The Process

It all starts with a seed.

We source all of our barley within a 30-mile radius of our facility. We made Cleveland, NC our home so we could work directly with farmers in our region to grow the highest quality 2-row (Violetta) and 6-row (Thoroughbred) barley found in North Carolina. Our proximity allows us to keep close tabs on our grain from planting season to the day the malt arrives at the brewery’s door.

We clean everything ourselves.

We are the only maltster in North Carolina that has grain receiving, malting-quality storage and cleaning operations in-house. While it’s more work, storing and cleaning our grain ourselves gives us much greater quality control than those who buy their grains pre-cleaned. We clean all our barley to a 2-row spec, ensuring a consistently plump kernel size.

16,000 gallons of fresh water.

Once cleaned, the grain is gently conveyed into our steep tank. Here, the barley is hydrated using water we pulled from the ground right here in Rowan County. No treatment necessary. In this stage, we make sure the moisture content is high enough to begin germination.

Germination, naturally.

After steeping, the barley is transferred to our 22-ton pneumatic Germination and Kilning Vessel (GKV) where it begins germinating. During germination, we hold the temperature to a tenth of a degree so enzymes vital to the brewing process can be developed and synthesized. We are proud to say we do not add any chemical enhancers during our germination phase.

Built for the Carolina heat.

Our founder, Aaron Goss, custom designed the state of the art kilning system specific to our North Carolina climate. When kilned, we strip the moisture from the barley and develop melanoidins, which will shape the color and flavor profile of the malt. Our indirect fire heater for our kiln prevents combustion byproducts from contaminating the malt.

Nothing goes to waste.

After kilning, the malt is transferred out of the GKV to our deculmer in which the rootlets are removed from the kernels, a process known as “deculming”. The rootlets are saved and given to some hog farmers down the road. We put a lot of care into our product, and we don’t want any to go to waste.

Off to a brewery near you.

After final cleaning, our malt is bagged and stored in optimal conditions before it is shipped to one of our region’s prized breweries. Our central location allows us to quickly and reliably serve our customers, no matter how big or small.

Interested? Check out our current offerings.