Riverbend Malt House is developing alongside the craft malt community, which means that education about everything from small grain production to final products – and everything in between— is critical. We’re committed to providing resources that help our craft brewing and artisanal distilling partners craft the highest quality beers and spirits.
This is your hub for grain research and sensory information, with best practices for marketing your ingredients to boot.
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.png
0
0
Scott Hickman
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.png
Scott Hickman2026-06-02 15:36:372026-06-02 15:43:05Recap: The Riverbend Malt House 2026 Southern Lager Celebration
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-design-8.jpg
1080
1920
Emily Hutto
https://riverbendmalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Riverbend-Malt-for-Craft-Beer.png
Emily Hutto2023-03-12 23:14:242026-02-22 04:00:15Malting 101Interested in a topic you don’t see here?
Meet the Brewer: Todd Boera of Fonta Flora
Tasting Notes:
We’re starting a new series on the Kiln Blog: Meet the Brewer. The Meet the Brewer posts will introduce you to some of the special people that make what we do possible. They’re the ones crafting delicious brews out of our malt.
Todd Boera, foraging brewer extraordinaire
Though Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton just opened last fall, they’ve quickly made a name for themselves with their unique, locally-focused craft beer. Head brewer Todd Boera has made a wide range of beers that you just can’t find anywhere else: a dandelion brett saison, a local carrot IPA, a Belgian blonde with local kiwi. In anticipation of this weekend’s State of Origin beer festival (where Fonta Flora will debut their NC grain/NC honey honeysuckle blonde), we asked Todd a few questions to get a better sense of what he’s all about.
How does using Riverbend malt fit into your brewing philosophy?
The main brewing philosophy at Fonta Flora Brewery is to create a menagerie of complex, creative and rustic libations while utilizing local flora. Riverbend provides us with malted grain, which is obviously a huge component to creating the beer itself. The unique grain that Riverbend manipulates through malting is perfectly suited for the vast range of Belgian beers being created at Fonta Flora Brewery.
What’s your favorite beer to brew?
Fonta Flora Brewery focuses on Belgian/Appalachian Style Saisons. I use the term “Appalachian” to help the drinker realize that they are not typical Saisons. The style originated on farms across Belgium and was brewed with a variety of grains available at the time, which often became a multigrain beer. By utilizing their local grown and malted grains, Riverbend is instrumental in the quest for Fonta Flora Brewery to create a style of beer that is truly unique to the Appalachian Mountains.
You recently mentioned you love to brew with rye. Why is that?
I find Riverbend’s Carolina Rye™ to be the most complex and interesting grain I have ever worked with. The taste profile is incredibly earthy, slick, and slightly spicy. While most brewers stick to the traditional wheat addition in their Saisons, I prefer heavy additions of rye. Although a bit more fickle to work with, the taste profile fits with what I am looking for in my Saisons.
Tell us a little about the State of Origin festival coming up this Saturday. What beers are you looking forward to the most?
To our knowledge, this is the first craft beer festival in the state of North Carolina focused on local ingredients. We asked every invited brewer to craft at least one beer with some/all North Carolina grown ingredients. There are a variety of brewers out there who already do this and some who are crafting something special for the festival. We are releasing a highly anticipated Riverbend grain Belgian blond aged on local honeysuckle flowers and also have one last keg of our dandelion saison. The Wicked Weed/Fonta Flora collaboration will also be released at the festival. “Hipster Nuveau” is a Riverbend grain saison aged on local rhubarb. I am personally looking forward to trying all of the North Carolina ingredient beers from all of the awesome brewers in attendance!
Don’t miss the State of Origin festival this Saturday! VIP doors at 1:30pm, GA doors at 3pm, close at 7:30pm. Tickets available here.
Oktoberfest Recipe Planning Guide By Riverbend Malt House
Tasting Notes:
Image courtesy South Main Brewing
As summer fully blooms, we know brewers are already thinking into the next season– more specifically, Oktoberfest. The time has come to get those German-style lager recipes in the tanks!
Our sales team is here to help you craft the perfect recipe, so please feel free to reach out. We can share stats on individual batches to help ensure you hit your target color, flavor profile, and ABV!
You can also design 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.
Without further ado, here is our Oktoberfest planning guide to our standard malt offerings to help plan all of your fall recipes. Scroll down for sample grain bills!
Czech-Style Pilsner (<2 SRM)
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. We 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 brewhouse? Not to worry– we aimed for a level modification that doesn’t require these steps.
Chesapeake Pilsner (2 SRM)
One of our best selling flagships, Chesapeake Pilsner malt has been featured in a wide array of lagers around the Southeast. Produced using 100% Virginia-grown 2-Row barley, this malt contributes notes of fresh-baked crackers, melon, and honeysuckle.
Cumberland Pilsner (2 SRM)
This Pilsner is produced using 2-Row barley grown in Tennessee. The Calypso variety imparts a breadier, doughier profile when compared to the Chesapeake Pilsner Malt. This malt style is perfect for lightly hopped lagers.
Vienna Malt (4-6 SRM)
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, with honey-like sweetness and light toast on the finish.
Light Munich (8-12 SRM)
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!
Dark Munich (25-35 SRM)
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.
Double Kilned Munich (45-55 SRM)
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 style will contribute a beautiful, ruby red hue and notes of dark fruit and toffee with a touch of fresh roasted coffee flavor. Use it in low percentages in your Oktoberfest recipes to impart that satisfying dry, toasty finish.
Munich Rye (25-35 SRM)
Crafted using an heirloom variety called Wrens Abruzzi, this malt is kilned at higher temperatures throughout and delivers notes of pumpernickel bread, cardamon, and allspice.
Coming Soon: Munich Wheat!
Stay tuned for more details.
Here are some sample Grain Bills…
Festbier
Cumberland Pilsner – 70%
Vienna Malt – 22%
Dark Munich – 8%
Oktoberfest
Cumberland Pilsner – 60%
Vienna Malt – 30%
Munich (Light or Dark) 10%
Pilsner or Vienna – 70%
Munich (Light or Dark) – 25%
Crystal 50 – 5%
Chesapeake Pilsner – 36%
Light Munich – 23%
Dark Munich – 23%
Vienna Malt – 18%
#madewithRiverbend
When your fest biers hit the taps and cans and bottles, please submit them to our Made With Riverbend page so we can help you get the word out!
Riverbend Malt House Crystal 80 Malt Is Now Available
Tasting Notes:
Introducing Crystal 80 Malt
Riverbend Malt House is adding its darkest malt offering yet to its Crystal malt family. Crystal 80 malt is now available for purchase.
After years of research and development to inform the move from caramelization to crystallization, the Riverbend team is pleased to add Crystal 80 to its portfolio. This new malt is produced using a proprietary kilning technique that mimics the stages of a standard roasting profile without the intense heat. The result is a truly crystalized malt that delivers syrupy smooth dark cherry, baker’s chocolate, finishing with a touch of coffee cake and oak. This malt will add deep color and complexity to the flavors in styles like English Mild or Barleywine.
Like all the products in Riverbend’s Crystal family, if the kernels were to be cut open one could see their crystallized cores. The malt house team is proud to have achieved this effect, especially in this darkest product that comes in at an SRM range of 70 to 90. Crystal 50 delivers syrupy smooth toffee notes supported by hints of coffee and dark chocolate, with an SRM range of 45 to 55; and Crystal 20 yields loads of light caramel and toffee flavors followed by hints of pumpernickel and black tea, with 15 to 25 SRM.
Contact your sales representative or email orders@riverbendmalt.com to place an order of Crystal 80.
RAK Brewing Co. – Deadstar
Style of Beer:
West Coast IPA
Riverbend Malt(s) Used:
Base Camp (2-Row Barley Malt), Crystal 50 (2-Row Barley Malt)
Tasting Notes:
In collaboration with Guilford Hall Brewing, Deadstar showcases a clean, crisp backbone that lets hops take center stage. We dialed up the punch with Mosaic and Nectaron hops — a dynamic duo that delivers vibrant tropical fruit character with layers of juicy nectarine and citrus zest. Aromas of grapefruit and orange peel mingle with subtle resinous pine and floral notes, leading into a firm but balanced bitterness and a dry, refreshing finish. It’s a hop-forward celebration of classic West Coast IPA intensity with a modern fruit-driven edge. Featuring Riverbend Malt this beer is perfect for hop lovers who crave crisp drinkability, bold aromatics, and the bright flavors that define this West Coast favorite.
When/Where Available:
On draft and in 4-packs at RAK Brewing Co. while supplies last
Release Type:
Limited
Release State:
Maryland