Craft Malt Converts: Mason Jar Lager Company
For Mason Jar Lager Co., an aptly named all-lager producer in The Triangle in North Carolina, the state of the supply chain initiated their switch to purchasing upwards of 90 percent craft malt.
The quality and consistency of Riverbend craft malt are just cherries on top of that decision.
“I fall in the boat of being a traditionalist, so craft malt was a much harder decision for me to make,” admits Dave Haydysch, the Director of Brewery Operations and Head Brewer at Mason Jar. “Sometimes I still question it, am I doing something wrong… but then I’m like no, integrating local malt is a great thing.”
As Mason Jar scaled up, and quickly, they found themselves seeking consistency not just in their ingredients but also in the delivery thereof. “We were eight to twelve months out on a shipment from a macro malthouse, so I called Brent and said hey man, let’s do this,” Haydysch recalls. “I was very happy with the results of the pilot batches, and then I just went for it.”
He hasn’t looked back. Mason Jar Happy Place Golden Lager, Pool Tab Pilsner, and the U.S Beer Open-winning Slack Tide Bohemian Pilsner are all made with Chesapeake Pilsner malt as a base, and various other Riverbend offerings such as Great Chit and Light Munich. “The flavor and quality exceeded my expectations and I liked them better, flavor-wise, than I did when we made them with commercial malt. It was much closer to the idea in my head of what I wanted them to taste like,” Haydysch says.
Experimental lagers abound at Mason Jar, yielding a colorful lineup of Pilsner, Helles, Vienna Lager, Baltic Porter, and more— all made with Riverbend craft malt. As of 2021, Mason Jar is a Craft Malt Certified™ brewery, displaying their seal with pride.
More from Haydysch: “Supply chain is everything right now. The benefit (to me) of local malt is there’s no shipping container for it to get stuck at port in temperature-changing conditions, or take its sweet time getting across the ocean. With Riverbend I know it’s on its way within 24 hours and usually at my doorstep in 2 days. That’s huge.”
It’s important to Mason Jar’s customer to know where the ingredients in their beer come from, Haydysch concludes.
“And my customers are happy.”
Taste Mason Jar’s lager rainbow at their newest location, TapStation in Apex, North Carolina, or the Mason Jar Tavern locations in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs, Scratch Southern Kitchen & Taproom in Apex and Cary, and statewide through distribution at bars, restaurants, bottle shops, and many grocery as well. Learn more about the beer here.
