Riverbend Malt House

Many of y'all have asked how Hurricane Helene has impacted our farm partners. Our primary grain providing farms were not in the flood path, and have not yet planted for the 2025 season. That's one piece of good news we're very happy to share. Here's one more positive share: Harvest results are in, and Avalon barley was the star of the show this year. Much like our customers, our growers are also fans of the Avalon barley. This variety factored more heavily in this year’s mix as we look to diversify our mix of 2-row varieties. This year marks the third year Avalon barley has been in production for us, and we are excited to see it take a starring role! Keep reading on our blog. 

Whether you're celebrating #LearnToHomebrewDay today or you've lost count of brew days, we hope you'll support a local Asheville business with upcoming malt and brewing equipment purchases! Without potable water, locals probably aren't doing much homebrewing right now. That's why we hope those of you outside of WNC will buy our malt online via Asheville Brewers Supply. They've got our Southern Select, Carolina Rye, and even a bit of 6-Row Pilsner and Heritage Malt left! Shop Here: https://lnkd.in/gFPHu_tn

Y'all asked, so we made it! Pull up a seat for our newest #maltshowcase: Honey Malt. This new 2-row barley product is inspired by “brumaltz” produced in Germany. This technique starves the germinating grain of oxygen and sets the table for a unique suite of chemical reactions to take place prior to kilning. Kilning temperatures are similar to our Light Munich. Pronounced sweet notes of maple syrup and fig lead off with a finish that blends in black tea and oak tannins. Try it in a classic Belgian Dubbel or English Brown recipe.

Fresh in stock, we bring you malted wheat from the Sunshine State! ☀️ Made with a beautiful lot of soft red wheat from Murphy Farms in Jennings, Florida, this batch is bringing notes of pear, sugar cookie, and honeysuckle. It’s even certified by Fresh From Florida! Try it in a Hefeweizen, Saison, or Gosé recipe!

Our friends at The Southern Growl Beer Company are committed to maintaining high standards of excellence in their brewery operations. Their dedication is evident not only in their Craft Malt Certified™ designation, but also in the expertise of their team members. ⁠ ⁠ Recently, another member of their talented staff achieved the prestigious Advanced Cicerone® certification, showcasing their knowledge and passion for all things craft beer. Hats off to Bob for achieving this impressive accomplishment!⁠ ⁠ Follow along with the Southern Growl to learn more about this stellar brewery in Greer, South Carolina!⁠⁠

We intended to close out #CraftMaltMonth by thanking all of our incredible customers who brewed beers, hosted events, and shared on social media in support of this Craft Maltsters Guild initiative. They're deserving of praise for their craft malt advocacy in September, and always! Give these folks a follow if you don't already, and give this post a ❤️ if you use craft malt! ⁠ ⁠⁠ DSSOLVR Brewing Fireforge Crafted Beer Oak & Grist Distilling Co LLC Standard Beer + Food Mountain Layers Brewing Company Fullsteam Outsider Brewing Company

Madison appreciation post!⁠ ⁠ Meet Madison Peace, our production supervisor!⁠ ⁠ Madison stumbled into the malting world by sheer luck, but he’s loved every minute of working in the industry here at Riverbend. Being part of the community and contributing to what makes this city unique is incredibly fulfilling for Madison, who is also an Asheville native.⁠ ⁠ Currently, his favorite beer is @DSSOLVR "Cold Caprese Pizza" Italian Pilsner, and when it comes to malt, he’s been a long-time fan of our Dark Munich. “Its complex flavor profile and bitterness make it my favorite for sensory and just to chew on.”⁠ ⁠ We love having Madison on the Riverbend team 🍻⁠

We are feeling the love, and appreciate all of you who have reached out over the last few weeks. Many of you have reached out regarding availability— we’ve got everything in stock and ready to ship! Our team is sending out many orders for Higher Calling Hazy IPAs and the North Carolina Brewers Guild ‘Pouring for Neighbors’ initiative to help our community rebuild. Follow them to get involved, and let us know how we can help with your Helene relief efforts.

Happy #NCBeerMonth, y'all! Here's a little throwback to NC Beer Farm Day last month... ⁠ 🌾 Hosted by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild, NC Beer Farm Day aimed to engage and educate participants, showcasing the collaborative efforts of breweries, malt houses, and farmers in strengthening North Carolina’s local economy. All three North Carolina malt houses attended along with legislators, brewers, and the guest of honor: Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. ⁠ ⁠ 🍻 We also got a chance to share beers from Diatribe Brewing, Happy Valley Filling Station, and Fullsteam. ⁠ 🙏 Thanks to the Guild for organizing and Carolina Malt for hosting!⁠ We owe much praise to the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild for so many of their initiatives right now. Their Hurricane Helene relief efforts, all during NC Beer Month, are remarkable. If y'all can support their 501c3, The NC Craft Brewers Foundation, with a Higher Calling Beer or the purchase of a Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA, please do so!

Just before Helene hit, we had several new malt products queued to release for y'all. We're pretty excited about this one— it's been a long time in the making, and it helps us visualize our future during a time of unprecedented catastrophe in our community. We believe in the resilience of our supply chain, and strive to improve it through investments like our Regenified™ certification. Behold— our first batch of certified Regenified™ Southern Select in the germination room! ⁠ We used an old school floor malt approach for this first batch. Kilned with moderate temperatures to balance color development and enzyme preservation. Clocking in around 2.8 SRM, expect a bready, sweet character on this product. Give us a shout to reserve yours today!⁠ If your plan is to brew a hurricane relief beer with it, all the better.