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

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™

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.