News

What is Malting?
What is Malting?
What is Malting The goal of malting is to trick grains into sprouting and generating enzymatic activity, which will allow starches to become available for brewing and distilling processes. Using... Read more...
Malting Machinery
Malting Machinery Every malthouse makes malt differently. Machinery, growing region, water, variety of grain, terroir, the philosophy of the maltsters - all of these factors and more contribute to malt flavor. At Skagit Valley Malting, we are dedicated to making the best malt possible, and we have one of the best growing regions and some of the best malting equipment to realize our goal.  There are three relatively simple steps in malting, steeping, germination and kilning, but any malthouse will tell you there are numerous supporting steps that take place... Read more...
How We Make Peat Smoked Malt
It all started with a conversation with a customer, as many of our interesting projects do - can you create Peat Malt from this bog we found? We love ideas like this and field quite a few. These are the types of  ideas that keep our team invigorated as they allow us to get creative with a new process, dive into some detail on a COA, or work with something we haven’t tried before. The peat came from the only publicly minable peat bog in the state and is essentially... Read more...
What Are Glycosidic Nitriles and Why Should I Care?
Glycosidic Nitriles (GNs) are organic compounds produced at high levels by some barley varieties when they are malted. The use of these varieties in the distilling industry can, under certain conditions, produce significant levels of a potentially harmful compound, called ethyl carbamate. Ethyl carbamate is also found in the pits of stone fruit and the FDA calls out it’s production in winemaking specifically. The precursor for GNs and EC is a compound called epiheterodentrin, which is from a family of cyanogenic glycosides. These compounds can break down into cyanide, which... Read more...
How to Read a COA
What do all of these numbers mean? One of the most important tools a brewer receives from a maltster is the Certificate of Analysis or COA. The COA lays out lab tested information in a standardized format to help quantify exactly what is going on in the malt and help with any adjustments that may need to happen in the brewing process. We’re breaking down some of the our favorite aspects of a COA, but there are many more to dig into. Let’s start with Color! SRM How a beer... Read more...
Winter Barley vs. Spring Barley
It’s winter in the valley - the time of the year when everything slows down, snow geese are flying through, and the winter barley is sleeping in the fields. Driving around the valley displays some fields under water, some covered in grazing wildlife, and others waiting for the spring to get new crops planted. Each year, we contract with growers to plant some winter barley and they love getting it in early, before the ground is too soggy, and getting a head start on next year’s work. But what is... Read more...
How & Why We Pick New Barley Varieties
Last week our team had the opportunity to tour the test plots with WSU Breadlab Grain Breeder, Steve Jones. During this tour we were able to discuss the particulars in breeding wheat, barley, and rye. Each test plot is a trial for a number of different things and the variations in colors, heights, and growing vigor are really something to see.  The answer, as you may assume, is complex.  Barley can take anywhere from 3 to 10 years to grow out enough to make sense to malt. From either a... Read more...
The Benefits of Growing Barley in a Maritime Climate
The Skagit Valley is a vibrant agriculture center in the Pacific Northwest and much of this success and diversity comes from our Maritime climate. A maritime climate is a region that is heavily influenced by the surrounding ocean and results in small seasonal changes and high levels of moisture in the atmosphere. This result is a climate that is moderated by ocean water, meaning cool summers and mild winters.   Mild summers mean little drought stress for barley, which results in plump kernels with lower protein and lower free amino nitrogen... Read more...
Why Farmers Grow Barley in the Skagit Valley
Barley is primarily grown for two reasons; the first, as a feed crop and the second, for malting. However, in the Skagit Valley, there is a third and arguably more important reason, as a rotation crop. Barley plays a major role in the sustainable farming practices of the Skagit Valley, barley helps make it possible to grow 90 different crops on 90,000 acres while maintaining and preserving the land. Every year Skagit farmers grow roughly 10,000 acres of grain in the valley. Barley is a crucial part of sustainable farming... Read more...
Smash Beer / Pilot Distilling
It's not everyday you get to drink a beer brewed by the Malthouse, it is a rare opportunity to see the full expression of a Malt House from finished malt to finished beer or finished spirit. WIll Lefevre and John Hall at Skagit Valley Malting take pride in the SMSH beers (Single Malt Single Hop) they brews, not only is it a chance to taste a new batch of malt but a chance to share new flavors with brewers and distillers.  The goal of a SMSH beer is to let... Read more...