Malt House was named one of the four top small businesses of the year in the 2024 Small Business of the Year Awards, sponsored by Business North Carolina Magazine.

2024 marks the 29th year of Business North Carolina honoring the contributions small businesses make to the state’s economy.  Applicants must be based in the Tar Heel State and have been in business for more than five years, have less than 100 employees, and be independently owned and operated. Among 49 nominees, four winners were selected on the basis of demonstrated accomplishments in the preceding 12 months and success in overcoming business obstacles, supplemented with professional references.

“We are proud to receive this recognition of the great work of our employees,” says Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder and CEO Brian Simpson. “As the first craft malthouse in the Southeast and one of the largest in the country, we feel we have a particular industry responsibility to demonstrate that craft malt can help customers differentiate their beers and spirits through the use of high quality malt sourced from local, family owned farms and produced in an environmentally conscious manner. We call this ‘Malt with a Mission’.” 

Earlier in the year, Riverbend Malt House made the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list for the third consecutive year. The malt house was also awarded a malt quality award in the prestigious Craft Maltsters Guild’s 2024 Malt Cup competition. “Great employees making great malt from great grain is our not-so-secret formula,” Simpson adds.

Also among the 2024 Small Business of the Year winners is Weldon Mills Distillery, one of Riverbend’s longstanding customers. The malt house extends congratulations and gratitude to them for their investment in local malt. Riverbend, Weldon Mills, and the two other winners RiverWild Construction and North Carolina Trailer Sales will be honored at the 2024 Small Business of the Year Awards Ceremony later this month. 

Media inquiring about Riverbend’s accolades can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

 

ABOUT RIVERBEND MALT HOUSE

Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malthouse east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.

Looking Ahead After Hurricane Helene

In the Carolinas, hurricanes are a part of life. We prepare for them, watch via the media as they build in strength and then wobble inland. Over the years, we have seen some amazingly powerful storms come up from the Gulf of Mexico and over from the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Floyd always comes to mind as it was particularly devastating to my little corner of Eastern North Carolina, near Tarboro and Wilson. That storm destroyed my grandparents’ home and flooded hundreds of square miles of small towns and farmland.

Now unprecedentedly, Hurricane Helene has rewritten the playbook on what a hurricane can do to our state. Now billed as the single largest natural disaster in the state’s history, this catastrophic hurricane created flooding and tornados that have destroyed the town we call home as we know it.

After The Flood

The malt house was not damaged by flooding; however, we had to dispose of a lot of product “in motion” (no longer raw grains in the middle of the malting process) when we lost the following 12 days of power. Relief supplies arrived in full force when our team outside of Asheville Adam, Shawn, and Tyler all made their way to the malt house. Adam brought generators, lights, and plenty of food and water. Shawn’s RV served as the Riverbend office providing a much needed link to the outside world through his T-Mobile hotspot. Tyler brought some whiskey from ASW Distillery and some delicious baked goods (thank you Kelsi!).

This is where the silver lining in all of the madness started to shine through. The sun was shining, there were burgers on the grill, and cold beers in our hands. We spent time just being together….and it helped. While we try to make monthly cookouts a staple of the Riverbend calendar, those occurred during busy weeks with lives lived at full speed. These post-hurricane sessions were different. Our crew brought friends, family, dogs, and whatever food they had to share and a deeper level of camaraderie emerged.

We donned headlamps and filled orders in the dark. Several of our trucking firms had their terminals swamped with flood water, pushing us to bring on new carriers to deliver our malt. The two major interstates we rely on, I-40 and I-26, were closed. This translated to increased costs and delivery times for our customers.

Remarkably, one of the 10-ton batches had completely enough of its kilning cycle and did not spoil during this period of darkness. However, the remaining five batches were a loss due to a lack of fresh air during the germination stage or being stranded in the steep tank. The cleaning process took over a week to complete. Fortunately, we were able to donate this unusable malt (more than 100,000 pounds of it) to farmers for feed and compost.

The work required to reset the malt house was intense. Most of our crew did not have running water and a few still lacked electricity, but they resiliently showed up every day. We filled our carboys and buckets with water from our process tanks before heading home in the evenings. We shared communal lunches of cold cuts and other donated items. I even came to know the joy of a fried bologna sandwich topped with a farm fresh egg.

Relief & Gratitude

Each day seems to contain an equal amount of heartbreaking news and encouraging developments from our community at large. Gofundme pages were established for nearly every small business in town. These were designed to support staff that had been temporarily laid off in Helene’s wake and avoid an exodus of hospitality workers. Local news organizations estimated that over 20,000 people lost their jobs during the aftermath of the storm.

The painful loss of jobs and businesses contrasts the uplifting sense of community that permeates so many street corners and parking lots. Everywhere you looked in those initial weeks after the storm it seemed an aid station was popping up, offering warm meals and supplies. Neighbors worked together to clear debris, repair driveways, and provide for basic needs. The news networks remained fixated on the damage during this period, but they missed the stories of our hardworking, resilient residents quietly rebuilding their lives and our community.

The Road Ahead

Many chapters of this story have yet to unfold. As we close out October, several taprooms and restaurants have reopened to limited foot traffic. The leaves have fallen from the trees and the sun is setting on our region’s busiest tourism season. Very limited brewing has begun using potable water that is being delivered by trucks at significant expense.

Rebuilding of our communities and rivers will take months if not years. We will need everyone’s help to sustain aid through the spring to those who lost their homes. We will need tourism dollars to help our brewers, distillers, and other local businesses more than ever before.

At Riverbend, we’re beyond grateful for so many of you who reached out to check on us. We’re inspired to see the beer community mobilize around relief efforts like Higher Calling Beer and Pouring For Neighbors, and grateful for the companies choosing to brew their relief beers with Riverbend malt. We feel thankful for our incredible team and our families.

Here’s to finding hope and gratitude this season,

-Brent Manning

,

Brick Store Pub To Showcase Beers Made With Riverbend November 21

Beers made with Riverbend malt get the spotlight at Brick Store Pub

DECATUR, GA— Brick Store Pub will host the third annual Riverbend Craft Malt Showcase on Thursday, November 21. This event boasts one of the Southeast’s largest compilations of beers made with Riverbend malt, and the 2024 lineup is better than ever.

 

WHAT

Craft breweries across the Southeast have united to build this one-of-a-kind tap list that includes a wide array of beer styles: Pilsners and Lagers of all kinds, IPAs, English Ales, and even a Grodziskie all made with Riverbend malt. 

This event will feature beers made by Akademia Brewing Company, Bandwagon Brewing Company, Barrique Brewing & Blending, Burning Blush Brewery, Cartecay River Brewing Co., Cellarest Beer Project, Cherry Street Brewing Co., Grand Central Brewhouse, Leveller Brewing Co., Mythk Brewing, NoFo Brew Co., Normaltown Brewing Company, Redlight Redlight, Sideward Brewing Co., South Main Brewing, and Whaley Farm Brewery.

Several of the breweries pouring have been impacted by Hurricane Helene, including Burning Blush, Cellarest, and Whaley Farm. This craft malt showcase is a great opportunity for Georgia beer lovers to show support for these companies from afar. 

 

WHERE & WHEN

Brick Store Pub

125 E Court Square

Decatur, GA 30030

 

Saturday, November 21

Taps flowing at 6pm

 

Media interested in covering this event can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

 

ABOUT BRICK STORE PUB

Since 1997, the Brick Store Pub has been celebrating craft, community and culture to it’s Decatur, Georgia neighborhood.  With an internationally renowned beer program featuring thousands of vintage ales and lagers and a kitchen offering beer-inspired cuisine, the Brick Store Pub has carved a distinctive niche for itself over its quarter century history.  It is currently ranked as the #1 Beer Bar in North America by RateBeer.com and has been recognized by dozens of media outlets as an international beer destination.

Brewers Across The Southeast Mobilize Around Hurricane Helene Relief

The Southeastern craft beer community has mobilized around efforts this last month to support WNC relief and rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. It’s incredible to see brewers show up in this way. We’re honored that they’ve chosen to use so many Riverbend malt styles in their recipes for relief beers.

Photo courtesy Wild Heart Brewing Company

Pouring For Neighbors & Higher Calling

Pouring For Neighbors is gaining serious traction. More than 300 breweries across the country have signed up to designate a tap or make a beer in support of the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund. The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild have been on the front lines of this relief effort, as well as organizing supply and water drops, providing resources for impacted breweries, and so much more.

DSSOLVR’s Higher Calling Hazy IPA is raising funds to support the rebuilding of our brewing community. They worked with the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild to ensure the funds go where they are needed most, with the first round of grants going to the rebuilding of WNC. All funds will be donated to their 501c3, The NC Craft Brewers Foundation.

Join the charge! DSSOLVR will provide a label, a recipe base, and a list of suppliers offering discounted rates. They ask in return that 100% of the net profits be donated to this charity, that you share your involvement on social media, and share a unique and positive memory of yours about our beloved WNC. Send an email to highercallingbeer@gmail.com to get started.

Photo courtesy Wild Heart Brewing Company

Roll Call For Georgia Breweries!

Thirty breweries and counting have signed up to brew a Hurricane Helene relief recipe crafted by Cherry Street Brewing made with Riverbend Cumberland Pilsner, Chit Malt, and new Golden Wheat malt. (Find samples of all of these malt styles at the 2024 Georgia Brewers Conference expo!)

Hop Head Farms is donating hops to each of these breweries, and resulting beers will raise funds for the Higher Calling Beer, Pouring for Neighbors; and World Kitchen Organization, who have already served a million meals in Asheville.

Brewers interested in participating can contact Tyler Adams at tyler@riverbendmalt.com.

Options In Virginia

Riverbend customers Big Lick Brewing Company, among others, are navigating challenging laws around donating to the Pouring For Neighbors initiative with alternative opportunities to donate. The Virginia Brewers Guild is leading this charge, and tracking participating breweries here.

 

Thanks to everyone who has reached out to check on us, and to ask what they can do to help. Our response: brew a beer for a relief effort, and brew it with Riverbend malt! Check out our malt portfolio to get started.

Riverbend Malt House 2024 Harvest Update: Avalon Barley Takes The Lead

Walnut Grove Farms – Adairville, Kentucky

One of the most challenging aspects of running a malt house is planning for harvest season. We sit around a table at the end of every summer armed with our sales data, information on market trends, available acreage, and the latest variety trial data from our agriculture extension partners.

Even with all that data, the task can be daunting. We have to think 18 months ahead to ensure that we have adequate supply to meet demand. That often requires a leap of faith— sometimes we find ourselves with excess grain and malt from a variety that never took off, or the opposite: a shortage of something in demand. Both are problematic from a relationship and cash flow management perspective. Every year teaches us that we can only do so much planning, and ultimately we get what we get. Here’s what we got in 2024: 

Regenerative Agriculture 

In addition to covering our standard product line, innovation also has a seat at the table. This year’s plan included several new farms and varieties, along with our first foray into certified regenerative agriculture. After rigorous auditing, we became the first Certified Regenified™ malt house on the planet. Regenified™, a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program is paving the way for a healthier planet and transparency across our food system, and we are thrilled to partner with them to affect change in the entire small grains supply chain. Learn more at regenified.com. 

Avalon Barley

Avalon Barley at Biltmore Estate

 

Avalon Barley Takes The Lead

Barley represents about 70% of what we produce, so that acreage takes center stage during this process. Just like in the early days, we attempt to mitigate risk by spreading different varieties and volumes across multiple farms throughout the Southeast. We listen to our growers about what is working and isn’t on their individual farms. They walk and work the land daily, and we take their observations seriously. 

Much like our customers, our growers are also fans of the Avalon barley. This variety factored more heavily in this year’s mix as we look to diversify our mix of 2-row varieties. This year marks the third year Avalon barley has been in production for us, and we are excited to see it take a starring role! In the coming months we will welcome high-quality lots of this new varietal from farmers in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee.

 

At The Mercy Of Mother Nature

While the Avalon barley made it to harvest somewhat unscathed, other varietals and several of our small batch, innovation projects took it on the chin this year. Rainfall patterns were unseasonably dry in April and unseasonably wet in May, a pattern that distinctly impacts quality. A dry April restricts kernel growth when the barley is in the crucial ‘head fill’ stage. As the grain transitions into the ripening phase in mid to late May, excessive precipitation can stress the kernels and potentially trigger pre-harvest sprout damage. These impacts were evident as we reviewed lab data showing low test weight and reduced RVA levels (rapid viscosity analysis), which is a measure of pre-harvest sprout damage. 

Thankfully, only between 10 and 15 percent of our acreage was impacted. We still estimate that we will have sufficient high-quality grain to support production over the year. 

We deeply appreciate the efforts of our farming partners this year. Their work makes a tremendous impact on the quality of our harvest and ensures that we’ll have truly local pints and spirits for the foreseeable future. Be sure to raise a glass to them the next time you belly up to the bar!

 

Happy Craft Malt Month!

— Brent Manning

Celebrate Craft Malt Month With Riverbend Malt House

September is Craft Malt Month, as declared by the Craft Maltsters Guild. Riverbend Malt House is a proud founding member of this Guild, which now represents more than seventy craft malthouses across the country. In correlation with the Harvest Moon, we’ve celebrated Craft Malt Day, then Craft Malt Week, and now it’s exciting to see it extend to an entire month.

As maltsters, we’re talking about craft malt every day. We hope this month (and always!) you’ll join us in getting extra loud and proud about the agriculture that goes into your favorite beverages.

The Craft Maltsters Guild has enacted an industry-wide collaboration fundraiser in support of its programming this month, for which a bunch of our great customers are showing up in droves.

Here are the beers in the works…

Craft Malt Month Collaborations

Craft Malt Month collaboration brew day with Fireforge Crafted Beer & The Southern Growl.

Craft Malt Month collaboration brew day with Fireforge Crafted Beer & The Southern Growl.

Riverbend Malt House & Riverside Rhapsody

Craft Malt Month collaboration brews began in early August with our friends at Riverside Rhapsody Beer Company. For this brew we put together a Dark English Mild recipe using Southern Select, Double Kilned Munich, and a touch of our Crystal 50. This sessionable beauty will clock in around 3.8% ABV while still delivering some great complexity and mouthfeel. Beer geeks unite!

Outsider Brewing Collaboration with Riverbend & Epiphany

Outsider Brewing hosted a live brew session at the Craft Brewing Studio in Asheville, NC, on Sunday, September 1st. The one-of-a-kind transparent brewing system at Outsider allowed visitors to follow every step of the brewing process with a unique view not found elsewhere in the brewing world. Eight different North Carolina malted grains, including varieties from Riverbend Malt and Epiphany Malt House, transformed from raw grains into a smooth and crisp Dark Lager in real time. “I consider myself very lucky to live in a state with a robust craft malt presence,” says Julian Arena of Outsider Brewing. “I am excited to be a part of making it mainstream!”

The Southern Growl & Fireforge Crafted Beer 

South Carolina friends and neighbors Fireforge Beer and The Southern Grow have teamed up with Riverbend Malt House to create their latest collaboration effort, a Roggenbier. This historical German style is ale that’s made with a large amount of malted rye (often 50% or more or the grain bill) instead of malted barley or wheat. This recipe includes Base Camp Malt, Carolina Rye Malt, and Munich Rye Malt, to create a spicy yet smooth sipping experience. Expect this brew to hit the South Carolina taprooms later in September.

DSSOLVR & Mountain Layers Brewing Co.

Asheville powerhouse DSSOLVR joined forces with western North Carolina’s local favorite Mountain Layers Brewing Company to brew up a special West Coast Pilsner for Craft Malt Month. This new-school taproom staple was brewed using 100% Riverbend Malt, including both Chesapeake Pilsner and Great Chit. Expect dank, tropical aromas that give way to all the dry, crisp, and refreshing flavors that you come to expect from a classic pilsner. On tap at both taprooms later in September.

Riverbend Malt House & Printshop Beer Co. 

Printshop Beer Co. in South Knoxville, Tennessee reached out to us for malt to craft a Steam Beer (California Common) for this Craft Malt Month collaboration. This classic lager recipe was faithfully reproduced and included a grain bill of Riverbend Avalon Pilsner, Double Kilned Munich, Crystal 50, and Great Chit malts. The beer will rest for several weeks in their brand new stainless tanks and then be released in late September. 

The brew day wrapped up with a “Meet the Maltster” event that introduced the individual malts to the audience along with some back story on our local grain economy. Guests tasted the unfermented wort from the day’s brew, as well as hot steeped malt.

Riverbend Malt House & Salt Face Mule

Salt Face Mule in Asheville is home to many things: a putt-putt course, batting cages, and even a go-kart track. Now you can add one more item to that list: award-winning beer! ‘Mosey on Over’ just took home gold in the 2024 North Carolina Brewer’s Cup! Mosey on Over Pilsner is brewed with 100% Riverbend malt, and you can expect savory biscuit notes with a clean, approachable malt backbone and a touch of hop character. Make sure to grab one before your next round of minigolf!

 

We’ll add to this list as more hit the tanks and taps! If you don’t see your Craft Malt Month fundraiser beer on this list, give us a shout to get it added.    

Craft Malt Certified™

Craft Malt Certified™ seal at Cellarest Beer Project in Asheville, NC

Craft Malt Certified™ seal at Cellarest Beer Project in Asheville, NC

Most of these breweries are Craft Malt Certified™ through the Craft Maltsters Guild, a seal program designed to provide a key point of differentiation for craft companies invested with their local maltsters. Displaying the Craft Malt Seal in your taproom or including it on packaging design demonstrates this commitment and invites your customers to dive in and learn more about beer in their glass.

Happy Craft Malt Month, y’all! If you’re celebrating with beers and spirits #madewithRiverbend malt, please tell us all about them with that hashtag on social media. You can also add your educational events, tours, and tastings to craftmaltmonth.com.

What is a Regenified™ Certified Malt House?

Regenified™ agriculture for craft beer and spirits

Earlier this year, Riverbend Malt House became the first-ever Regenified™ Certified Malt House in the world. We thought we’d share more with y’all about what that means, and how it will benefit your breweries and distilleries.

 

First, let’s define Regenerative Agriculture.

The term ‘regenerative agriculture’ captures a broad suite of practices that focus on soil health as the foundation for supporting entire ecosystems. No-till farming and cover cropping minimize disturbance which promotes carbon sequestration and reduces polluted runoff, to name a couple examples of these practices. Regenerative agriculture does just that— it regenerates soil health, increasing biodiversity and invariably nutrient availability. Think of it like your gut microbiome or a healthy yeast pitch that you can repropagate. 

Sustaining simply keeps us where we are. Regenerative agriculture is a road map not just for sustainability, but for long-term improvement of this planet we call home. Part of our Malt With a Mission philosophy is to improve agriculture for future generations.

 

Meet Regenified™

A lot of farms practice regenerative techniques, which we support and commend. In an effort to establish standards for our malt house and products, we wanted to partner with a certification program. That’s where Regenified™ comes in. This practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program rigorously audits and certifies those who adopt regenerative practices, paving the way for a healthier planet and transparency across our food system. Meet them at regenified.com.

 

So what does it mean to be a Regenified™ Certified Malt House? 

A Regenified™ Certified Malt House has the unique ability to manage, store, and process certified grains while maintaining full traceability. That means we will purchase grains from Regenified™ Certified farmers (more about that soon!), and store and process them separately to ensure transparent tracking— like we say, from grain to glass. 

 

Why should brewers and distillers choose a Regenified™ Certified malt provider? 

Choosing craft over commodity malt is an important step toward shortening supply chains and producing more eco-conscious beer and spirits. Choosing a Regenified™ malt provider makes even further strides for the environment. Acreage managed in this manner can support healthy soil, reduce erosion, and sequester carbon, all of which support farm resilience and ultimately better quality grains— which, of course, add value and flavor to the craft beer and spirits they become. 

All of these benefits can be achieved while producing the same barley varieties that farmers are used to working with, maintaining consistency along the supply chain. 

“When Brian and I started Riverbend we envisioned a utopian environment where organic, locally-grown barley would be malted in an energy efficient manner and delivered in a biodiesel powered van. We quickly learned that all of these ideals could not co-exist. We transitioned to conventionally-grown barley after the dismal 2012 harvest. We then began working with a more regional model for sourcing that added to our carbon footprint,” says Riverbend Co-Founder Brent Manning. “While these decisions ultimately propelled our growth, it sometimes felt like we weren’t following through on our environmental commitments.” 

Enter regenerative agriculture and Regenified™. We now have a strategy that will yield healthier soils and waterways through the implementation and tracking of these practices. The years ahead will generate exciting results that speak to improved biodiversity, reduced chemical and fertilizer use, and carbon sequestration.

Expanding these practices across the Southeast will positively impact conditions on several thousand acres of land, honoring our commitment to the environment in a measurable way. We’d be honored if your craft brewery or distillery wanted to join us in making this meaningful impact. 

Interested in sourcing Regenified™ grains for your next project? Contact us to learn more. 

 

,

Riverbend Malt House Named On Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies Three Years Running

ASHEVILLE, NC— Riverbend Malt House was declared number 3551 on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5000 fastest growing private companies in America today. 2024 is the third year running that Riverbend has made the Inc. 5000 list. 

Inc. 5000 is one of the most prestigious ranking programs, representing top tier independent small businesses across the United States. Inc. 5000 status is conferred based upon a company’s cumulative revenue growth over the preceding three years. Riverbend’s 2024 ranking on this list is up from 2023 when they were named #3992 on the list of fastest growing companies.

For Riverbend Malt House, revenue growth over the past three years was 135 percent. Since its start and particularly over the past few years, this development is a testament to the value add of locally sourced and malted grains for craft breweries and distilleries of all shapes and sizes. 

A full list of winners including Riverbend Malt House can be found on the inc.com website.

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Riverbend Malt House.

 

ABOUT RIVERBEND MALT HOUSE

Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malthouse east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.