One of our favorite things about fall in NE Wisconsin is Malt + Brew Workshop! It’s Briess’ annual event, where we gather with friends from across the craft brewing industry and take a deep dive into high-quality malt and its role in brewing great beer. This year we hosted 31 craft brewers from across the country, including Eric Nickols, who traveled the furthest from Kona Brewing in Hawaii.
The event is held in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, which was proclaimed Specialty Malt Capital of the World earlier this year by the Mayor of Manitowoc and recognized by the Wisconsin State Legislature. Briess is proud to carry on the tradition of malting that has been taking place in Manitowoc for 150 years.
At the welcome reception on Tuesday evening, everyone enjoyed spending a couple of hours at Tapped on the Lakeshore. They have more than 20 craft beers on tap, including my personal favorite Chocolate Coffee Peanut Butter Porter (Nitro) from Copper State Brewing in Green Bay. The group enjoyed axe throwing, darts, soccer billiards, giant Jenga, and hammerschlagen.
One of the workshop highlights is always hearing from guest speakers who share highlights, lessons, and insights from decades of experience in craft brewing. This year’s featured guest speakers were:
- Paul Graham, President of Central Waters Brewing in Amherst, WI
- John Mallett, Industry Consultant and Author of “Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse”
Presenters from Briess included team members from The Center of Malting Excellence, Technical Services, and Supply Chain, including the latest on this year’s barley harvest from Briess’ growers in Wyoming and Montana.
On the first afternoon of the workshop, everyone takes a two-hour tour of Briess’ malt plant. The tour starts in the elevator with cleaning and grading, followed by steeping, germination, kilning/roasting, packaging, and the quality lab. It’s fascinating to walk through the malting process and observe the art + science of crafting the finest specialty malt.
A highlight of the second day is Malt Sensory, when the group explores all aspects of evaluating the sensory properties of malt, and how those sensory properties are reflected in specific beers. It provides better and more consistent results than a chew test. The Malt Sensory process was created by brewing scientists Cassie Liscomb from Briess and Lindsay Barr from New Belgium Brewing and has been approved by the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC).
Next year, Malt + Brew Workshop will again be held from October 21-23 in Manitowoc. If you’re working at a professional craft brewery and interested in attending, please connect with your Briess Division Manager. Cheers!