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.
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Lookout Brewing Co. – Native Sun
Slightly malty but bright base and white wine grape essence.
Understanding Distillers Malt, Part 1
Photos courtesy EOD Distillery
Since the inception of Riverbend Malt House, we have been learning how to work with what grows in the South to produce not just high-quality beers, but also spirits. This exploration has plunged us into the often polarizing conversation about distillers malt. What is distillers malt? What’s the optimal enzymatic content for converting starch, and how does that vary across styles of spirits?
The answers to these questions usually vary depending on who you ask.
Our deep dive started with 6-row Thoroughbred barley that was originally intended to feed cattle rather than fill mash tuns. Working with our farm partners and honing our craft helped elevate this humble ingredient into award-winning whiskey!
As the quest for a truly local Bourbon recipe intensifies, we find ourselves at yet another inflection point. Our current 2-row barley varieties offer a strong enzyme package and great flavor,but not quite what large-scale distillers require. For example, we can push diastatic power levels to the 170-180 range, distillers malt spec is >250. On the alpha amylase front, distillers usually look for >85, and we have landed in the 65-70 range.
Why the enormous appetite for enzymes in distillers malt, you ask?
Well, they often use as little as 5% malt in their recipes, which puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the enzymes to convert a large amount of starch into fermentable sugar in a short amount of time. This is compounded by the intricate production schedules that can include dozens of active fermentations and processing in column stills that require constant “feeding”.
A simple question was posed: Can we make up for the lack of enzymes by adding a bit more malt to the recipe? This would allow the finished spirit to remain very much in the realm of the legally defined Bourbon, but also allow for 100% of the ingredients to be sourced locally.
We partnered with our friends at End of Days Distillery to test the limits of our Speakeasy Distillers Malt, comparing it to the well-known Metcalfe spring barley sourced from traditional barley-growing regions of the Pacific Northwest.
At EOD, we made three batches of Bourbon. Equal amounts of Speakeasy and Metcalfe were utilized in each to determine a performance baseline. The third batch used twice as much Speakeasy and less raw corn, with the hope that spirit yield and starting gravity would surpass, or at least equal, that of the Metcalfe batch.
Recipes:
Batch #1
75% raw corn
13% raw rye
12% Metcalfe distillers malt
Batch #2
75% raw corn
13% raw rye
12% Riverbend Speakeasy
Batch #3
63% raw corn
13% raw rye
24% Riverbend Speakeasy
The Results
Batch #1 had a OG of 1.071
Batch #2 had a OG of 1.076
Batch #3 had a OG of 1.073
The results were inconclusive, but were not supportive of the “more Speakeasy” approach. After talking with Harmonie Bettenhausen of the James B Beam Institute and Campbell Morrissy from pFriem Family Brewers, we learned that enzymes don’t scale linearly— especially in a high-adjunct environment. When you’re working with raw grains like corn and rye that don’t contribute enzymes, you’re depending entirely on your malt to do several things –
Break down protein matrices around starch granules (proteolytic activity), break down structural carbohydrates like β-glucans (viscosity control), and convert liberated starch into fermentable sugars (amylase action). If a malt isn’t strong enough enzymatically, adding more of it can actually flood the mash with starch that never gets fully broken down— so you’re adding extract potential, but not the keys needed to unlock it. That’s what we likely saw in Batch 3: more Speakeasy distillers malt = more starch available, but not more sugar in solution.
While not exactly the news we wanted, these experts proposed another route to achieve better conversion” a “pre malt” addition in which 10 to 20% of the total malt utilized is strategically placed to do some early enzymatic heavy lifting before the cook. Using the pre-malt at a low-temp rest helps to unlock the starches in the corn and rye when they’re added later, especially when no exogenous enzymes are used. By adding the pre-malt at around 125–135°F before adding corn to the cook (and raising the temp), they’re setting up to get better gelatinization and make the most of the malt’s enzyme package later in the mash/cook.
We’ll share results from our next round of trials in Part 2. Stay tuned for more information!
Got a question about Riverbend Speakeasy distillers malt? Give us a shout.
Craft Malt Converts: Bear Chase Brewing Company
We’re back, with another iteration of our Craft Malt Converts series. This one zooms in on our friends at Bear Chase Brewing in Virginia. Meet them and their beers made with Riverbend malt below.
From Farm to Foam in the Heart of Virginia
For Bear Chase Brewing Company, nestled in the rolling, wooded hills west of Loudoun, Virginia, the path to craft brewing started out as just a crazy idea hatched by five close friends in the middle of 2017. Initially, the intention was to turn their historic homestead property into a premier bed and breakfast lodge. That part of the equation came together quickly, but they knew the property had more potential.
Today, the Bear Chase farm brewery and luxury bed and breakfast sit on 35 gorgeous acres. The brewery has a newly remodeled “Brew Barn” and a hops farm, and plans are underway to plant an orchard of fruit trees soon.
Why the switch to craft malt?
It all started with a chef’s love for local ingredients. We caught up with Bear Chase’s head brewer, Ken Wilson, to talk about sourcing, why Riverbend Malt rose to the top, and how this brewery is creating beers that are unmistakably tied to place.
“For me, it’s always been about location,” says Wilson. “I’ve spent most of my life in Virginia, and long before I brewed beer, I was a chef who believed in sourcing as close to home as possible. That mindset stuck.” While it was easy to find Virginia-grown tomatoes, corn, or Chesapeake seafood for his dishes, sourcing local beer ingredients proved much more challenging. Still, Ken was determined. First came yeast from Sterling-based Jasper Yeast Labs. Then, hops from Saint Moor Hop Yards in Monroe, who now grow exclusively for Bear Chase. Finally, he met Brent at a brewing convention. “It took some trial and error,” Wilson says, “but we landed on something that really works — both in terms of flavor and quality.”
Beer With Terroir
Bear Chase currently brews three flagship beers using Riverbend malt, each with its own story and its own standout grain bill. First is the Appalachian Trail Hefeweizen – featuring Riverbend wheat and barley, next is the Honey Badger Amber Lager – brewed with Riverbend’s Chesapeake Pilsner malt, and lastly the Meet Virginia Rye Pale Ale – built on a blend of Riverbend rye, barley, and caramel malts. “These malts don’t just give us flavor — they give us identity,” Wilson explains. “Each one helps us tell a story of place, of local farming, and of who we are as a brewery.”
Partnering for the Long Haul
For Bear Chase, Riverbend Malt House is so much more than just a name on the sack— we’re a partner they’re proud to work with, and vice versa. “Brent is super responsive. Deliveries are quick and seamless. And most importantly, the quality is consistent,” says Wilson.
As Wilson and his team continue to expand their lineup of beers made with craft malt, and deepen its roots in Virginia soil, Riverbend is proud to be along for the ride. “We’ve come a long way from test batches. I’m excited to see where we go next.”
Learn more about Bear Chase Brewery and their Virginia pride at Bear Chase Brew.