ASHEVILLE, N.C.— Riverbend Malt House proudly announces its Custom Malt Program, allowing craft brewers and distillers to create unique one-off malts to set their products apart with help from the team at Riverbend Malt House’s production facility in Asheville. The service is currently available to any brewery or distillery within Riverbend’s distribution radius.
Historically available only to larger, national-scale beverage producers, custom malt development capabilities such as those offered by Riverbend bring previously inaccessible malt processes to regionally focused brewhouses and distilleries. The Riverbend team takes brewers and distillers behind the scenes, giving them direct access to research and development projects and a hands-on role in tailoring a malt to fit their needs.
“We needed a malt to make our Bohemian Pilsner stand out, and using local grain jibes with our brand values, so we turned to Riverbend,” notes Justin Ramirez, head brewer at Arches Brewing of Georgia. “The process was incredibly easy, and having the entire batch dedicated to us really streamlined the inventory side of things. We liked it so much, we had them make it again for some other small-batch beers.”
Riverbend offers brewers and distillers the ability to customize every aspect of their malt, from selecting locally sourced or estate grown grain to specifying target color and enzymatic levels. Further specialization can be achieved through traditional floor malting techniques, a time-honored process few others in the industry offer. These efforts are personally overseen by Riverbend co-founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson, who are on hand to advise on grain selection, germination periods and kilning temperatures to develop distinctive malts.
“Working directly with Brent and Brian, we spent hours sampling hot steeps and combing through sensory notes to find the profile we were looking for,” says Reed Odeneal, co-founder and director of brewing operations at Florida-based Perfect Plain Brewing. “We wanted to create a malt that was subtle enough to utilize in an array of delicate lagers yet expressive enough to add a warm, rustic character suited for beers brewed with purpose. Small maltsters like Riverbend Malt House are pioneering a malting revolution and giving brewers new ways to introduce a sense of place in their beers. It’s a revolution that we’re proud and excited to be a part of.”
Building a custom malt with Riverbend grants a competitive advantage to breweries and distilleries seeking a definitive point of differentiation to attract consumers who care about quality and locality. To learn more about Riverbend’s Custom Malt Program, or to start crafting the perfect malt for your own product lines, visit: riverbendmalt.com/malts/custom-malts/.
About Riverbend Malt House
Riverbend Malt House, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Asheville, NC, is one of the original craft malting facilities in the US. Utilizing grain sourced from local, family owned farmers, Riverbend malt fuels high quality, unique beverages produced by hundreds of North America’s finest craft breweries and distilleries. Visit riverbendmalt.com