Meet Riverbend Malt House at the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America

Photo © Brewers Association

NASHVILLE, TN – Participants at the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) are invited to meet the Riverbend Malt House team at Booth 2333 at BrewExpo America where they can sample malt and learn more about the Asheville, North Carolina-based malting operation. This year’s conference will take place from May 7 to 11 at the Music City Center located at 201 Rep. John Lewis Way South. 

On Wednesday, May 10 catch Riverbend Co-Founder Brent Manning on the Building an Educational Beer Festival panel with Sharon Cheek of the Tennessee Brewers Guild, Matt Leff of Rhizome Productions Inc., and Nate Underwood of Harding House Brewing for a discussion about the Farm To Tap (FTT) campaign and festival series.

“Having CBC so close to us this year offers an exciting opportunity to connect our customers and our malt to the entire industry,” says Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brent Manning. “Craft malt from the Southeast has come a long way since the last time this event was held in Nashville. Every night we’ll be in a different spot highlighting different beers made with our malt and I couldn’t be more excited! Whether you are into lagers, smoked beers, or just want to get a taste of Southern terroir— we’ve got you covered.” 

Conference attendees and Nashville locals are invited to this lineup of events that Riverbend has in store to celebrate its Southeastern brewery customers during CBC week. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Riverbend Malt House, or about media credentials for the Southern Lager Invitational. 

 

Funk Fest at Yazoo Brewing Company

Saturday, May 6; 12 – 5pm

This celebration of wild, sour, funky, and saisons (with a few crazy meads and delicious lagers) will feature Octatonic, a collaboration between Russian River, Allagash, Jester King, Green Bench, Bootleg Biology, Riverbend Malt and River Drive Cooperage will be available online and in the Taproom. Yazoo Brewing, Russian River Brewing Co., Allagash Brewing, Jester King Brewery, Green Bench Brewing, River Drive Cooperage, Bootleg Biology, and Riverbend Malt House. The beer spent twelve months aging on oak before blending and dry hopping. “It has been an honor to work with these fine folks and guardians of funk I look up to daily,” says Brandon Howard of Yazoo and the Embrace The Funk website. Thanks for trusting me with conducting this symphony of beer as we head into CBC.”

Tickets to Funk Fest are available here. 

 

Southern Lager Invitational at Harding House Brewing Co.

Sunday, May 7; 7 – 10pm 

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) at Harding House Brewing Company in The Nations neighborhood of West Nashville. 

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 that all CBC ticket holders are welcome to attend. Get the full brewery list here. 

 

Tennessee Grain Happy Hour at TennFold Brewing

Monday, May 8; 3 – 6pm 

TennFold Brewing will host a happy hour featuring $5 beers made with Tennessee grown grains at their tasting room on Monday afternoon. Beers on tap will include Crawdad Hole Lager released for the occasion, as well as selections from Common John Brewing and Soul and Spirits Brewing. Find details here. 

 

Asheville In Nashville at Fait La Force Brewing Co. 

Monday, May 8; 4 – 8pm

Head to Fait La Force Brewing for a special evening of cross state lines camaraderie featuring guest taps from Burial, DSSOLVR, Zillicoah Beer Company, Leveller Brewing Co., and Archetype Brewing. The evening’s festivities are presented by us and several other sponsors: Beer Marketeers, ProBrewer, Bounty Bev, Alpha Brew Ops, Stout Tanks & Kettles, Flottweg and CPE Systems. The Michael James Jackson Foundation will give a presentation at 4pm. More information is available here. 

 

Friends Of East Nashville Beer Works Collab Event at East Nashville Beer Works

Monday, May 8; 5 – 9pm

This collaboration event will showcase all the team brews East Nashville Beer Works has done this year leading up to CBC. The full list of collaborators can be found here.

 

Camp Rauchbier at Barrique Brewing Co. 

Tuesday, May 9; 4 – 10pm

Riverbend is also a proud sponsor of Camp Rauchbier at Barrique Brewing. Don’t miss the stellar lineup of smoked beers, Cabin Attic eats, Pints & Panels popup, and a recording of the This Week In Rauchbier podcast by John Holl. Find the brewery list here. 

,

Bootleg Biology, Harding House Brewing Co., and Riverbend Malt House Present Inaugural Southern Lager Invitational During 2023 Craft Brewers Conference

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.

,

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, 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.

 

Events & Community 

In 2022, Riverbend was proud to create custom malt blends for the Athens Pink Boots Society Women’s International Brew Day beer made at Terrapin Beer Co;, and for Fullsteam Brewery’s new base malt aptly named Plow To Pint Pilsner, among other projects. 

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.

35 Brewers To Showcase Riverbend Malt and Yakima Quality Hops at 2023 Florida SMaSH Beer Festival

LONGWOOD, FLORIDA— The seventh annual Florida SMaSH Beer Festival will feature 35 breweries serving single malt, single hop beers made with Riverbend Malt and Yakima Quality Hops tapping Saturday, January 28 at Reiter Park. 

Presented by the Brewers Establishing Altruistic Regional Development (B.E.A.R.D.) nonprofit organization, Hourglass Brewing, and the City of Longwood, the Florida SMaSH Beer Festival was created to celebrate the creativity and camaraderie of breweries in the Sunshine State. Participating breweries will craft beers made with Riverbend Chesapeake Pilsner malt and Yakima Quality Hops YQH-1320.

“Riverbend is honored and excited to be the malt selection of SMaSH Fest this year,” says Riverbend Malt House’s Georgia, Florida, and Alabama Territory Manager Tyler Adams. “This is a chance to taste how Southeastern malt really shines through in beer, and a celebration of the different flavors that Florida breweries have to offer.”

The winning beer is chosen by the attendees who vote on the S.M.a.S.H. beer that impresses them the most. The winner will receive the coveted, ever-evolving Florida SMaSH Festival Champions Lamp. Each winner takes this trophy home until the next SMaSH beer festival and garnishes it with their own additions each year.

Also during the festival, a Judge’s Choice competition will take place to award first, second, and third place medals. 

This year’s Florida SMaSH Beer Festival proceeds will be donated to A Spoonful of Hope, Second Harvest Food Bank’s signature product line. One hundred percent of the proceeds directly support Second Harvest’s no-cost 16-week Culinary Training program, which provides qualified, economically challenged adults with the culinary and life skills training to pursue a sustainable career in the food industry.

“Florida SMaSH Beer Festival has the ability to show you how the same ingredients dont always mean the same interpretation of a beer,” says Bill Murphy of Hourglass Brewing. “It’s also a great way to see what the state as a whole can bring to the table. The best part is, it all comes back to the community.”

Tickets to the festival are available via Eventbrite, and festival details can be found at www.flsmash.com. 

 

ABOUT B.E.A.R.D.

Brewers Establishing Altruistic Regional Development (B.E.A.R.D.) is a non-profit organization created by brewing industry professionals with a mission to serve their communities. Over 7 years, B.E.A.R.D. has successfully donated more than $45,000  to local charitable organizations such as A Spoon Full of Hope.

ABOUT HOURGLASS BREWING

Hourglass Brewing is now serving their 10th year, producing Seminole County’s first small batch craft beer. With two locations in the Orlando area and no less than 30 beers on tap they continually push for innovation while holding on to nostalgia, with a thirst for good times. Visit Hourglass online at hourglassbrewing.com. 

Contact Bill Murphy at bill@hourglassbrewing.com with media inquiries about Hourglass Brewing. 

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. 

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

ABOUT YAKIMA QUALITY HOPS

YQH is a family-owned business focused on quality and service. Founded in 2013, Yakima Quality Hops provides the highest quality hops to breweries throughout the United States and abroad. Based in Yakima, WA, we work directly with growers, allowing us to offer the best pricing and quality control. We work with breweries of all sizes and in all stages of growth. Whether you’ve been brewing for decades or are just getting started, let’s connect so we can get to know your hops needs. Learn more at yakhops.com.

Riverbend Malt House Launches Seasonal Malt Program With Double Kilned Munich

Riverbend Malt House debuted Double Kilned Munich this week as part of a new seasonal malt program to serve the varying needs of craft brewers and distillers in the Southeast region. This small-batch malt is available only while supplies last.

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 was a fun and challenging project for our production team,” says Brent Manning, Riverbend’s Co-Founder who leads product development. “We experimented with a variety of different base malts, hydration regimes, and kilning recipes to arrive at this really special malt.”

Double Kilned Munich is malted from 2-row barley grown on family owned farms in the Southeast. This malt will contribute a beautiful, ruby red hue and notes of dark fruit and toffee with a touch of fresh roasted coffee to beers styles such as Czech Dark Lager, Baltic Porter, and winter seasonals.

“Double Kilned Munich performed well, tasted great, and served as a direct substitute for crystal or caramel malt,” says Chris Cates, Founder and Owner at Little Animals Brewery in Johnson City, Tennessee. “Its flavor impact leaned more towards rich malt flavor than it did towards sweetness. This is where it really shined, and what I would say made it stand out: minimal contribution to sweetness. Normally we have to source ‘specialty grain’ elsewhere, and then the beer can’t be advertised as ‘all local malt.’ Overall I really enjoyed the malt and will use it again.”

Contact your Riverbend Malt House representative or sales@riverbendmalt.com to place an order for Double Kilned Munich, and look for more seasonal malt varieties from Riverbend in 2023.

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

You’re Invited To A Craft Malt Showcase at Brick Store Pub on September 20

Brick Store Pub will host what might be Georgia’s largest consumer-facing showcase of craft malt to-date on September 20, featuring a tap takeover of 14 beers brewed with malt from Riverbend Malt House. 

 

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 made with Riverbend 6 and 2-Row barley varieties, wheat, rye, and corn malt in their grain bills. Participating breweries include Arches Brewing Co., Beacon Brewing Co., Bhramari Brewing, Cherry Street Brewing, Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Crooked Can Brewing Co., DSSOLVR, Hopstix, Mythk Brewing, NoFo Brew Co. & Distillery, Sceptre Brewing Arts, Sideward Brewing, Southern Brewing Co., and Trimtab Brewing Co.

Also of note at this event will be a presentation that covers a behind the scenes look at recent research and development projects at the malt house by Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brent Manning. This will include a hot steep demonstration of several new products. This talk begins at 3:30PM.

“This event allows beer lovers to experience first-hand the difference that artisanal malt makes on a beer’s flavor and aroma,” says Neil Callaghan, Beer Director for the Brick Store Pub.  “Many of our guests’ favorite breweries have been using Riverbend’s malted barley and grains for years, and with this event we can shine a spotlight on the ingredients that make these beers so wonderful.  We’re excited to showcase beers from some of Georgia’s most talented brewers and some out-of-state breweries not often poured in the state and raise a glass to Riverbend.”

 

WHERE & WHEN

Brick Store Pub

125 E Court Square

Decatur, GA 30030

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2022 

Craft malt presentation by Brent Manning at 3:30pm

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.

,

Duck Duck Dog Pale Ale Crafted For Georgia Bulldogs v. Oregon Ducks Game on September 3

 

On September 3, 2022 the Georgia Bulldogs will play the Oregon Ducks at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. StillFire Brewing in Suwanee, Georgia and Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon have collaborated on a beer for the occasion.

You guessed it— that beer is #madewithRiverbend malt! Meet Duck Duck Dog. It’s an easy-drinking American Pale Ale that each brewery crafted with ingredients grown in Georgia and Oregon. Georgia peach wood wheat to be exact, to help the beer embody a sense of place via ingredients. Our malt complements the complex berry meets grapefruit in the woods character of the Strata hops selected to represent the Pacific Northwest in this collaboration.

Flash back to the early 2000’s. Memories are hazy on exactly when Founding Brewer at Ninkasi Jamie Floyd and Brewmaster at StillFire Brewing Phil Farrell met; it could have been judging homebrew competitions, maybe golfing in the annual Sasquatch Brew-Am, pouring at Oregon Brewers Festival, or perhaps hanging out at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland. “We always seemed to find each other and hang out when events happened.” says Floyd. “We also both love judging and helping with beer competitions, so we got to do those events together as the years passed.” 

Flash forward to the kickoff of the 2022 college football season, three years after Farrell launched StillFire across the country, and this continental craft beer relationship has flourished into a collaboration brewed to feature regional ingredients.

“We decided to brew a beer that would be very quaffable during the early weeks of football season and all the associated Labor Day weekend tailgating, and an American Pale Ale with a distinct hop profile fit the bill perfectly,” says Farrell. “We wanted to include ingredients that represented the home states of the two breweries.” 

In Oregon, taste Duck Duck Dog on tap at The Ninkasi Better Living Room, where you can watch the big game on the large projector screen.

Catch Ninkasi Co-Founder Jamie Floyd during his halftime simulcast from the stadium on September 3. 

Riverbend Malt House Named One of Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America

August 16, 2022— Today Inc. named Riverbend Malt House number 2804 on the list of the 5000 fastest growing private companies in America. This achievement comes on the heels of a major facility expansion, which increased Riverbend’s malting capacity by more than 50 percent. 

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.

“This achievement is reflective of the relentless focus on product quality and customer service that the Riverbend team delivers day in and day out,” remarks Scott Hickman, Riverbend’s CEO. “We are truly grateful for the confidence placed in us by more than 250 brewing and distilling customers, which enabled us to qualify for this award.”

Riverbend’s inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list is not only positive for Riverbend, but for the craft malt industry as a whole, Hickman continues: “Sales growth of this magnitude is a proof point indicating that discerning brewers and distillers are increasingly realizing the importance of high quality ingredients and a locally sourced brand message for their product differentiation.”

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.

Riverbend Malt House Announces Major Expansion

ASHEVILLE, NC– Riverbend Malt House announced that installation of its new 10 metric tonne Germination Kiln Vessel (GKV) was completed this week, with first malt production from the unit expected in coming weeks. This equipment complements a new 10 tonne steep tank which was installed earlier this year. Collectively, all of the new equipment in the Asheville-based malt house increases Riverbend’s overall craft malt production capacity by more than 50 percent. 

“Riverbend’s sales grew by more than 40 percent in 2021 and we don’t see that growth rate tapering in 2022,” noted Scott Hickman, Riverbend Malt House CEO. “This new equipment is a critical part of an effort to be prepared for anticipated demand.” 

Last year Asheville local Hillman Beer Company made the switch to Riverbend as their primary base malt provider, and that move has created consistency in an otherwise unstable supply chain. “It’s comforting as we celebrate our second year anniversary at our second location this week to know we’re going into our future with a great local partner who we can count on for consistency and quality,” says Co-Owner Brad Hillman. 

With more craft malt production for brewers and distillers comes increased purchasing of grain from local, family-owned farming partners, and the hiring of additional employees at above Living Wage levels. These implications fulfill Riverbend’s corporate charter embodied in the company motto, Malt with a Mission.

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Riverbend Malt House and its 2022 expansion. 

 

Donate to Ukrainian Refugees By Drinking This Beer

Donate to Ukrainian Refugees By Drinking This Beer.

 

That’s the purpose of our latest collaboration with Hi-Wire Brewing, and the simple and effective sentence also happens to be the name of the resulting pale ale that taps at all seven Hi-Wire taprooms beginning in the brewery’s three Asheville locations on Friday, April 29— and then rolling out to the remaining four taprooms in Durham, N.C., Knoxville, Tenn., Wilmington, N.C., and Louisville, Ky.

With Riverbend donating 100 percent of the malt and Hi-Wire brewing the beer, one dollar from every pint sold directly benefits refugees of Ukraine as facilitated by Asheville non-profit Svitla Nadiya – meaning “Bright Hope” in Ukrainian – an organization created specifically to direct funds and clothing to Ukranians who have been displaced by the current war with Russia.

Donate to Svitla Nadiya and learn more here. Read more about this effort on NC Beer Guys and MountainX.

Don’t miss our chat with Hi-Wire’s Luke Holgate about this beer, and what’s going on at Hi-Wire, here.