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.
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.
“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 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.
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.
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.
From Base Camp Pale Malt to Appalachian Wheat, beers crafted at The Southern Growl run the gamut of Riverbend malts in their recipes… including, you guessed it— Carolina Rye malt. Our flagship rye malt is a staple found throughout their rotating “Plenty of Plush” lineup of Hazy IPAs. Featuring flavors of herbal spice and black peppercorn, Carolina Rye adds an unexpected punch to this ongoing IPA experimentation. THIS ONE PICTURED is… insert anecdote about the Cozy Cashmere.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Carter-Farms-Rye-scaled-e1688598347277.jpg11322560Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-07-23 16:52:242025-01-28 21:56:30Mainstays Made With Riverbend Carolina Rye
It’s time once again to give a shout-out to the Riverbend customers who have taken home hardware at recent industry competitions. We are honored to support the makers of some of the world’s finest beers and spirits!
Craft Producer of the Year
To start this Winner’s Circle, we couldn’t be happier to congratulate Chattanooga Whiskey for some exceptional distilling. This Tennessee-based distillery scored the title of Craft Producers of the Year, not only here in the US as awarded by American Whiskey Magazine but, over the pond, in London, was recognized by the 2023 Icons of Whisky Awards as well. Way to go, folks!
2023 World Beer Cup Winners
The May 10th, 2023, awards ceremony, known as “the Olympics of beer,” is the most prestigious beer competition in the world. We couldn’t be happier to congratulate Monday Night Brewing for securing the silver in the Mixed-Culture Brett Beer category with Barrel Farm, and Hi-Wire Brewing who also took home a silver in the Best Experimental Beer category for their Japanese Dry Rice Lager. Other winners who snagged bronze medals include Lenny Boy Brewing Co for their Spaghetti Handshake Italian-Style Pilsner and New Belgium Brewing for their Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA (this IPA also won the Gold in 2021 at the GABF). See the complete list of winners here.
The 2023 Florida Brewers Cup
In March, several of our brewery customers in The Sunshine State took home medals at the 2023 Florida Brewers Cup. Here’s a proper congratulations to Gulfport Brewery for grabbing the gold with their hazy, crushable Hippie Oasis. Red Light Red Light won gold for Mixed Culture Brett Beer with their New Wave Biere de Garde, and Deadwords Beer won the gold for Best Saison with Harvest Moon.
Bringing home the silver, Grand Central Brewhouse took home two medals, one for Speed Wobble and one for their Grodziskie. The Brutalist claimed silver with their West Coast IPA. Perfect Plain Brewing Co was a double winner, receiving a silver medal for Yachtside and the bronze for their Czech Pils. Alga Beer Co grabbed some hardware for the second year in a row for their Neighborhood Beer. Other winners include Green Bench Brewing, Hourglass Brewing, King State Beer, and Woven Water Brewing.
2023 South Carolina Brewers Cup Award Winners
Also, back in March, an array of Riverbend malt supporters won medals at the SC Brewers Cup. The awards ceremony took place as a part of the 2023 SCBG Conference and Trade Show at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, where more than 200 representatives from breweries and affiliate industries were present. New Groove Brew was a two-time winner, scoring gold hardware with Rainbow Lake Modern IPA and silver for their specialty beer, Pageantry Pils, and Kite Hill Brewing scored gold hardware for their French Pilsner, That Girl from Alsace. Other winners included Peak Drift Brewing, Plankowner Brewing Co, and The Southern Growl.
The 2023 World Beer Championships
The World Beer Championships (WBC) was founded by the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) in 1994 as the first international beer competition in the United States. Our customer Fireforge Crafted Beer earned three medals in the 2023 WBC. Day on the Lake Pilsner, Game Time Decision American Light Lager (both made with Riverbend Cumberland Pilsner malt), and Novemberfest Märzen got the Gold “exceptional” distinction by scoring more than 90 in the Beverage Testing Institute’s rating system!
Hickory Hops Festival
Hosted in Hickory, North Carolina, the Hickory Hops Festival hosts more than 50 local and regional breweries annually. This year, One World Brewing snagged the gold with their Pre-Prohibition Pilsner made with 100 percent Riverbend malts, as well as a gold for Citra Bomb and bronze for Legacy Lager.
2023 Good Food Awards
The Good Food Awardsare committed to honoring exceptional crafters who produce quality beer while demonstrating a deep commitment to sustainability, as well as environmental and social responsibility. Each year they receive more than 2,000 entrants from all over the United States. Say hello to the 10-time winner, Fullsteam Brewery! For 2023, they take home this honorable distinction for their Wheat Ale, Biscuit.
Has your beer #madewithRiverbend won a competition? Local, regional, national, or international— we want to hear about it! Submit your beers here to be featured.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_0376.jpg7731179Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-06-28 13:35:282023-07-27 22:12:55Winner’s Circle: International Craft Producer of the Year and Award-Winning Beers Made With Riverbend Malt
It’s almost time to fill those tanks with German-style lagers to serve during this Oktoberfest season. Here is an Oktoberfest planning guide to our standard malt offerings to help plan all of your 2023 recipes.
This product was inspired by the malts hailing from the Hana valley in the eastern portion of the Czech Republic that remain truly under-modified and low in color. In order to reign in these traits, we reduced our steep out moisture and reduced germination temperatures, and coupled this approach with a cool, gentle kiln recipe to ensure minimal color development. The result is a malt with a distinct flavor and color of 2 SRM or less.
The lack of modification opens the door for brewers to utilize step mashing or multiple decoctions to increase efficiency and build flavor. Don’t have that capability in your brew house? Not to worry– we aimed for a level modification that doesn’t require these steps.
One of our best selling flagships, this malt has been featured in a wide array of lagers around the Southeast. Produced using 100% VA-grown barley, this malt contributes notes of fresh-baked crackers and honeysuckle.
We kiln this style similarly to our Light Munich malt, with a cooler curing temperature to minimize color development. Vienna Malt helps to create full body and smooth mouthfeel, while importing honey and biscuit flavors.
Notes of caramel and toasted bread are prominently featured in this product, developed to perform like a light Munich or Vienna style malt. This versatile style packs enough diastastic power to perform as a base malt to boot.
Producing a high-quality Munich-style malt requires a completely different approach to the process. Higher kilning temperatures and extended times combine to create the rich, bready flavor profile that these malts are known for. We use a proprietary blend of 2-row barley varieties as the base for this product. Try it as a base malt for your next Doppelbock recipe or in smaller percentages in a Helles!
A continuation of the Munich-style, this product is crafted using an intense 30+ hour kiln cycle that utilizes high temperatures and different air flow management techniques. The result is an aromatic malt that delivers notes of baker’s chocolate, toast, and dark fruit.
As its name suggests, Double Kilned Munich makes two trips through the kiln, a process that helps develop the complex flavors and increases color to approximately 50 SRM. This malt will contribute a beautiful, ruby red hue and notes of dark fruit and toffee with a touch of fresh roasted coffee flavor.
This malt is kilned at higher temperatures throughout and delivers notes of pumpernickel bread, cardamon, and allspice.
Great For: Belgian Dubbel, Brown Ale
There is also plenty of time to reach out about designing a malt blend to create signature flavor profiles. Please reach out to your Riverbend representative or email sales@riverbendmalt.com for more information about our custom malt program.
ASHEVILLE, NC— As part of its recently launched seasonal malt program, Riverbend Malt House now has a limited quantity of malted Hickory King Corn available for purchase.
Hickory King corn is an heirloom variety that has a rich history dating back to the late 1800’s. It was developed by A.O. Lee of Hickory, Virginia, who created it from a single ear of corn he received from a friend.
Hickory King was one of the last regionally adapted varieties to be used in American Whiskey production before the shift to Reid’s Yellow Dent, which came in from the Midwest and quickly became the choice for distillers and farmers. This variety provided the foundation for the No. 2 Yellow Dent corn that is still in use today.
This corn variety is known for its large kernels and is used for roasting, grits, meal, tortilla flour, and hominy. Riverbend sources its Hickory King from Craig Jebson and his team at Fairview Cattle & Grain in Culpepper, Virginia. The flavor of the finished malt delivers a dry, earthy character that brings to mind homemade tortillas from your favorite taco truck. The sweetness is muted when compared to Riverbend’s Cumberland Corn malt.
“This flavor profile will add interesting depth to beer styles such as Cream Ale or Kentucky Common, contributing a light toasty, smoky aroma with a touch of baking spice without a cloying sweetness,” says Brent Manning who directs Riverbend’s product development. “It’s a great addition to Bourbon mashes too.”
Hickory King Corn malt is available at Riverbend Malt House while supplies last. Contact your sales representative or email orders@riverbendmalt.com to place an order.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_5368-scaled-e1685321309676.jpg10811920Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-05-28 20:49:142023-08-28 11:50:11Riverbend Malt House Welcomes Hickory King Corn Malt Variety To Malted Corn Portfolio
Beyond seeking the highest quality crops possible, we source our grains with flavor and aroma characteristics in mind too. This constant exploration of nuance has led us to several single origin Pilsner malt styles in our portfolio, which allow brewers and distillers to craft beer and spirits with a sense of place.
“If you know your maltster and you understand how they work with their product, these individual origins can help you to differentiate different products,” Vince Tursi, Co-Founder of DSSOLVR, told The Wort podcast last year.
“I like to send Vince the flavor descriptors with small batches of new barley,” Brent Manning, our Co-Founder, replied on the podcast. “He’ll say ‘sweet, that sounds perfect for the Helles or the Maibock we’re going to brew.’ At the apex of our galavanting around and playing with these varieties I came into his taproom and he had four different light beers made with four different Pilsner malts with four different varieties of barley. This is a hallelujah moment.”
Meet Our Pilsner Malts
Ongoing experimentation has landed two single origin pilsner malt styles in Riverbend’s year-round product offerings: Chesapeake Pilsner and Cumberland Pilsner. Add to this our original Pilsner malt, made with Thoroughbred 6-row barley, and Czech Pilsner an undermodified 2-row version; all which give brewers plenty to explore.
Chesapeake Pilsner, the 2022 bronze medal winner in the international Malt Cup, is produced using 2-row Violetta barley sourced from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. It strikes a beautiful balance of bread crumb, green tea, and honeysuckle flavors. The wort is a touch richer and sweeter than our original 6-row Pilsner. This style has become a staple base malt for many brewers and distillers for its versatility. Chesapeake Pilsner has become a staple base malt for many brewers and distillers for its versatility. The light color allows for inclusion across a wide range of beverage styles including Pilsner, Bourbon, and Single Malt Whiskey. Its grassy, earthy notes play well with hops, too.
Cumberland Pilsner is produced using 2-row Calypso barley sourced from the Cumberland plateau of Tennessee. This variety produces a more full-bodied wort with notes of melon and sugar cookie. The prominent sweet aromatics and bread dough characteristics of this malt style make it a perfect fit for styles in which the malt is center stage, such as Helles, Maibock, and dark lager.
Our original 6-Row Pilsner, made with Thoroughbred grain, has been in production since 2014. This malt first rose to prominence during the proliferation of wild and mixed culture programs that occurred across the Southeast. Historically, these beers were produced with grains from the surrounding fields. Brewers interested in emulating these practices, discovered our Pilsner could provide that perfect, yet hard to define, “rustic” character. This malt is also enjoying renewed popularity in Pre-Prohibition lager recipes.
A Case For Terroir
The expansion of the single origin Pilsner series represents an important step in solidifying the case for a Southern terroir. Flavor can be influenced by a number of factors including barley variety, crop year, and soil health. The malting process (floor or pneumatic) can also introduce additional variables.
“Single origin malt allows me to pick and choose,” says Jon Simpson, the Head Brewer at Fullsteam Brewery. “Kind of like the selection of single origin coffee.”
Crafting beer that represents Southern terroir has always been part of Fullsteam’s mission, Simpson continues. He’s no stranger to brewing beers with all North Carolina ingredients, sometimes all Riverbend malt. “If I’m using local, single origin malt, someone from Montana, for example, can’t replicate that— just like we can’t replicate theirs.”
“If you change [your recipe] up dramatically with a completely different barley from another sector of the United States that in and of itself is such a unique product [despite] going through the same process,” Tursi adds.
What’s Next?
“As lagers come back into the scene in a Gold Rush-type fashion, malt is the main flavor in all of these beers,” said our Alabama, Florida, and Georgia Territory Manager Tyler Adams in this episode of the Florida Beer Podcast. This rise of lager sales across the United States offers an exciting opportunity to propel this conversation forward.
The only remaining hurdle is tradition. Lager brewers have always been sticklers for tradition, and rightfully so— these beers have been brewed with time honored methods and ingredients for hundreds of years. We hope the next wave will incorporate the methods, but open the same door to innovation with ingredient selection that brought us to style categories like the New England IPA or the Cascadian Dark Ale.
What beers and spirits do you make with our single origin Pilsner malts? Share them here on our #madewithRiverbend page.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-03-05-at-5.04.03-PM.png7041332Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-04-20 15:56:162023-07-29 16:40:03Single Farm, Single Field: Riverbend Malt House Single Origin Pilsner Malt Is Establishing Southern Terroir
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE— Bootleg Biology, Harding House Brewing Co., and Riverbend Malt House have engaged the South’s leading tastemakers to craft their expressions of ‘Modern Southern Lager’ to kickoff the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) on Sunday, May 7 at Harding House Brewing Company in The Nations neighborhood of West Nashville.
So what is a Modern Southern Lager? Open to interpretation, this unofficial beer style tends to be a dry-finishing, lower-ABV beer with a big frothy head and a hint of corn sweetness that is counterbalanced by relatively assertive hop bitterness. It pairs well with sweltering heat.
Think of this style as an update to the Pre-Prohibition Lagers that relied on 6-row barley and flaked corn to provide a lighter alternative to the all malt lagers from Europe. Now, new 2-row winter barleys are flourishing across the South and malt companies like Asheville’s Riverbend Malt House are offering craft brewers access to high quality, locally-malted barley and corn that update this style with bolder flavors.
Riverbend and yeast laboratory Bootleg Biology have encouraged craft brewers across the South to brew their answer to the question ‘What is a Modern Southern Lager’ to serve at a celebration of long, cold fermentation at this upcoming CBC event. They’ve teamed up with host Harding House Brewing, whose dedication to local agriculture shines in unique beers brewed with plants native to Tennessee and partnerships with organizations aiming to shorten supply chains.
Harding House and several other craft breweries in the South are currently fermenting lagers made with Riverbend malt and unique yeast strains from Bootleg Biology— including ARL: The Southern Lager Yeast— to serve at this innovative beer showcase. “When it comes to Pilsner,” says Jeff Mello of Bootleg Biology, “The South has something to say. The lager movement is strong in our region, and it will be defined in the glass at this event.” Look for Czech, German, and American styles reimagined with local ingredients!
Here is the current brewery list:
BarrieHaus Beer Co.
Barrique Brewing & Blending
The Brutalist in collaboration with King State Beer
Cellarest Beer Project
DSSOLVR
Fait La Force Brewing collaboration with Our Mutual Friend
Fonta Flora Brewery
Harding House Brewing Co.
Inner Voice Brewing
Little Animals Brewery
New Anthem Beer Project
Sceptre Brewing Arts
Soul and Spirits Brewery
TennFold Brewery
The Southern Lager Invitational will take place on Sunday, May 7 at Harding House Brewing Co. from 7 to 10pm. All CBC participants get free entry with proof of conference participation. This inaugural event is made possible by sponsors Boelter, who are providing custom glassware for all participants, and Dynamark. Bad Luck Burger Club will be slinging their famous smash burgers. Frothy Monkey Bakery will bring breads to taste made from spent Southern Lager grain.
Media interested in attending and or covering the Southern Lager Invitational can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT BOOTLEG BIOLOGY
Bootleg Biology is a full-service yeast lab for professional brewers and homebrewers.
From our location in Nashville, TN, we’ve earned a reputation for creative cultures that meet the rigorous demands of a brewery while still satisfying brewers’ goals to push the envelope.
From crispy lagers and juicy IPAs to complex mixed fermentations, Bootleg has a culture for every brew. All of our yeast is made fresh, ensuring optimal viability and keeping you on schedule.
Our lab offers a wide range of quality control testing to ensure your product meets your high standards, including PCR testing for common contaminants, IBU testing, selective media plating and more.
ABOUT HARDING HOUSE BREWING CO.
Homebrewer-turned-brewmaster Nate Underwood brought his passion for local agriculture into his brewing style at Harding House Brewing Co. This brewery is named after the nickname given to a house he lived in on Harding Place here in Nashville, the place where the inspiration for the brewery originated. Co-owned by Matt Fung-A-Fat, Tyler Pate and Cameron Jones, Harding House strives to better the community in which it exists. This includes providing quality jobs and creating new agricultural economies. Harding House is committed to using the brewery as a place for the people of Nashville to gather and grow together. Learn more at hardinghousebrew.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 malt house east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 square 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.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/riverbendv2-02-scaled.jpg25602560Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-04-06 16:38:222023-04-06 19:23:01Bootleg Biology, Harding House Brewing Co., and Riverbend Malt House Present Inaugural Southern Lager Invitational During 2023 Craft Brewers Conference
Happy International Women’s Day! Today and every day we tip our hats to the women who work in and support the craft malt industry.
We’re honored that so many breweries chose to craft their Pink Boots Brew Day beers with Riverbend malt this year, and we were proud to donate to many of these batches! Click the links below to meet the brews and awesome women who made them.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-03-08-at-3.45.09-PM.png958878Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-03-08 17:55:172023-08-02 15:39:042023 International Women’s Day Beers Made With Riverbend Malt
In 2022, we went “on tour” to meet with many of our agriculture partners across the Southeast. Many miles driven, beers consumed, and one broken and replaced GoPro later, we are proud to present our latest film: Craft Malt Powered by Family Farms in the Southeast.
We kicked off the tour at ASR Grain Co. in Shelby, North Carolina. Here Farmer Tucker Greene showed us several fields of 2-row Calypso with low protein and high germination levels right before harvest. This yield became a key part of every batch of our Southern Select and Base Camp varieties.
From there we headed to the North Carolina State Extension variety testing site outside of Raleigh where we met Graduate Student Noah DeWitt who showed us the many barley varietals growing onsite, and gave us more background on his wheat research.
Also in North Carolina, we made a stop at Carter Farms to take a gander at the 2022 rye crop waving in the wind. We’ve been purchasing Abruzzi rye from Billy Carter for the last decade.
Onto Virginia, where we participated in the Virginia Tech Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center annual Field Day (read more about that here). Now retired Senior Research Associate Wynse Brooks, Program Leader Dr. Nicholas Santantonio, and Graduate Student Amelia Loeb shared their research with us and many folks from the Southeast’s small grains community who came from afar for this gathering.
These Virginia Tech researchers work closely with Bay’s Best Feed, the first farm to grow the newly developed Avalon barley variety named after Avalon Lane at the farm where the godfather of Virginia’s small grains movement Billy Dawson used to dwell. It was an honor to see this barley just before harvest and connect with the Dawson family.
Later in the season we got to visit Teeter Farm& Seed Co. in Clarksville, Tennessee where we happened to catch the malt cleaning and processing live!
Thank you to the farmers and researchers who contributed their time and knowledge to this video, and to our entire network of family farms that makes Riverbend’s malt with a mission possible. Learn more about our agricultural commitments here.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Riverbend-Map-Graphic-square.jpg420481Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-03-06 12:23:322023-08-02 15:09:25Behind The Scenes: Craft Malt Powered by Family Farms
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, Riverbend Malt House malted 3.3 million pounds of craft malt, which included mainstay styles as well as custom and smoked malt for specialty projects. This production level was 28 percent higher than in 2021.
In response to the growing demand for craft malt among breweries and distilleries throughout the Southeast, Riverbend Malt House added a 10 tonne steep tank and 10-tonne Germination Kiln Vessel (GKV) unit to its production facility in 2022. These equipment additions increased the malthouse’s overall craft malt production capacity by more than 50 percent.
Local Farmers and Customers
In 2022, Riverbend sourced grain from North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky Virginia, Georgia and even Florida— all from family-owned farms within 500 miles of the malthouse— and worked with agricultural researchers across the region on barley research and breeding. After ten years in the making, Riverbend was one of the first malthouses in the country to malt the new Avalon barley variety developed by Virginia Tech’s Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
Riverbend sold malt to more than 280 different breweries and distilleries in 2022. Nearly 100 of these are new to the malt house’s customer base. With the overall craft brewing market falling flat in 2022, craft brewers are increasingly seeking ways to differentiate themselves, and using locally sourced high quality craft malt is one strategy employed with increasing frequency.
Distillers continue to be an important and growing segment of Riverbend’s customer base, with almost a quarter of 2022 sales going to more than 30 customers in this exciting market. Three of Riverbend’s top 10 customers in 2022 were craft distillers.
Environmental Commitment
Over the course of the year, Riverbend reduced its carbon emissions per pound of malt produced by 2 percent. in partnership with the WNC Brewery Recycling Co-Op composted 85 tons of organic waste and diverted 16,216 pounds of polywoven plastic from the landfills through a new malt bag recycling program activated by the Asheville Brewers Alliance and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. In total, Riverbend redirected approximately 186,000 pounds of waste from landfill in 2022.
As the largest and longest-standing malthouse in the Southeast, Riverbend was honored to share its expertise at several industry gatherings including the 2022 Craft Malt Conference and the 2022 North Carolina Craft Brewers Conference.
Riverbend was delighted to support Farm To Tap launched by the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture through a series of events and panel discussions. This initiative encourages Tennessee brewers to use Tennessee sourced ingredients in their beer, and the malthouse is thrilled to see it return in 2023.
Awards& Accolades
Riverbend maintained its Living Wage Certified Employer status from Just Economics, the largest voluntary Living Wage Certification in the nation. 100 percent of Riverbend’s employees are compensated at or above the living wage rate established by Just Economics for Buncombe County. Additionally, Riverbend pays for 100 percent of employee health insurance premiums.
In February 2022, Riverbend took home a bronze award in the Craft Maltsters Guild’s Malt Cup for the Chesapeake Pilsner style. 2022 was the fourth year of this prestigious awards program— often called the Great American Beer Festival® or the Oscars® of craft malt– that recognizes craft maltsters for the quality and consistency of their malt.
In August 2022, Riverbend was named number 2804 of the fastest growing private companies in the country on the Inc. 5000 list. The annual Inc. 5000 list is one of the most prestigious rankings of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, representing top tier independent small businesses in America. Inc. 5000 status is conferred based upon a company’s cumulative revenue growth over the preceding three years. Since 2018, amid the global COVID pandemic, Riverbend has attained a revenue growth rate of 198 percent.
Throughout the year, many of Riverbend’s customers were recognized with medals from multiple awards programs for beers made with Riverbend malt– including the Great American Beer Festival®, the World Beer Cup®, the U.S. Beer Open, the North Carolina Brewers Cup, and the Virginia Craft Beer Cup. Riverbend extends congratulations to these producers for their commitment to quality that begins with their investment in ingredients.
Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer 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.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/DSC06495-scaled.jpg17102560Scott Hickmanhttps://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.pngScott Hickman2023-02-06 22:14:042023-02-10 00:26:49Riverbend Malt House Publishes Record Numbers and Esteemed Recognitions in 2022 Year In Review
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.
From day one we’ve been committed to high quality malt sourced from regional, family farms that we deliver on time. It’s that simple, and we plan to keep it up.
Kate Bernot of Good Beer Hunting recently covered the ramifications of increasing malt prices on the beer industry in an impressive piece that delves into the craft malt industry at large. We were honored to be among the voices of the craft maltsters she profiled, who include Valley Malt and Root Shoot Malting. Included in the dialogue was a quote from our CEO Scott Hickman who said, “There’s been this bizarre inversion, and we have found ourselves being less expensive than a couple of the big malt suppliers in certain situations.”
Bernot’s words are a poignant, timely read for anyone involved in the industry. In so many spaces like this one she hits the nail on the head when she describes why this topic matters.
With the price gap between craft malt and commodity malt narrowing, some brewers and craft maltsters believe now is the time for craft malt to finally compete economically against its larger counterparts. Given high shipping costs, a brewery may save additional money by sourcing its malts from its region rather than from across the country or overseas.
For the Love of Malted Rye
For the Love of Malted Rye
