Craft Malt Month 2025 To Celebrate North American Grain Farmers, Craft Maltsters, and Truly Local Brewers & Distillers

NATIONAL— As a new generation of agriculturally minded craft breweries and distilleries continues to engage with the role they play in food systems, they drive demand for local, higher quality, and storied ingredients. Craft Malt Month is a celebration of this grassroots movement toward more resilient and sustainable grain supply chains that make better tasting beer and spirits. 

The Craft Maltsters Guild is excited to announce the second annual Craft Malt Month in September of 2025. This community-wide celebration brings together farmers, maltsters, brewers, distillers, and consumers to honor the artistry and impact of craft malt during our most vibrant season: harvesttime. 

To celebrate that season, malthouses and breweries across the continent are collaborating on fest biers and other expressions of autumn that will raise funds for the Craft Maltsters Guild. “The classic, malt-forward German beer styles commonly crafted during Oktoberfest season are excellent opportunities to showcase their key source of flavor– malt,” says Steve Kurowski, Executive Director of the Craft Maltsters Guild. “We’re delighted to showcase the local bounty of the season, and grateful to our members who are both generating awareness about the value of craft malt, and supporting our future educational programming with funds from these collaborations.” 

Craft Malt Month fest bier fundraisers supporting the Craft Maltsters Guild include the following—

The Rake at Admiral Maltings in Alameda, California will have an array of fest biers made with Admiral malt on tap. Admiral will donate 10 percent of September’s proceeds from these seasonal biers to the Guild. 

Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, North Carolina has teamed up with Lookout Brewing on a fest bier with a tropical twist. They are also working with Craft Malt Certified™ Printshop Beer Company in Knoxville, Tennessee on a recipe that will feature Tennessee-grown 2-row barley. 

Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado is also collaborating with several of its Craft Malt Certified customers— including Our Mutual Friend Brewing, Salt Road Brewing, and the most recently certified brewery, Littleton Brewing, on fest biers to be released throughout September. One of these biers by another certified brewery, Horse & Dragon Brewing Co., also includes malt from Loveland, Colorado’s Root Shoot Malting in its recipe. 

Stoup Brewing, 192 Brewing Company, and Postdoc Brewing in Kenmore, Washington collaborated with Copperworks and LINC Malt to produce a bier for the second annual Kenmore Oktoberfest. One dollar for each ½ liter stein sold from all Kenmore locations throughout September will be donated to the Guild. 

Distillers are also getting involved with Craft Malt Month, with special releases, cocktails, and events. Copperworks Distilling in Seattle, Washington will release their fourth Guild fundraising whiskey, formerly made for Craft Malt Week that’s now Craft Malt Month. This American Single malt features 100 percent Washington malted and grown malted barley. For each bottle sold, Copperworks will donate $10 to the Craft Maltsters Guild. In addition to their contributions from bottle sales, Copperworks will also feature special Craft Malt Month cocktails at its two tasting room locations (Seattle and Kenmore, Washington) with $1 from each cocktail sold to the Craft Maltsters Guild.

Find a calendar of all Craft Malt Month fundraisers, events, and educational opportunities at CraftMaltMonth.com. 

All are encouraged to join the conversation by using the #CraftMaltMonth hashtag and tagging the Guild @craftmalting on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and X throughout September.

For more information about Craft Malt Month, visit craftmaltmonth.com. Media inquiring about Craft Malt Month and the Craft Maltsters Guild 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.

Loveland Malthouse Completes a Near Sweep of International Malt Cup Awards

Image courtesy @activebeergeek; From left: Hannah Turner, MSU; Michael Myers, Root Shoot Malting; Craig Miller, Root Shoot Malting; Lindsay Barr, DraughtLab

LOVELAND, CO— On Friday, March 17, Root Shoot Malting, a 5th generation farm and craft malthouse out of Loveland, Colorado completed a near sweep of the 2023 Malt Cup awards presented at the annual Craft Malt Conference in Portland, Maine.

The Malt Cup competition, hosted by the Craft Maltsters Guild, is the only internationally recognized competition for the burgeoning craft malting industry. This year’s participants encompassed 6 countries, 19 states, and 3 provinces with representation from over 34 malthouses worldwide. The 2023 Malt Cup was the largest competition to date with 90 total entries in four malt categories: Pilsen, Pale, Vienna, and Light Munich. Malt Cup entries were scored in three rounds by 200 judges including universities, brewers, distillers, maltsters, and cicerones across 35 locations throughout the country.

Root Shoot Malting received four medals, winning gold in the Pilsen, Light Munich, and Vienna categories. They received a silver in the fourth category for their Pale Malt, and also took home the traveling Malt Cup for the overall Best in Show with their Genie Pilsen malt. Root Shoot Malting is the only craft malthouse to win an award all five years of the competition’s existence and the only malthouse to medal in every category in a single year.

“It is an absolute honor to be recognized at this level through this competition,” says Michael Myers, Root Shoot’s head maltster. “Our small team is pouring passion, energy, and thought into every step of our process and we feel that translates through to the end consumer.”

Founder and lead farmer Todd Olander agrees. “We believe our farming practices are directly linked to this year’s wins,” says Mr. Olander. “Implementing regenerative techniques and encouraging soil health allows our barley to thrive. Award-winning malt starts in the field.”

Root Shoot Malting is proud to work in the craft malt community with other talented malthouses, including this year’s other Malt Cup medalists: Admiral Maltings, Hogarth Malt, Field Five Farm, Blue Ox Malthouse, Miller Malting Company, Gallatin Valley Malt Co., and Wyoming Malting Company.

Media inquiring about Root Shoot Malting and their 2023 Malt Cup achievements can contact LeeAnne Sanders at team@rootshootmalting.com.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th-generation family farm and malthouse that supplies barley, wheat, rye, and non-GMO corn to craft breweries and distilleries throughout Colorado and beyond. Find them online at rootshootmalting.com.

Living The Dream Brings Back Zap! Smash! IPA in 2022

LITTLETON, CO.—  Zap! Smash! IPA by Living The Dream Brewing is now available for the second year, this time across Colorado through distribution with Colorado Craft Distributors. 

“This beer and its label are a bit of a departure from our usual lineup,” says Living The Dream Brewing Founder Jason Bell. “Branching out with a more unique hop profile and working with local malt from Root Shoot Malting, we wanted to create a label that was just as unique as the beer.” 

Zap! Smash! is an experimental IPA that came out of a partnership with Whole Foods in 2021. It was crafted with Zappa Hops, named in honor of Frank Zappa, and Colorado-grown Root Shoot Malting Genie Pale Malt. This refreshing 5.4% IPA yields flavors of mango, passionfruit, citrus, and pine. It will be available in canned 6-packs at the Living The Dream taproom, and across Colorado through Colorado Craft Distributors, while supplies last. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Living The Dream Brewing. Download press assets here. 

ABOUT LIVING THE DREAM BREWING CO. 

Living the Dream Brewing is a craft brewery established in 2014 in Littleton, our home base for adventure in Colorado. Built on a foundation of brewing beer using only the finest ingredients, Living the Dream celebrates the people, places, and activities of the Centennial State. Live the life you've imagined, and join us at livingthedreambrewing.com.

Living The Dream Brewing and Whole Foods Release Zap! Smash! IPA

LITTLETON, CO– Living The Dream Brewing is excited to release an experimental IPA in collaboration with the Highlands Ranch, Colorado Whole Foods branch. Zap! Smash! is now available for locally minded beer lovers.

Zap! Smash! was crafted with Zappa Hops, named in honor of Frank Zappa, and Colorado-grown Root Shoot Genie Pale Malt. This refreshing 5.4% IPA yields flavors of mango, passionfruit, citrus, and pine. 

“Whole Foods reached out to us when their Highlands Ranch Store took on a full liquor license, and we were thrilled to partner with them on beer to celebrate their commitment to supporting local. We decided on a single malt and single hop beer, or S.M.A.S.H, beer featuring Colorado’s own Root Shoot Malting, and highlighting Zappa hops— a native North American hop variety,” explains Living The Dream founder Jason Bell. “The name came about as Zappa and SMASH reminded us of the old superhero shows where the action was accentuated by the large word bubbles like POW, BAM, etc.”  

Zap! Smash! is now available in limited quantities in 12oz. canned 6-packs at the Living The Dream’s tasting room. Find it at Whole Foods South Denver Metro locations beginning September 15, while supplies last. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Living The Dream. 

ABOUT LIVING THE DREAM BREWING

Living the Dream Brewing is a craft brewery established in 2014 in Littleton, our home base for adventure in Colorado. Built on a foundation of brewing beer using only the finest ingredients, Living the Dream celebrates the people, places, and activities of the Centennial State. Live the life you've imagined, and join us at livingthedreambrewing.com.

Our Mutual Friend Presents Hear Me Out IPA in Collaboration with Fermly

DENVER, CO— Fermly, an independent lab for brewers based in Denver, has teamed up with Our Mutual Friend on a new IPA. Hear Me Out— this IPA was brewed with quality ingredients from some of Our Mutual Friend’s favorite suppliers and shaped by the data and insight Fermly provided throughout the brewing process.  

Hear Me Out is a fruit-forward Tropical IPA with notes of guava, mango and pineapple. This 8.9% ABV IPA was crafted with malt from Root Shoot Malting, fermented with Kveik yeast from Inland Island Yeast, and hopped with the Pink Boots Society and Zythos hop blends from Yakima Chief Hops.

The owners at Fermly and Our Mutual Friend share the belief that by working across industries, you are able to learn more, work better together, and make even better beer. This belief inspired Hear Me Out IPA. 

"I've been working with Fermly for a few years now, and they have been a tremendous partner in helping us make the best beer we possibly can," says Head Brewer, Jan Chodkowski. "The expertise they provide helps us dial in our recipes and assures us that we are putting out quality products. An awesome bonus is that they are rad people and are just as passionate about beer as we are." 

Our Mutual Friend has crafted collaborations with other suppliers, but this was the first one they’ve done with an independent research lab. Danny Wang, Fermly’s Co-Founder and Information Architect, adds, “A major motivation behind Fermly is to help brewers succeed by providing them with better access to information that helps improve the quality of the beers they brew. Being involved in Our Mutual Friend’s recipe development and brewing process was a treat.” 

Hear Me Out can be found on tap at Our Mutual Friend, and in 16-ounce four-packs while supplies last.

For more information about Fermly or this collaboration, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT FERMLY 

Fermly is an independent quality lab designed by brewers, for brewers, complete with a data platform for tracking information from batch to batch. Launched in Denver by former brewery owner Danny and TTB-certified chemist Emily Wang, Fermly serves brewing companies of all sizes across the country who need and value QA/QC with customized lab services, an innovative subscription approach to lab work, and data privacy protection. Fermly know your craft. Visit www.fermly.com to learn more. 

ABOUT OUR MUTUAL FRIEND BREWING

Our Mutual Friend Brewing opened in December of 2012 with the goal of creating a place for community through their small neighborhood taproom in the up and coming River North (RiNo) neighborhood. Starting on a 31-gallon brew system, they worked tirelessly to understand the techniques and history of beer while looking forward to where craft beer was heading. Doing so influenced their vision to create beers with a sense of place, forging relationships with Colorado hop and barley growers, and has allowed them to offer as many 100% Colorado grown beers as possible. In 2015 they earned a silver medal in the wood and barrel aged sour category at the Great American Beer Festival for 24FPS, a 100% Colorado mixed-culture fermentation barrel-aged sour beer. 

In 2017 OMF continued its organic growth, increasing capacity to meet demand and offer traditional styles while still being afforded the opportunity for experimentation. 2016 and 2017 saw OMF receiving back to back silver medals at GABF in the brett beer category for Dreamy Thing (a collaboration with Cerebral Brewing) and Saison Trystero as well as a bronze medal in International Pale Ale for Inner Light in 2020.

For more information visit buyomfbeer.com, and follow OMF on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @omfbrewing.

Root Shoot Malting Reports Community Impact of East Troublesome Pale Ale & Homebrew Competition for Grand County Wildfire Relief

LOVELAND, CO—  Root Shoot Malting has announced the results of the East Troublesome Pale Ale initiative that united the Grand County brewing community and raised nearly $34,000 for those impacted by Colorado's second-largest wildfire.

Six professional breweries and 27 homebrewers brewed the East Troublesome Pale Ale over the last few months, and earned tremendous support from the Grand County community of beer lovers and homebrew competition entrants who helped to raise $34,000 for The Grand Foundation: a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting residents who were evacuated, displaced or lost their homes during the Grand County Wildfires. 

Root Shoot Malting, alongside Colorado Hop Company and Propagate Labs, donated ingredients to six breweries in Grand County to help create the East Troublesome Pale Ale. The recipe and ingredients were then available to homebrewers who were encouraged to brew their own version of the benefit beer. 

"I am blown away by the amount we raised and how many people rallied to support this cause," said Emily Olander, Co-Founder of Root Shoot Malting. “A huge thank you to everyone; brewers, suppliers, homebrewers, and residents of Grand County for donating your time, energy, and resources to make this a success." 

Root Shoot brought this effort home with a homebrew competition that 27 homebrewers entered earlier this year. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony, and the entries raised more than $550 for this effort that Root Shoot Malting matched. The whole team at Root Shoot extends congratulations to all of the winners and gratitude to everyone who participated. 

1ST PLACE 

Mackenzie Springett: “East Troublesome Fire Pale Ale” 

“When I drink the East Troublesome Fire Pale Ale, I immediately feel as if I’m sitting in the mountains and enjoying stunning views and the smell of the pine trees. I enjoy all of Root Shoot’s malts and use close to 100% of their malts in every recipe,” Springett says. “I also want to give a big shout out to firefighters. They saved us and helped preserve those smells and views.” 

2ND PLACE

Ben Gaylord: “Hearts and Minds”  

3RD PLACE

Nelson Crowle: “Grungeist SMaSH”

HONORABLE MENTION 

Charles Epperson: “Fire and Smoke” 

Fraser River Beer Co. is planning on serving a batch brewed with first place homebrewer Mackenzie Springett for the community to enjoy this Spring, and 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Grand Foundation. 

 For more information about Root Shoot Malting or the East Troublesome Pale Ale, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com. 

SPONSORS

The East Troublesome Pale Ale Competition was possible due to the support from all of our sponsors. We’d like to thank the following organizations for their contributions. 

• Fraser River Beer Co., Hideaway Park Brewing, Camber Brewing, Grand Adventure Brewing, Big Trout Brewing Co., and The Peak Bistro and Brewery donated 100 percent of their beer proceeds to this cause.

• Colorado Hop Company, Troubadour Maltings, Propagate Lab, Reggiebeer.com, and Turn It Up Media, contributed products and services. 

• Left Hand Brewing, Spike Brewing, Sticker Giant, American Homebrewers Association, Fermentis, Yakima Chief Hops, and Five Star Chemicals donated generous prizes that were awarded to the competition winners.

• Michael Bischoff, Head Brewer at The Peak Bistro and Brewery developed the East Troublesome Pale Ale homebrew recipe. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th generation family farm and craft malthouse that supplies the Rocky Mountain region with craft malt and grains. Founded by the Olander family in 2016, Root Shoot harvests barley, wheat, rye and corn to give craft brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Located on the Olander Farms’ 112-acre farm in Loveland, Colorado, and approximately 1500 leased acres, Root Shoot is working to ensure that farmland remains available to grow grains for the beers and spirits of tomorrow. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

From Seed To Glass: Root Shoot Malting Releases Malted Heritage Oland Wheat

LOVELAND, CO— Root Shoot Malting announced today the release of a rare malted heritage grain, Ölandsvete, or Oland Wheat. This passion project has been more than two years in the making and resulted from a cross-sector collaboration inspired by family history. 

This history of farming Oland Wheat goes back for centuries, and today there are only a few farmers in the world who grow the variety. Now, one is Olander Farms in Loveland, Colorado, home base for Root Shoot Malting— quite possibly the only malthouse in the world to malt this variety. 

Oland Wheat is named after a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea where this variety was first grown over 6,000 years ago, and from where the Olander's ancestors migrated in the 1800's. The grain nearly disappeared from Swedish fields in 1960 until 1995, when it was reintroduced to encourage the rediscovery of sourdough bread making.

The Olanders’ ties to Oland and thirst for innovation ignited their pursuit to bring a rare heritage grain to Colorado’s craft brewing and distilling community. Finnriver Grainery in Chimacum, Washington, who provided the seed via the Washington State University’s Bread Lab breeding program, made that possible.  Olander Farms grew ten acres of the grain in 2019, another twenty acres in 2020, and plans to grow another twenty acres in 2021. 

“I’m excited to taste these craft beverages, and wouldn’t be surprised if they have a hint of coastal wind-swept-Sweden in their flavor profile,” jokes Keith Kisler, Founder of Finnriver Grainery. “Heritage grains can thrive in low input organic environments, so farmers can go lighter on fertilizers and herbicides and still grow a viable crop full of flavor and nutrition. The way heritage grains adapt and survive tells us so much about the landscape and people.”

At The Family Jones Spirit House in Denver, Colorado, Head Distiller Rob Masters uses this heritage wheat for his single-estate Annika Jones Vodka, crafted with 60% Oland Wheat. He describes the flavor profile as sweet, with a hint of honeydew melon. "Utilizing heirloom grains was especially important to the flavor development for this vodka,” says Masters. “The fact that this variety came from Scandinavia, grown by farmers with Scandinavian ancestors, for a distiller with Scandinavian ancestors in a Scandinavian style vodka was a win all around.”

Root Shoot Malting has lastly partnered with Lake Hollow Homestead, a garlic farm in Berthoud, Colorado that sells Root Shoot grains to homebrewers, to also make Oland Wheat available in flour form to use in baking. Three-pound bags of fresh-milled Oland Wheat flour are now available for purchase through Lake Hollow Homestead’s Online Store.

Ölandsvete malted wheat is available to commercial brewers and distillers in limited quantities. To order, please contact Emily Olander by email at emily@rootshootmalting.com.  

For more information about Root Shoot Malting or this radical seed-to-glass collaboration, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th generation family farm and craft malthouse that supplies the Rocky Mountain region with craft malt and grains. Founded by the Olander family in 2016, Root Shoot harvests barley, wheat, rye and corn to give craft brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Located on the Olander Farms’ 112-acre farm in Loveland, Colorado, and approximately 1500 leased acres, Root Shoot is working to ensure that farmland remains available to grow grains for the beers and spirits of tomorrow. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Root Shoot Malting Wins 2021 Malt Cup for Genie Pale Malt

LOVELAND, CO— Root Shoot Malting was humbled and overjoyed to take home a Malt Cup over the weekend at the annual Craft Malt Conference put on by the Craft Maltsters Guild. 2021 marks the third year of this prestigious awards program and the third consecutive year Root Shoot has won. Root Shoot is the only malthouse in the world that can now make this claim.

Root Shoot’s popular Genie Pale Malt was the bronze recipient in this year’s Pale Malt category, which had 25 entries. The 2021 Malt Cup awards evaluation was conducted by 83 international judges who completed three rounds of sensory evaluation to determine the world’s best malt.

Root Shoot’s Genie Pale Malt starts as Limagrain Cereal Seed’s award-winning Genie 2-Row, which Troubadour Malting also cultivates in their Genie Pale and also won at the Malt Cup this year. More flavorful than a traditional 2-Row base malt, this light malt has notes of bread and honey making it an excellent base malt for any style beer. 

“We value camaraderie and mentorship in our craft malting industry, and we owe this award to our peers who have helped shape us along the way,” says Emily Olander, the co-owner at Root Shoot Malting. “It takes an enormous, dedicated team to produce award-winning malt three years in a row. Many thanks to our farmers, fellow maltsters, brewers, and distillers for guiding us along the way.”  

The Root Shoot crew watched and celebrated the awards ceremony at Timnath Beerwerks in Northern Colorado. “At Timnath Beerwerks, we use local craft malt for many reasons,” says Head Brewer and Co-Owner Cy Bevenger. “Quality and freshness make the decision easy from a brewing perspective. Combine that with the relationships that the fantastic people at Root Shoot (and Troubadour too!) strive to maintain with their customers and suppliers every single day, and there is no question as to why we support this great local business.” 

Root Shoot is grateful to Montana State University, DraughtLabs, and the Craft Maltsters Guild for their savvy Malt Cup judging process, and proud to stand beside the other 2021 Malt Cup winners– Gold Rush Malt, Malteria Italiana Artigianale, Troubadour Maltings, and Admiral Malting. 

For more information about Root Shoot Malting or the company’s third Malt Cup win, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th generation family farm and craft malthouse that supplies the Rocky Mountain region with craft malt and grains. Founded by the Olander family in 2016, Root Shoot harvests barley, wheat, rye and corn to give craft brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Located on the Olander Farms’ 112-acre farm in Loveland, Colorado, and approximately 1500 leased acres, Root Shoot is working to ensure that farmland remains available to grow grains for the beers and spirits of tomorrow. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

2021 Malt Cup Winners, Soles of Malt Recipient Named During First Virtual Craft Malt Conference Awards Ceremony

The Craft Maltsters Guild (CMG) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 Malt Cup, as well as the recipient of the annual Soles of Malt Award. The virtual awards ceremony was broadcasted and streamed live as the finale of the best-attended Craft Malt Conference yet on February 12, for which malt enthusiasts and craft beer lovers tuned in from all over the world. 

2021 was the first time CMG hosted the conference virtually, and the first year the guild opened up this one-of-a-kind competition to international malthouses. 28 malthouses from seven countries, 17 states, and one province submitted a total of 46 entries. Altogether, this year’s submissions spanned 29 different malt barley varieties.

The 2021 Malt Cup awards evaluation took place in three phases over two months. Malthouses sent samples to Montana State University's Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab, where researchers conducted quality control analysis to ensure that each entry meets the competing category criteria. The qualifying samples then underwent hot steep sensory evaluation at 17 different judging locations across the United States and Canada. Judges reported sensory data such as aroma, flavor, and aroma via DraughtLab, a sensory software. The DraughtLab team is an on-going partner in the competition.

In the final round, additional judge panels evaluated the top malts in each category to determine the top winners. Judges examined both the certificate of analysis for each malt and conducted further hot steep sensory evaluation to make decisions about the world’s best craft malt. In total, 83 judges worked together to determine the following winners: 

PILSEN MALT 

• Gold -  Gold Rush Malt (Baker City, OR, USA)

• Silver - Malteria Italiana Artigianale (Gualdo Cattaneo, PG, Italy)

• Bronze - Admiral Maltings (Alameda, CA, USA)

PALE MALT 

• Gold -  Gold Rush Malt (Baker City, OR, USA)

• Silver - Troubadour Maltings (Fort Collins, CO, USA)

• Bronze  - Root Shoot Malting (Loveland, CO, USA)

2021 MALT CUP WINNER

Gold Rush Malt was awarded Best of Show and became the first malt house to win two gold medals in a single season. 

SOLES OF MALT AWARD

The Soles of Malt Award is an award that honors individuals who stand out for their leadership, selflessness, and philanthropic stewardship of craft malt. The award is named in memory of William Soles, co-founder of Grouse Malt House. The recipient of the 2021 Soles of Malt Award is Paul Schwarz, professor of Malting Barley Quality in the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. 

“Paul has taught many students now employed in the malting, brewing, and food science industries, especially in craft malting about crop diseases, beer gushing, and malt quality analysis,” says  Dave Thomas, Brewer Emeritus at Dostal Alley Brewery. “I have personally witnessed Paul's uncanny ability to spot the variety, quality, and stage of development or diseases in cereal grain fields from the window of a moving car at 60mph on a backcountry road!"

“Agricultural contributions like Schwarz’s and exceptional final products from Malt Cup winners continue to elevate craft malt as a critical value add for craft brewers and distillers across the globe,” says Jesse Bussard, CMG Executive Director. “In turn, they help to establish the importance of flavor, sustainable supply chains, and engaged communities in the beverage industry and beyond.” 

#CRAFTMALTCON2021
This year’s virtual format via Crowdsource allowed for 265 total attendees and 30 speakers from six continents, 15 countries, and 36 United States to tap into the most accessible craft malt education in the world. 

CMG extends congratulations to all of the 2021 winners and gratitude to all speakers, sponsors, and participants. 

To learn more about these prestigious awards programs or the North American Craft Maltsters Guild, contact Emily Hutto at coop@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.

RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book to Support James Beard Foundation Open For Good Campaign

The craft beverage-centric marketing company RadCraft went live today with a downloadable coloring book for which proceeds will support the James Beard Foundation’s Open For Good campaign. 

The RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book features the logos of thirteen of the company’s partner malthouses, breweries, and distilleries (listed below) brought to life by Content Coordinator Shelby Martin. These companies, among many others, conceived this fundraising effort through an industry relief Zoom chat that RadCraft hosts monthly to discuss issues facing the beverage community. The group voted on the James Beard Foundation’s Open For Good campaign to receive all proceeds for the coloring book. 

For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has promoted Good Food For Good™ by giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging year for the independent food and beverage industry which employs over 11 million people nationwide.” said Kris Moon, Chief Operating Officer of the James Beard Foundation “After the pandemic hit, the Foundation quickly directed all of our resources to helping the industry to survive this crisis. We are only able to continue that work thanks to the generous contributions of partners such as RadCraft. We are incredibly grateful for their support as we work to keep helping the industry remain Open for Good.”

Open for Good programs provide critical resources to help independent restaurants build the capacity to come back stronger, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient. Learn more at jamesbeard.org/openforgood and contact JamesBeard@magrinopr.com with media inquiries about the foundation.

The RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book is available for download on Issuu. Those who download and print are encouraged to share their art on social media with the #radcraftindustryrelief hashtag. 

Contact Founder & CEO Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for a downloadable media copy of the coloring book, or with questions about RadCraft.

Participating RadCraft Partners 

Bonfire Brewing

Boulder Spirits

Deerhammer Distillery

Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Laws Whiskey House

Lone Tree Brewing Company

Murphy & Rude Malting 

Pagosa Brewing

Root Shoot Malting 

Ska Brewing

The Empourium Brewing Company

Thirsty Monk Brewery

Woods Boss Brewing

ABOUT RADCRAFT

Founded in 2012 by Emily Hutto, RadCraft provides communications support to barley crafters. From breweries and distilleries to maltsters and their affiliates, RadCraft’s partners are makers of thoughtful products and cultivators of radical ideas. Beers and spirits should tell stories about brands, and RadCraft loves a good story. Lean more at radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION 

The James Beard Foundation promotes Good Food For Good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has asserted the power of food to drive behavior, culture, and policy change. The organization is committed to giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501©(3) organization based in New York City.

Support Local Agriculture this Colorado Gives Day through 100 Year Lease

LOVELAND, CO— Just in time for Colorado Gives Day 2020, Root Shoot Malting relaunches its Steward fundraiser to support the 100 Year Lease campaign to preserve local, time-honored agricultural land. 

This fall, Root Shoot Malting debuted its short film 100 Year Lease. This documentary film, produced by Traverse Image, is dedicated to the education about and preservation of the American family farm. It tells the story of the 5th generation Olander Farm, the family farm that Root Shoot stems from. 

“We're rooted in Colorado; that’s where the name Root Shoot came from,” says Root Shoot Malting co-owner Todd Olander. “This is where we want to be, and we'll do whatever we can to stay here.” 

Along with the film premiere, Root Shoot launched a crowdfunding campaign through the agriculture-centric platform Steward to generate contributions toward a conservation easement on their farm. As of this week, Steward has streamlined the donation process to make contributing to 100 Year Lease that much easier. 

Donate to Root Shoot Malting’s conservation easement here, and watch 100 Year Lease on Root Shoot’s YouTube channel. Please contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting and Olander Farms. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

ABOUT TRAVERSE IMAGE

Traverse Image is a Colorado digital film company with a focus on documentary films about the natural world. Traverse Image believes that films can inspire monumental change— the passionate company is tenacious in their pursuit of bringing powerful stories to life through film. Get inspired at traverseimage.com.

ABOUT STEWARD & THE STEWARD FOUNDATION

Steward is the fundraising platform for sustainable and regenerative agriculture, helping small farms to flourish by allowing anyone to invest and become stewards of the land. Steward’s charitable branch, The Steward Foundation Inc., is an IRC 501(c)(3) charitable organization created to manage contributions and fund grants to projects surrounding sustainable and regenerative agriculture. By making a donation to The Steward Foundation, donors will be contributing directly to Root Shoot Malting's conservation easement project. 100% of a donor's charitable donation will be distributed to the project, and the donation will be tax-deductible to the extent that no goods or services were provided to the donor in exchange. The Steward Foundation’s tax identification number is 37-1912757. Find Steward online at gosteward.com.

Craft Breweries in Grand County, Colorado Rally For Fire Relief

Photo courtesy Camber Brewing

GRAND COUNTY, CO— Six craft breweries in Colorado’s Grand County have crafted the East Troublesome Pale Ale in response to the East Troublesome Fire that burned 193,812 acres. All proceeds for this beer will be donated to The Grand Foundation to support those that have been affected by the East Troublesome Fire. 

Fraser River Beer Co., Hideaway Park Brewing, Camber Brewing, Grand Adventure Brewing, Big Trout Brewing Co., and The Peak Bistro and Brewery have all committed to brewing the East Troublesome Pale. Colorado ingredient producers Root Shoot Malting, Colorado Hop Company, and Propagate Lab are donating 100 percent of the ingredients. 

“We are honored to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this awesome community in Grand County. There has been so much devastation and we feel fortunate that we are able to help out and give back the best we can,” says Andy Brumenschenkel, the Owner and Brewer at Hideaway Park Brewery. “Without the gracious donations of the numerous suppliers this would not at all be possible– it’s amazing to be a part of such a rad industry where we have these industry partners that care about our community as much as we do.” 

#EastTroublesomePaleAle has a grain bill comprised of Root Shoot Malting English Pale Ale, Vienna, and Cara Ruby malts. The recipe calls for Colorado-grown CTZ and Cashmere hops.

The East Troublesome Pale Ale will tap at these six breweries in coming weeks. The beer will also be available to-go in limited quantities around Grand County. 

Additionally, Grand County distilleries Fraser Valley Distilling, Idlewild Spirits, Blue Valley Spirits, and Steamboat Whiskey will allocate bottle sales to the Grand Foundation as part of this effort.

For more information about their participation in this community effort or Root Shoot Malting’s involvement, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. For more information about The Grand Foundation and donate directly at grandfoundation.com. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, oats, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Root Shoot Malting and Traverse Image Encourage Craft Lovers to Save Family Farms One Beer at a Time

Todd Olander of Root Shoot Malting, photo by Traverse Image

LOVELAND, CO— Colorado-based Root Shoot Malting and Traverse Image are asking craft beer and whiskey lovers for their support to preserve and regenerate Colorado agriculture, allowing Olander Farms to continue growing and producing local grains on their farmland, and to keep telling this story through the new film 100 Year Lease. 

100 Year Lease is the product of three years in the making, all dedicated to the education about and preservation of the American family farm. The film was shot by Traverse Image and branded by Colorado-based MTN Creative. This new documentary film premieres on Root Shoot Malting’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, September 29. 

Through the agriculture-centric crowd-farming platform Steward, Root Shoot is asking for contributions towards a conservation easement on their current land, and for the 100 Year Lease mission and documentary film. A contribution is an affirmation of your commitment to knowing your farmer, your maltster, and your breweries and distilleries who utilize craft malt. You’re pledging to seek out products made with local grains as an ambassador of craft. 

Support the 100 Year Lease documentary via Steward here. Find a checklist of ways to demonstrate your commitment and advocacy on the Root Shoot Malting website. 

During Craft Malt Week from September 27 to October 3, 100 Year Lease t-shirts are for sale on the Lake Hollow Homestead website, with 50 percent of the proceeds going back to Root Shoot’s Steward campaign.  

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting or their 100 Year Lease documentary project with Traverse Image.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

ABOUT TRAVERSE IMAGE

Traverse Image is a Colorado digital film company with a focus on documentary films about the natural world. Traverse Image believes that films can inspire monumental change— the passionate company is tenacious in their pursuit of bringing powerful stories to life through film. Get inspired at traverseimage.com.

ABOUT STEWARD & THE STEWARD FOUNDATION

Steward is the fundraising platform for sustainable and regenerative agriculture, helping small farms to flourish by allowing anyone to invest and become stewards of the land. Steward’s charitable branch, The Steward Foundation Inc., is an IRC 501(c)(3) charitable organization created to manage contributions and fund grants to projects surrounding sustainable and regenerative agriculture. By making a donation to The Steward Foundation, donors will be contributing directly to Root Shoot Malting's conservation easement project. 100% of a donor's charitable donation will be distributed to the project, and the donation will be tax-deductible to the extent that no goods or services were provided to the donor in exchange. The Steward Foundation’s tax identification number is 37-1912757. Find Steward online at gosteward.com.

Root Shoot Malting Spearheads Craft Malt Seal in Colorado

Photo at Woods Boss Brewing Company

LOVELAND, CO— As an advocate and Member Malthouse for the Craft Maltsters Guild’s Craft Malt Certified Seal program, Root Shoot Malting is excited to announce Colorado’s twelve new craft malt certified breweries. 

City Star Brewing, Comrade Brewing, Grist Brewing, Iron Mule Brewery, Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, Joyride Brewing, Launch Pad Brewery, Mockery Brewing, Station 26 Brewing Co., Timnath Beerwerks, Woods Boss Brewing Company, and Guanella Pass Brewing Co. are the newest Member Breweries in the Craft Malt Certified Seal program, which allows brewers and distillers to communicate their use of and support for distinctive, locally produced raw materials. 

These breweries have demonstrated their commitment to locally grown and roasted barley by joining this membership program, and they’re proud to do so. “We joined because we buy malt from Root Shoot Malting. It's important to support our local economy and a fellow manufacturer like ourselves,” says David Lin, Chairman & Founder at Comrade Brewing in Denver. “We were impressed with their dedication to quality, along with their malting facility. Root Shoot helps differentiate our beer while meeting the customers’ desire for local products.”

Photo at Comrade Brewing

Jordan Fink, Co-Founder and Head Brewer of another Denver brewery, Woods Boss Brewing, is another advocate for the Craft Malt Seal. “We have a deep and abiding commitment to sustainability, community, education, personal relationships and of course, making amazing beer,” he says. “To that effect, we developed a partnership with Root Shoot Malting pretty much right out of the gate and at this point, almost all of our base malt is supplied by them. Given the opportunity to join the Craft Maltsters Guild and be able to showcase our participation through the use of the Seal was a no-brainer for us. It allows us to promote the folks who supply our grain, what they do, and showcase our beer all at the same time.”

Another of the country’s leading maltsters and craft malt membership crusaders, Riverbend Malt in Asheville, North Carolina, has also encouraged 12 breweries to join the Craft Malt Seal. Learn more about the Seal at craftmalting.com.  

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Root Shoot Malting and Traverse Image Introduce 100 Year Lease Documentary

Photo by Traverse Image

LOVELAND, CO— Colorado-based Root Shoot Malting and Traverse Image are proud to introduce their new documentary 100 Year Lease, created to convey the importance of family farms and conservation of Colorado agriculture. They will kick off a series of events at Colorado breweries to support this film beginning next week, in effort to save family farms one beer at a time. 

100 Year Lease is the product of three years in the making, all dedicated to the education about and preservation of the American family farm. The film was shot by Traverse Image and will be branded by Colorado-based MTN Creative. 

This new film features moving cinematography and storytelling about the preservation of local agriculture. “We rely on the land, and Mother Nature—  and that's what we want to take care of,” says Todd Olander who co-owns Root Shoot Malting. “This business requires land, we need to be able to grow the barley to feed it, and we need to have that resource— the land— to grow it. Our mission is to put a plan in place so we can always have farmland.” 

Root Shoot and Traverse Image will screen the short film for the first time on Thursday, March 5 at the Poudre Pub Talks at High Hops Brewery in Windsor. Guest speakers Todd and Steve Olander, Farmers and Co-Owners of Root Shoot will join us to talk about their family history of farming in Northern Colorado and the future of farmlands on a rapidly developing Front Range. Guests can enjoy beer on tap brewed with Root Shoot malt to boot. This event is free and open to the public, and guests should RSVP on Facebook. 

Root Shoot and Traverse Image intend to work with their brewery and distillery partners throughout 2020 to create gatherings and conversations around the 100 Year Lease documentary. More film and trailer screenings will be announced in coming weeks. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting or their 100 Year Lease documentary project with Traverse Image.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

ABOUT TRAVERSE IMAGE

Traverse Image is a Colorado digital film company with a focus on documentary films about the natural world. Traverse Image believes that films can inspire monumental change— the passionate company is  tenacious in their pursuit of bringing powerful stories to life through film. Get inspired at traverseimage.com.

Root Shoot Malting Wins 2020 Craft Malt Cup for Light Munich

FORT COLLINS, CO— Root Shoot Malting are the proud recipients of a 2020 Craft Malt Cup, third place in the Light Munich category. They received the award earlier this month during this second annual competition at the third annual Craft Malt Conference.

This competition is open to American maltsters, this year with two categories (up from one the previous year): Light Munich and Pale Malt. Twenty two malthouses entered, with 22 entries in the Pale Malt category, and 14 in the Light Munich category. Quality analysis was conducted on all samples by the Montana State University Malt Quality Lab to ensure entries met the specs for each category. Samples then underwent a blind hot-steep method wort tasting in numerous locations around the United States by qualified sensory panels that included brewers, distillers, Cicerones, and malting experts.

"Malt Houses participating in this years Malt Cup received the full analytical evaluation of their malt as well as detailed sensory feedback from DraughtLab,” says the Director of the Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab at MSU. “This feedback provided rare insight for each groups entry as well as comparison to other malts within the style category. Our aim is to provide an invaluable service to the Craft Malt Industry through the Malt Cup competition."

In the inaugural year of the Craft Malt Cup, Root Shoot Malting won first place for their Genie Pale Malt. The Loveland-based maltster is excited to take home this honor two years in a row, a testament to the quality of their product and a huge compliment from trusted industry advisors. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Root Shoot Malting Welcomes Craft Malt Conference to Colorado with Collaboration Beers

FORT COLLINS, CO— Root Shoot Malting is excited to welcome craft brewers and maltsters to Colorado for the 2020 Craft Malt Conference to be held in Fort Collins beginning February 7. The Loveland-based maltster has crafted 10 collaboration beers with local breweries and malting companies to celebrate this third annual industry conference, located in Colorado for the first time. 

Available both at the conference and at the respective brewing companies, Root Shoot has crafted collaborations with Gilded Goat Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing, Horse & Dragon Brewing, TRVE Brewing, Intersect Brewing, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery, Timnath Beerwerks, City Star Brewing, Purpose Brewing & Cellars, and the CSU Ramskeller brewery. These beers were crafted with malt from Root Shoot, Troubadour Maltings, Grouse Malt House, Colorado Malting Company, Riverbend Malthouse, Sugar Creek Malt, Epiphany Malthouse, Red Shed Malting, Gallatin Valley Malt, Admiral Maltings, Maltwerks, and Mecca Grande Estate Malt. Each of these beers was crafted with malt from at least two craft maltsters. 

"Our Colorado craft brewers are a large part of the local community, and we found it fitting to involve malthouses from across the country in celebrating another year of craft malt evolution,” says Todd Olander of Root Shoot Malting. “Our Root Shoot Malting team makes a large effort to build relationships and engage with brewers. We wanted to integrate and pass along the collaborative efforts to the craft malting industry."

Learn more about the Craft Malt Conference put on by the Craft Maltsters Guild at craftmalting.com. For more details about each of these collaboration beers, or with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Root Shoot Malting Celebrates Inaugural Craft Malt Day

LOVELAND, CO— Root Shoot Malting is proud to announce the first-ever Craft Malt Day, designated by the Craft Maltsters Guild. This day will go down in history as a celebration of everyone that supports the craft malt industry.
Root Shoot spent this day in history in the field harvesting corn before steins of Liebesland Helles, a collaboration between all 10 Loveland breweries made with 100 percent Root Shoot grains, at the Loveland Oktoberfest bash.

“Craft malt celebrates a connection between people. Connection between drinkers, farmers, brewers, and maltsters lets us shed light on an agricultural product that has been brushed aside with the growth of large-scale commodity product availability,” says Mikey Myers of Root Shoot Malting. “Craft malt is more than beer— it’s a commitment to doing it right, and always trying to make it better.” 

Since its launch in 2016, Root Shoot has supplied malted barley for more than 200 breweries across Colorado and beyond. That number continues to grow as craft breweries strive to localize their ingredient lists and diversify their flavors.

To learn more about Root Shoot Malting or the inaugural Craft Malt Day, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

RadCraft Partners Bring Home Six 2018 World Beer Cup Awards; Malt Barley For Winning Beers

NASHVILLE, TN— RadCraft partner breweries were awarded six medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, including two gold medals for German-Style Pilsner and Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin.

Here are the winners in order of announcement at the 2108 World Beer Cup Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Music City Center.

Category 1: Telluride Brewing received a silver award for its Whacked Out Wheat in the American-Style Wheat Beer category. It was among 53 entries. Whacked Out Wheat also won silver at the 2016 World Beer Cup.

Category 39: Rockyard Brewing was honored to take home the gold medal in the German-Style Pilsener category. Primadonna Pilsner was one of 176 entries into this category. Read the full press release about this win here.

Category 60: Karl Strauss Brewing Company’s Farmhouse was awarded a silver medal in the French & Belgian-Style Saison category, among 87 entries. This small-batch beer was produced at the company’s 4S Ranch satellite brewery in San Diego by Head Brewer Sean Albrecht. There is a full press release about this win and Karl’s recent win at the LA International Beer Competition here.

Category 65: Funkwerks is proud to return home with the gold medal for the Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale category. Oud Bruin, a traditional Flemish-style sour, was produced once a year from a blend of beers aged for a range of up to two years in a variety of oak barrels. Funkwerks was one of 41 entries into this category. Read the full press release about this win here.

Category 97: Bootstrap Brewing’s Wreak Havoc was awarded bronze in the Imperial Red Ale category. This beer was also awarded a bronze in the same category at the 2016 World Beer Cup. Imperial Red Ale had 44 entries this year.

Category 81: Brink Brewing Co. was awarded a bronze medal for Moozie in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category that had 73 entries. "Competitions are great ways for small brewers like us to get our name out there," says Brink Brewing head brewer Kelly Montgomery. "After winning a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival® in 2017, winning a bronze at WBC really validates that it wasn't just a fluke. We're so proud to bring this medal home to the College Hill neighborhood."

Also in this years winner’s circle was Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project’s Hickory Peach Wee Heavy that was brewed with Palisade peaches and Odyssey Pilsner malt from Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado. It won a silver medal in Category Category 19: Experimental Beer that had 130 entries. “Our beers provide a global experience, but we continue to strive to localize our ingredients,” says Intrepid’s Head of Brewery Operations Andrew Moore. “We're thrilled that we have such a quality malt product so close by.”

The 2018 World Beer Cup was the largest yet, with 8,234 entries from 2515 breweries hailing from 66 countries in 101 categories judged by 295 judges from 33 countries— 72 percent of whom were from outside the United States, according to the Brewers Association. Learn more about the World Beer Cup and all of the 2018 winners at worldbeercup.org.

If you would like to speak with any of the above 2018 World Beer Cup winners, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

Intentional Brett, Nordic Farmhouse Saison, and Piña Collaba— Beers You've Got To Try at the 5th Annual Collaboration Festival

Collaboration Festival 2017, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project

Named America's most creative beer festival by Food & Wine, Collaboration Fest is back for the fifth year offering more beers brewed with craft malt than ever before.

More than 10 collaborations were made with Root Shoot Malting Company’s brewery partners crafted beers with Loveland-grown and malted barley for this year’s Collaboration Fest. These beers include Ursula Brewery's and Westbound & Down Brewing Company's Farmhouse IPA  that was brewed using 100 percent Root Shoot malts and Citra, Moutere, and Loral Cryo hops; and two hazy IPAs by Lost Highway Brewing Company, with Berthoud Brewing and Peacemaker Brewing, respectively.

Plot your beer festival map. Taste these projects before they're gone...

Strange Craft + Freetail Brewing Co.

Strange Craft got the Collab Fest ball rolling early, the day after GABF to be exact. Jason Davis, the Director of Brewing Ops at Freetail Brewing stuck around after the festival for Denver’s first snow day of the season to help brew what will go down in history as Strange Craft’s first intentional Brett beer. Don’t ask about the unintentional ones. StrangeTail Seven is a malt-forward English IPA was finished in a Red Wine barrels inoculated with a different variety of Brettanomyces in each barrel.

Lone Tree Brewing Company + Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.

Craft malt liquor— it’s all the rage right now. And Collab Fest participants will get to taste one of the finest, crafted by the Billy Dee fans over at Lone Tree Brewing Company with their friends and fellow 40-lovers Cannonball Creek Brewing. This tall beauty was brewed with a traditional grain bill consisting of mostly pilsner malt paired with flaked corn, flaked rice and some dextrose sugar to lighten the body of the beer. A massive amount of Hallertau Blanc and Vic Secret hops went into this boil and asa dry hops, which made this malt liquor as "juicy' as your favorite hazy IPA. Weighing in at 7.6 percent ABV and 35 IBU, this beer pushes the envelope of what a malt liquor can be.  

Station 26 + Sleeping Giant Brewing Company, Wibby Brewing

Station 26 Brewing Co. collaborated with Sleeping Giant to create Nordic Farmhouse Tripel Double IPA brewed with White Wheat, Pilsner, Vienna, and CaraBelge malt, Candi Sugar, and hopped with Cascade, Citra, and Mandarina Bavaria. 

Station 26 has also collaborated with Longmont-based Wibby Brewing to craft a Biere de Mars with the perfect balance of malt, hops, and an Inland Island yeast induced spiciness. Station 26 founder, Justin Baccary, suggested the idea of using a French Ale strain from Inland Island and Ryan Wibby was excited about using a different yeast strain and brewing with some more interesting, aromatic hops making this a truly collaborative and unique drinking experience.

Station 26 at Wibby Brewing, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project

Bonfire Brewing + Zuni Street Brewing, Invasive Species Brewing

There’s a childhood story— well, a lot of them— behind this collaboration brew. “We all grew up together,” says Jim Rabun who brews for Bonfie Brewing, “and so it’s been great to get back together with TJ and Willy and come up with a beer inspired by all of us.” This beer is kind of like a light Porter, or a dark Belgian recipe, brewed with chocolate malt from Proximity Malting and fermented with Zuni's house Belgian yeast strain. “We decided on this beer because we are into brewing dark beers and Zuni is great at Belgian's so we decided to combine to two together,” adds Rabun.

Bonfire also worked with Florida based Invasive Species Brewing on a Hazy Piña Colada IPA, appropriately named Piña Collaba. This lighter bodied IPA displays the tropical flavors from Denali and Motueka hops, Pineapple, Coconut, Passionfruit, and an addition of Lactose for more mouthfeel and increased sweetness.

Ska Brewing + Ratio Beerworks

From the hearts of a bunch of punks who love great music and great beer comes this new twist on a White IPA. Magnetic North Norwegian White IPA hits with a classic wheat base, dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria and Amarillo. The Nordic Farmhouse yeast strain gives notes of orange with a dry finish to this bright, citrusy, making Magnetic North a true Spring crusher. 

Holly Gerard shared her Magnetic North brew day shots on her badass beertography blog and Instagram feed, Aperture of Ales. Check them out here.

Funkwerks + New Image Brewing Co.

Meet Arnie, a Kettle Sour with black tea and lemon peel. This beer will cleanse your palate after a long day of diverse flavors. Don’t wait until the end of the fest to get it, though!

Eddyline Brewery + High Alpine Brewing Co. 

High Stoke Scotch Ale is a collaboration between Eddyline Brewery and High Alpine Brewing Company. A big malty nose gives way to a very slight herbal hop aroma. Rich caramel malt flavors dominate the palate, finishing with the slightest smoke impression. Mouth feel has a soft tactile feel on the tongue. Deliciously drinkable and gets even better as it warms in the glass.

Strange Craft + Fiction Beer Company

The Stranger Than Fiction is a strong Saison was brewed with oats and spelt before it fermented with a blend of Strange Craft's house Belgian yeast and Brettanomyces and barrel aged on plums and blackberries. See what they did there? 

Strange Craft + Metropolitan State University

Strange Craft also brewed a third Collab Fest beer with Metropolitan State University creating Nitro Raspberry Porter, a traditional English Porter finished on Raspberries.

Stranger Than Fiction brew day at Fiction Beer Company, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project