Craft Maltsters Guild Recaps MaltCon2025
The Craft Maltsters Guild reported international attendance and the largest Malt Cup competition yet from MaltCon2025, the organization’s annual conference and trade expo.
DENVER, CO– The Craft Maltsters Guild reported international attendance and the largest Malt Cup competition yet from MaltCon2025, the organization’s annual conference and trade expo.
The only malt industry gathering of its kind, MaltCon began with the Advance Class in Malt Production. This four-day intensive course had 14 participants hailing from Australia, France, Mexico, and the United States.
The conference, which took place in Denver this year, had attendees from nine countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, and the United States) and expert speakers who represented the entire grain supply chain— from farming and malting, to brewing and distilling, and many members of the agricultural research community. In total there were 97 participants, including professionals from 30 malthouses, three breweries, one distillery, 10 industry suppliers, and eight research institutions.
2025 MALT CUP
Each year at MaltCon, esteemed judges complete the final of three rounds of blind judging for the Malt Cup— a prestigious malt quality competition that determines the best malt in the world. This year, there were more entries into the competition than ever before (34 malthouses from seven countries submitted 112 malt samples), as well as two new categories (Distillers Malt and Unique Malt) to create a total of eight malt styles judged.
Congratulations to Maine’s Blue Ox Malthouse, named best in show in this points-based competition. Their team returned home with the traveling Malt Cup trophy.
The 2025 Malt Cup winners are as follows:
PILSEN (20 entries)
Bronze: Cold Stream Malt & Grain, malted in partnership with Montana Craft Malt
Silver: Cascadia Malts
Gold: Red Shed Malting
PALE MALT (13 entries)
Bronze: Two Track Malting
Silver: Red Shed Malting
Gold: Voyager Craft Malt
VIENNA (13 entries)
Bronze: ND Malting & Hops
Silver: Murmuration Malts
Gold: Admiral Maltings
LIGHT MUNICH (12 entries)
Bronze: Two Track Malting
Silver: Root Shoot Malting
Gold: Blue Ox Malthouse
WHEAT (15 entries)
Bronze: Admiral Maltings
Silver: South Fork Malthouse
Gold: LINC Malt
CARAMEL (11 entries)
Bronze: New York Craft Malt
Silver: Root Shoot Malting
Gold: Blue Ox Malthouse
DISTILLERS MALT (9 entries)
Bronze: Cascadia Malts
Silver: Troubadour Maltings
Gold: Root Shoot Malting
UNIQUE MALT (19 entries)
Honorable Mention: Voyager Craft Malt
Bronze: Root Shoot Malting
Silver: Red Shed Malting
Gold: Grouse Malt House
SOLES OF MALT AWARD
The Soles Of Malt, created in memory of craft maltster William Soles, stands for selfless and philanthropic stewardship of the craft malt industry. Each year, a selection committee considers a wide range of craft malt community members to make this tough decision. Congratulations to the 2025 Soles of Malt Award recipient, Brent Manning, the Co-Founder of Riverbend Malt House. Manning was one of the founding members of the Craft Maltsters Guild who served on the Board of Directors for 10 years, four of them as President. Manning and his team have also demonstrated incredible resilience and support for their community in Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
SPONSORS
MaltCon is made possible by generous organizations committed to the work of the Craft Maltsters Guild. Thank you to the MaltCon2025 sponsors.
Platinum Sponsor
Yingtai Machinery
Gold Sponsors
Kaspar Schulz
Malters Advantage
Buehler
Silver Sponsors
ABM Equipment
Walinga
Montana State University
Hartwick College
Metropolitan State University
Bronze Sponsors
Root Shoot Malting
IKA Lab Equipment
Resilient Freight Solutions
SPECIAL THANKS
The Guild extends recognition to Hannah Ulhmann, Director of the Montana State University Barley and Malt Quality Lab. Through her leadership, the lab has been the official Malt Cup partner since its inception. Thanks to Ulhmann for her ongoing dedication and work to elevate this competition year over year.
Media inquiring about the Craft Maltsters Guild or MaltCon2025 can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT THE CRAFT MALTSTERS GUILD
Formed in 2013, 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.
Blue Ox Malthouse Wins Best Of Show and Double Gold at 2025 Malt Cup Awards
Blue Ox Malthouse earned top honors among international entries in the 2025 Malt Cup awards.
Image courtesy Gabe Toth
LISBON FALLS, ME– On the heels of an expansion that established Blue Ox Malthouse as the world’s largest floor maltster outside of Europe, this Maine malthouse was just awarded two gold medals and Best of Show at the 2025 Malt Cup Awards.
Malt Cup, the seven-year-old international malt quality competition hosted by the Craft Maltsters Guild in collaboration with the Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab, is the only competition of its kind. Entries undergo three vigorous, points-based rounds of blind judging in specific malt style categories. In 2025, 34 malthouses from seven countries submitted 112 malt samples to the Malt Cup– the most entries ever for the competition.
The judges awarded Blue Ox with gold medals in the Light Munich and Caramel Malt categories for the floor malted Light Munich and Caramel 60 malts, respectively. Light Munich, which won bronze at this competition in 2023, is a character building malt for many beer styles that yields notes of lightly toasted bread crust rounded by a deep biscuity sweetness. Caramel 60 is Blue Ox’s darkest kilned malt, with notes of molasses, tobacco, and raisins.
Among the gold medalists, the Light Munich malt went on to win the Best In Show title for 2025 after the points scored in judging rounds superseded all other gold medalists. The team returned home to Maine with the traveling Malt Cup that’s prominently displayed at the malthouse alongside their now six total Malt Cup awards. Blue Ox has won two Malt Cup awards each year for the past three years, also scoring medals for their floor malted Caramel 20, Pale Malt, and Yankee Pilsner.
“This recognition is validation that we can craft world-class ingredients with Maine-grown grains, which elevate our customers’ products, our farmers’ hard work, and our community at large,” says Joel Alex, Founder and CEO of Blue Ox Malthouse. “I am especially proud of the team at Blue Ox who kept our quality consistent amid a complex expansion. We look forward to competing again next year with new, innovative products!”
The Blue Ox team honors their partners at Porter Farms, Aurora Mills, & Farms, and other regional farmers for providing the foundation of their high quality products, and their hard working team whose commitment to consistent excellence makes these accolades possible.
Purchase Blue Ox’s award winning floor malted products by contacting orders@blueoxmalthouse.com.
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.