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.
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Introducing Ridgeline Red Malt
New Ridgeline Red Malt Is Here!
In response to our brewing customers’ requests for a red-hued malt option with versatile usage opportunities across ale and lager styles, Riverbend Malt House presents Ridgeline Red malt.
Fresh off the kiln and now available for purchase, this new malt opens with an inviting aroma of toasted grains, bread crust, and rich honey before shifting into a complex layer of figs and raisins. It closes with a palate-cleansing loose leaf tea finish. Great for red ales and lagers of all kinds, Ridgeline Red can be used for up to 100% of the grain bill, yielding brilliant amber color.
The Brewers Have Spoken
After recent trials, here’s what these brewers across the Southeast had to say about Ridgeline Red:
“It worked great as a base malt and was on par with the efficiency of Riverbend pilsner in my brewhouse. The pH was lower than I anticipated though— good to expect and adjust in the mash.” — Mark Goodwin, Cellarest Beer Project
“Thanks for trusting us to pilot some of this new malt. I think the beer and color are awesome!” — Jason Ford, NOFO Brew Co.
“We made our Holler Atcha West Coast IPA with Ridgeline Red; it looks and tastes exactly as it should!” — Ray Dobens, Salt Face Mule Brewing Co.
Find a Ridgeline Red flavor wheel and even more details here. Place an order by emailing orders@riverbendmalt.com.
Gatlinburg Brewing Company – Riverguide
Sweet hoppy foam with a medium body.
Pine, floral, slight citrus flavors crisp carbonation
Your New Favorite Base Malt: Riverbend Vienna Malt
This time of year, especially, y’all are telling us that our Vienna malt makes a great base malt.
A member of our Munich family of malts that also includes Light Munich, Dark Munich, Double Kilned Munich, Munich Rye, and soon Munich Wheat, Riverbend Vienna Malt is produced using a proprietary blend of regionally grown 2-row barley varieties. We kiln this malt style similar to our Light Munich, with a cooler curing temperature to minimize color development. Flavors like fresh biscuits and honey make this malt a great component in classic German Lager recipes, or American Single Malt grain bills.
What Makes Vienna A Great Base Malt?
Tina Hoffert, Riverbend Malt House Customer Success Representative says that Vienna has a remarkable balance, providing a medium mouthfeel with a smooth, crisp finish. Kilned at slightly higher temperatures than standard pale malt, it introduces a flavor profile with notes of toasted grain, fresh-baked bread with a beautiful golden to light orange hue. Yet it still retains enough enzymatic power to be used as the base malt in the grain bill. “In general, Vienna malt is celebrated for its ability to infuse beer with rich, complex malt character without overpowering the palate,” she says. “This versatility allows brewers to create beers that are deeply flavorful, smooth, and exceptionally crisp.”
Vienna is, naturally, a great base for its namesake, Vienna Lager, and even more beer styles like Altbier, Kellerbier, Kölsch, or Märzen. In this BYO article, Thomas J. Miller says, “Vienna malt offers a grainy, malty flavor, but is much less pronounced than that of Munich malt. It works very well with the heavily-hopped beers because it adds a great degree of malt character without overshadowing the highlighted hops. Due to its light color offering, Vienna is a versatile malt. You can sneak 25% into a Bohemian-style Pilsner for additional malt chewiness or use 90% in an amber.” He closes it down by stating, “I think that Vienna has a place in many more beer styles than you may have first thought,”— and we couldn’t agree more.
Design Your Next Vienna-Based Lager
Maybe it’s for Oktoberfest, or maybe it’s just for fun: Try Vienna as the base of your next recipe and let us know what you think. Our Oktoberfest planning guide has sample grain bills and more details about our Munich Malt family.
If you’ve got questions about designing your next grain bill with a Vienna malt base, we’re here to help!