Cellarest Beer Project just released Bimble Coffee Blonde Lager, a blonde-hued beer made with Riverbend Malt House’s most recent pallet coffee blend by Coffee Library. Cans of this storied beer will be available soon.

The Backstory

In 2025, Riverbend Malt House launched the pallet coffee program in tandem with local coffee roaster Coffee Library. We wanted to thank our customers who purchased full pallets of malt with an added treat— because most brewing teams are fueled by morning coffee, partnering with Coffee Library on a specialty blend was a natural fit. Brewers absolutely loved it, and the program continued with a second blend last year. Now, we are excited to involve West Asheville’s beloved Cellarest Beer Project, who have invested in local ingredients since day one, in the third blend of our unfolding coffee program.

Enter Bimble Coffee Blonde Lager

The teams at Riverbend and Cellarest gathered for a cupping at Coffee Library to select two coffees to be included in the blend: one from Brazil and another from Mexico. The naturally processed Brazilian coffee is of the Catuai varietal of the coffee plant, grown and harvested at an altitude of 1100 MASL in the Cerrado Mineiro Region of the Minas Gerais state. The washed processing Mexican coffee was grown and harvested in the Zangolica, Veracruz region of Mexico at an altitude ranging from 1250-1700 MASL. The Brazilian coffee’s notes of almond, brown sugar, and milk chocolate beautifully complement the notes of cinnamon, cocoa, and baking spice flavors of the Mexican coffee.

“I wanted to encourage more cocoa and depth to the Mexican coffee’s brown sugar and cinnamon notes, and the Brazilian seemed to provide that,” says Cellarest Co-Founder and Director of Fermentation Mark R. Goodwin.

“The Mexico coffee provides that nice warm, subtle spice and the Brazil enhances the creaminess and cocoa, chocolate notes,” adds Noah Marines, Head Roaster and Certified Q Arabica Grader at Coffee Library.

The resulting beer has incredible depth of flavor with a range of notes from fresh coffee and to cocoa, cinnamon, and brown sugar; to light toffee and honey covered biscuits from its malt additions. Bimble Coffee Blonde Lager was made with Riverbend Southern Select, Great Chit, Vienna, and Double Kilned Munich styles and hopped with Willamette hops. It was fermented cold with Cellarest’s preferred German Lager yeast inside of an acacia wood foudre.

Get It While You Can

Bimble, a word that represents a relaxed— even aimless— journey taken without haste, is an apt name for this exploration of flavors. The result of these rambles between this trifecta of local Asheville businesses is now on draft at Cellarest Beer Project. Sixteen ounce canned 4-packs will be available to-go from the brewery in coming weeks. Follow @cellarestbeerproject on Instagram and Facebook for can release details.

ASHEVILLE, NC— After becoming the first malt house to become third-party certified for regenerative agriculture in 2024, Riverbend Malt House is delighted to introduce Regenified™ Southern Select. This malted 2-row barley product is crafted from Southern grown Certified Regenified™ Avalon barley.

Regenified is a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program. Its framework recognizes the impact farms and brands have by growing and sourcing regeneratively grown products, supporting practices that restore ecosystems, build soil and water health, and increase biodiversity.  Certified Regenified farms include Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, Maryland, the beautiful climate smart grain farm that grew the Avalon barley Riverbend malted to create this new product for sustainably minded brewers and distillers. 

Regenified Southern Select has aromas of sugar cookie, melon, and honey in the finished malt. Its mouthfeel is rich, exhibiting a creaminess not often encountered in typical Pale Ale style malt. This product is the first of what’s to come from Riverbend as more Certified Regenified™ grain becomes available. As a Certified Regenified malt house, Riverbend manages, stores, and processes certified grains to retain full traceability. 

This supply chain transparency is an important value at ag-centric Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, where they will soon can their first-ever Certified Regenified beer, Reset: ESB (Extra Special Bitter) . “Reset: ESB is packed with wonderful caramel and toffee notes,” says Jon Simpson, Director of Brewery Operations at Fullsteam. “The malt’s honey sweetness balances out the beer’s earthy hop bitterness. It’s rich, flavorful, and balanced- it’s everything I wanted in this classic beer style. Add in the environmental and positive global impacts and it’s just an all around win.” 

Fullsteam is also seeking  to expand its range of Certified Regenified products this year and intends to use more of the Regenified Southern Select as the base malt in all of their Reset Series of beers— classic styles made with 100 percent local malt. 

Brewers and distillers interested in using Regenified Southern Select can contact orders@riverbendmalthouse.com for samples and specs.

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

 

ABOUT REGENIFIED 

Regenified is a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program driving the growth of regenerative agriculture and the adoption of certified products. Regenified recognizes and certifies those who adopt regenerative practices, paving the way for a healthier planet and transparency across our food system. For more information, visit regenified.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 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.

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.

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ASHEVILLE, NC— Earlier this year, Riverbend Malt House became the first malt house to become third-party certified for its supply chain processing and manufacturing, ensuring the segregation and processing of Certified Regenified grains. This certification gives Riverbend, the first craft malt house in the South and now the first Certified Regenified™ malt house on the planet, the unique ability to manage, store, and process Certified Regenified grains while maintaining full traceability.

Regenerative Agriculture focuses on soil health as the foundation for supporting entire ecosystems. Practices such as no till farming and cover cropping minimize disturbance, which promotes carbon sequestration and reduces polluted runoff. It’s also much more than just a set of farming practices; it’s a paradigm shift in how we view and interact with the land. By prioritizing soil health, water conservation, biodiversity and overall ecosystem vitality, regenerative practices offer a pathway to heal the earth and nourish both people and the planet.

Regenified, a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program, recognizes and certifies those who adopt these regenerative practices, paving the way for a healthier planet and transparency across our food system. This group conducted an extensive supply chain audit of the malt house, and Riverbend received certification in March of 2024. Built on transparency and traceability of the Southeastern grain supply chain, Riverbend was well positioned to meet the requirements of the certification process. 

Riverbend’s certification by Regenified underscores their commitment to regenerative agriculture. By achieving certification, Riverbend ensures the implementation of systems and processes necessary to segregate and process Certified Regenified grains. This certification not only upholds the integrity of the supply chain for Regenified products but also supports Riverbend’s goal of achieving healthier soils and waterways while fostering supply chain integrity and supporting farmers and brands committed to regenerative agriculture. “The years ahead will generate exciting results that speak to improved biodiversity, reduced chemical and fertilizer use, and carbon sequestration,” says Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brent Manning. 

Turning towards Regenerative agriculture is “some icing on a wonderful cake of meeting and exceeding our environmental goals, which include agriculture that’s closer to the end-user,” adds Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brian Simpson. “The commitments for Regenified’s certification are a big opportunity for us to really show up.” 

Riverbend will begin processing certified, locally sourced grain for brewers and distillers in the coming months. Long-term, the malt house will work with its existing growing partners in the Southeast to achieve certification. 

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

 

ABOUT REGENIFIED 

Regenified is a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program driving the growth of regenerative agriculture and the adoption of certified products. Regenified recognizes and certifies those who adopt regenerative practices, paving the way for a healthier planet and transparency across our food system. Get involved at regenified.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 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.

ASHEVILLE, NC— After the successful execution of the inaugural Southern Lager Invitational during the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville– in a monsoon no less— Bootleg Biology and Riverbend Malt House are excited to bring this festival to Asheville in its second year. The Southern Lager Invitational will take place on May 25 from 5 to 9pm at The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage’s production facility, just a short drive from downtown. This event will cap Asheville Beer Week (May 16 – 26), themed ‘Craft and Creativity for Community’.

Open to interpretation, Southern Lager, an unofficial but emerging beer style, ​​tends to be a cold-fermented, dry-finishing, lower-ABV beer that pairs well with sweltering heat. At the second annual Southern Lager Invitational, craft brewers from across the South will serve their expressions of Southern Lager made with Riverbend malt and fermented with Bootleg Biology yeast to capture a sense of Southern terroir. 

Tickets are now on sale for the Southern Lager Invitational at devilsfootbrew.com. Festival entry includes samples of beers from more than 20 Southern breweries, including— 

1718 Brewing Ocracoke

Akademia Brewing Co.

Alga Beer Co.

Barrique Brewing & Blending  

Cahaba Brewing Co.

Cherry Street Brewing

Cellarest Beer Project 

DSSOLVR

Fait La Force Brewing (bonus collaboration with Leveller Brewing Co.) 

Fonta Flora Brewery

Fullsteam Brewery

Grand Central Brewhouse

Honor Brewing Co.

King State 

Little Animals Brewery

Oklawaha Brewing Co. 

Skeeta Hawk Brewing

Soul and Spirits Brewery

South Main Brewing Co.

The Southern Growl 

 

The beer menu and food truck list for Southern Lager Invitational will be published in coming weeks. 

This second annual celebration of local lagers is made possible by our sponsor Boelter, who are providing custom 2024 glassware for festival participants.

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 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.