Just had this story about the first Southeastern Malt House published in Mountain Xpress.
Here’s an excerpt:
Brent Manning and Brian Simpson want to take drinking local to a whole other level with their new malt house in West Asheville.
Think about it. You may support local breweries by quaffing their beers, but some ingredients — i.e., the malts — typically are grown and processed 3,000 miles away, then shipped here.
Manning and Simpson are striving to change that with the Riverbend Malt House.
The business partners met in Wilmington where they both worked as environmental consultants. Almost two years ago, they set out to ascertain why none of the barley grown in North Carolina is used to make North Carolina beer. Until now, most of that grain has gone to feed livestock.
Now farmers Buddy and Chris Hoffner of Salisbury, N.C., are growing barley and one type of wheat for Riverbend. Manning and Simpson received their first 40 tons of Hoffner barley last week, and after months of permit wrangling, they’re now malting grain in West Asheville.
Let’s take it back a step for the non-brewers. Malt is one of the primary ingredients in beer. It’s basically a grain, typically barley, wheat or rye, that’s been germinated then dried in a kiln (it isn’t the same as hops — that’s a different plant entirely). The process of malting develops the enzymes necessary to turn the grain’s starches into sugars. Malted grains are used to make beer, whiskey, malt vinegar and the malted milk balls that most of us only eat in movie theaters.
Also, I’m still recovering from last week’s 15th Brewgrass Festival. Some of my favorite beers there? Pisgah Brewing Vortex II Russian Imperial Stout, Coast Brewing Blackbeerd Bourbon-barrel aged stout, SweetWater Happy Ending Imperial Stout, Southern Tier Harvest Ale (ESB), Outer Banks Lemongrass Wheat, and Green Man Coconut Coffee Porter. Though I tasted lots more amazing beers from all over, those are ones that really stood out from the crowd. What a beautiful, beery day!
More Brewgrass photos soon. Cheers, y’all!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
SO FREAKING AWESOME!!! About time more Barley was grown in the US for beer. Now to try and grow some down here in El Salvador for our upcoming Microbrewery
You’re starting a microbrewery in El Salvador? Very cool.
Just came across your writings.You know there is nothing hotter than a woman driving a motorcycle or old pickup ex-cerpt for a woman who knows and enjoys her beer.Do you remember the end of the movie “Castaway” with Tom Hanks.
He is at that crossroads and that old truck pulls up and this beautiful girl gets out……wow…I think she had a bottle of my
Simon Kenton Pale Ale in her hand.Maybe that was in my dream…when visiting N.C or close,we hit the Wedge/IronRail
Great site! Having spent the last 12 years living in Asheville with at least 8 of those years going to Brewfest, this blog makes me yearn to come back to the WNC. Having moved back to the Outer Banks after growing up here, I must confess the the brew you like, Outer Banks Lemon Grass is totally righteous. If you ever make it over to our island I strongly recommend visiting the BrewThru and picking out your favorite beer as you drive thru in your car! While your there grab one of their viintage t-shirts. They have over 120 different choices. Its the same problem as always, too little time too much beer!
Thanks. Strangely enough, a few of us were talking about the Outer Banks Lemon Grass last night! I had it at Brewgrass and absolutely loved it. We were saying that Outer Banks is a NC brewery to watch in 2012!
we did open! and we just launched the first ever craft beer kickstarter project in Latin America to boot. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brewrevolution/brew-revolution-el-salvadors-first-craft-beer-brew