Craft Maltsters Guild Names 2026 Malt Cup Winners

NATIONAL— The Craft Maltsters Guild announced the 2026 Malt Cup award recipients at a virtual ceremony this evening, with winners from across the globe. 

Hannah Uhlmann, Director of the Barley, Malt & Brewing Lab at Montana State University and manager of the Malt Cup awards for eight years now, presented the awards alongside Aline Brito, Sensory & Food Scientist at Food Montana State University. They reported 117 total entries from 29 malthouses in five countries. These entries included seven grain types and 48 varieties. 

Here are the 2026 Malt Cup winners: 

Distillers Malt

Gold: Maltese, Two Track Malting in Menoken, North Dakota

Silver: Distillers – High Enzyme, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Bronze: Whiskey Jack, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta 

Light Munich

Gold: RS M-10, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Silver: Light Munich, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine 

Bronze: Mjolnir Light Munich, ND Malting & Hops in Williston, North Dakota 

Caramel 

Gold: Cara Rubie – C20, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Silver: Caribou Malt – C40, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta

Bronze: MOD AFTDRK – C120, Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado 

Vienna

Gold: Super Pevec, Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado

Silver: Vienna, Voyager Craft Malt in Whitton, NSW Australia

Bronze: Keughen Vienna, Gallatin Valley Malt in Manhattan, Montana

Wheat

Gold: Wheat Pale, 3D Malt in Camrose, Alberta Canada

Silver: Wheat Malt, Rabbit Hill Malt in Shiloh, New Jersey

Bronze: Wheat Malt, South Fork Malthouse in Cynthiana, Kentucky 

Pale Malt

Gold: Parkland Pale, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta

Silver: Okefenokee, Two Track Malting in Menoken, North Dakota

Bronze: Baronesse Pale, LINC Malt in Spokane Valley, Washington

Pilsen

Gold: Pilsner Lake, Loam Malt Studio in Nomans Lake, WA Australia 

Silver: ’23 Violetta Pils, Mitten State Malt in Okemos, Michigan 

Bronze: Yankee Pils, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine

Unique Malt

Gold: Finger Lakes Flaked Corn, New York Craft in Malt Batavia, New York

Silver: Golden Triticale, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine

Bronze: Frontier Malt, Gallatin Valley Malt in Manhattan, Montana

Each year, the Best In Show designation goes to the Gold Medal malt that had the highest performance through all three rounds of evaluation: Analytical Quality, Sensory Evaluation, and Best Of Show Judging. The 2026 Best In Show malt was Parkland Pale by Red Shed Malting, crafted from the CDC Churchill barley variety. 

“Winning the Malt Cup means the world to us— we pour our heart and soul into this business and our products,” says Matt Hamill, Maltster at Red Shed Malting. “I’m constantly touting ‘premium’ products in the market, so this recognition helps us as a sales tool and an icebreaker to get us in the door.” 

Red Shed Malting will receive the traveling Malt Cup trophy, shipped to them from last year’s winners Blue Ox Malthouse. 

The 2026 Malt Cup was made possible by generous sponsors Ackermann, Bratney, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, the National Barley Growers Association, New Glarus Brewing Co., Promalting, RadCraft, and Yingtai Machinery; as well as AV partner Empowered Streaming. 

The Craft Maltsters Guild extends gratitude to all of the Malt Cup entrants who will soon receive judging notes for their entries. This program intends to provide feedback that improves malt quality, ultimately elevating the credibility of the small grains community at large. Registration for the 2027 Malt Cup will begin in October.

Media inquiring about the Craft Maltsters Guild and the Malt Cup 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.

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.

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.

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.