A few years ago the only people using Buckwheat in beers were gluten free brewers. With a high amount of beta glucans and an enzyme package, Buckwheat provided many things needed for brewing without barley or wheat. Whispers of this unique grain started bubbling up through the market though and both wild and clean brewers started experimenting.

Each year I brew a Scotch Ale and tweak the recipe a bit to continue the process of dialing in the perfect malt bill for a big, malty, caramel and molasses bomb. Molasses Malt is an intense dark caramel malt in the vein of a Special B. It isn’t roasted, yet still hits 236 SRM color and presents a truly molasses-y flavor.

One of my favorite styles of beer is a Rye IPA. With a hint of spice and a solid hop backbone, these beers offer flavors that aren’t found in the modern IPA marketplace. Check out this Rye IPA recipe that has a Skagit twist: Triticale.

I love lagers, like love love lagers. When we first brought in our Francin Barley, I couldn’t believe the luck we stumbled upon! Here’s a Czech barley variety that is the perfect American lager malt, just sitting here in the malthouse! I got to play with this malt that was bred for flavor, bred to make great Czech Lagers.

Here’s a recipe that will help lazy homebrewers get the most out of their mash, and allow you to get highly fermentable wort, yielding a crisp dry beer. This recipe is for a light, crisp Belgian Pale Ale - Skagit River Beer.