Maine’s Blue Ox Malthouse Wins Two Malt Cup Awards For The Second Consecutive Year

LISBON FALLS ME– Blue Ox Malthouse received two Malt Cup awards during MaltCon2024 at UC Davis last month. It's the second consecutive year that Maine’s first maltster has won two medals in this prestigious malt quality competition.

“These awards are all because of our amazing team,” Blue Ox Founder Joel Alex said as he walked off stage at the UC Davis Conference Center with a second medal. He then quickly texted photos to a group chat, despite it being nearly midnight in Maine. Most of the team was awake and awaiting results.   

Now in its sixth year, the Malt Cup is the only malt quality competition of its kind. Malt samples are evaluated by 70 industry and expert judges, a process organized by the Craft Maltsters Guild in collaboration with the Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab, and DraughtLab. The 2024 judges rigorously evaluated entries from 26 malthouses from across the world in six malt styles, awarding Blue Ox with a bronze medal in the Caramel category for its floor malted Caramel 20 malt, and a silver for its floor malted Yankee Pilsner malt in the Pilsen category. In 2023, Blue Ox Malthouse won Malt Cup awards for Pale (bronze) and Light Munich (bronze). Blue Ox Malthouse is the first and only New England malt house to-date to have received recognition in this competition.

Blue Ox Light Caramel 20 was floor malted from the AC Newdale 2-row barley variety. Caramel 20 has a candy sweetness with flavors of toffee and cajeta.  

Blue Ox Yankee Pilsner is a customer favorite. Also malted from the AC Newdale 2-row variety, this floor malted Pilsner malt style is created with a gentle kilning regime to yield a super light, grainy finish. Yankee Pilsner works perfectly in beer styles like NEIPA, Pilsner, and Saison. 

“To say it’s an honor to be awarded two medals in this year's Malt Cup feels like an understatement,” says Director of Malting Operations Benji Knorr. “It’s more than recognition; it helps our team justify the dedicated effort that we put into making quality floor malts and inspires us to make each batch better than the last. Importantly, it validates that world-class malt can be made by hand using locally-grown Maine grains.”

“This award recognizes our hardworking team here at Blue Ox. Our crew ultimately make all of this possible,” adds Knorr.

The Blue Ox team would like to extend special thanks to their partners at Porter Farms for providing consistent, quality barley that enables the malthouse to create floor malt that they are proud of.

If you’d like to purchase one of these award winning malts, or any of the other Blue Ox floor malts, you can visit the Blue Ox website contact page. 

Media inquiring about Blue Ox Malthouse can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT BLUE OX MALTHOUSE 

Launched in 2013 by homebrewer and community organizer-turned-maltster Joel Alex, Blue Ox Malthouse is Maine's first malting operation. Blue Ox Malthouse seeks to push the possibilities of craft beer and spirits, and support Maine agriculture by connecting these two groups through world class quality Maine-made malt. Reinvigorating a centuries-old floor malting tradition, Blue Ox is committed to growing the connection between brewers and farmers while striving to grow more sustainable food systems and serve as a model for sustainable and rural economic development. Learn more at blueoxmalthouse.com.

Riverbend Malt House Appalachian Wheat Malt Wins 2024 Malt Cup

ASHEVILLE, NC– Riverbend Malt House came home from MaltCon2024 with new hardware last month. The Craft Maltsters Guild awarded silver to Riverbend’s malted wheat in the new Wheat category of the Malt Cup, a prestigious malt quality competition that rigorously judges entries from all over the world.

2024 is the seventh year of the Malt Cup, which recognized craft maltsters for the quality and consistency in six malt varieties. Entries were submitted from 26 malthouses in five countries, and evaluated in three rounds by 70 industry judges. 

Riverbend’s Appalachian Wheat malt, popular among both brewing and distilling customers, received the silver medal in a brand new Wheat category. This malt is produced using soft red winter wheat and kilned with elevated temperatures to enhance aromas of freshly baked bread and toast. It’s a versatile style that augments grain bills across categories— from Lager to IPA to Wheated Whiskey. 

“Appalachian Wheat is like fresh baked bread,” says South Main Brewing Co-Owner and Head Brewer Nic Farley. “We use it in many of our beers for which we want a good haze, or to improve head retention.”

South Main and many other producers such as End Of Days Distillery, Fullsteam Brewery, Lookout Brewing, and Weldon Mills use Appalachian Wheat to craft their mainstay products. 

“This product has been a part of our lineup since the early days and we are excited to take home a medal for it,” says Riverbend Malt House Co-Founder Brent Manning. “We initially experimented with several heirloom varieties, but after several years of testing and trials we recognized that our process was driving more of the flavor than the variety itself. Definitely a surprise to both us and our customers!”

The flavor and performance of this malt have helped Appalachian Wheat take part in numerous trends over the years. From Hefeweizen to Gosé to NEIPA, this malt has stood the test of time.

Order Appalachian Wheat or any other of Riverbend’s malts for brewers and distillers, email orders@riverbendmalt.com. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Riverbend Malt House.

ABOUT RIVERBEND MALT HOUSE

Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malthouse east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.

Craft Maltsters Guild Accepting 2024 Malt Cup Submissions Through October 13

NATIONAL— The Craft Maltsters Guild invites malthouses from across the globe to participate in the only malt competition in the world, this year with an expanded six categories. .

The 2024 Malt Cup presented by the Craft Maltsters Guild is taking submissions from September 24th to October 13th. This year the Malt Cup has expanded to six categories including Pilsen, Pale Malt, Light Munich, Vienna, Wheat Malt, and Caramel Malt. The sixth annual Malt Cup takes place at the University of California Davis Conference Center in Northern California. 

Any Craft Maltsters Guild Member Malthouse, Allied Trade, or International Malthouse Member in good standing may enter. The cost per entry for Craft Maltsters Guild Members and International Malthouse Members is $150, or $300 for Allied Trade. Each participant is limited to one entry per category, with unlimited total entries. Each submission must contain three pounds of malt. Enter your malt at https://beerawardsplatform.com. 

The Malt Cup is the only competition of its kind and gives maltsters the opportunity to obtain valuable analytical and sensory feedback on their malts. Participants not only have a chance to win accolades but will also receive—

• A full report of Certificates of Analyses (COAs) for entries in each category participated in. Entries are blind coded so maltsters can ID the data for their own malt, while getting a comparison to the malts across the full entry field. Malt COAs are provided by the competition's official partner, Montana State University’s Barley, Malt, & Brewing Quality Lab. The COA data is valued at over $100 alone, while the ability to review the data from the full competition field is priceless. Note: All entries remain anonymous. 

• Sensory feedback report (for malts passing the scrutiny of the analytical round). Entries which advance are sent around the country to judge panels made up of industry professionals, including maltsters, brewers, distillers, researchers, journalists, and Cicerones. The Malt Cup is proud to partner with the Beer Judge Certification Program to source high quality judges for the competition. A comprehensive sensory report is generated for each malt and provided back to participants.·

• Sensory and COA feedback (for malts advancing to the Best of Show judging). Entries which advance to the final round will receive additional feedback including evaluations of the malt COAs, raw malt, and wort.·

• Winning malts (Gold, Silver, Bronze), in each category will receive a beautiful handmade medal. The competition has partnered with Aaron Maki of Old Hand Design to provide these handcrafted awards.·

• Best of Show trophy. Of the Gold winning malts, the single highest scoring entry will take home the traveling Malt Cup. Each year this trophy represents bragging rights for the top malt and malthouse.

Entry guidelines, malt style categories, judging criteria, and methodology can be accessed through the BAP website, where you can also sign up to be a judge or steward at the conference.

Media inquiring about the Malt Cup or the Craft Maltsters Guild can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT THE CRAFT MALTSTERS GUILD

Formed in 2013 by eight craft malthouses, the Craft Maltsters Guild’s mission is to promote and sustain the tradition of craft malting in North America, provide services and resources to the Association’s members, and uphold the highest quality and safety standards for Craft Maltsters. Learn more about the Craft Maltsters Guild at www.craftmalting.com.