A large part of what makes Pacific Northwest beer and spirits so distinctive is the grain that forms the base of these products. Skagit Valley Malting, based in Burlington, Washington, produces malted grain — mostly, but not limited to, barley — raised by local farmers that brewers, distillers and even bakers across the region employ as the foundation of their offerings.

For brewers to be able to use larger quantities of Kernza in a grain bill, the grain would need to be malted, but its small kernel size can make it hard to work with in the malthouse. “Some of these perennials that have been shown to us simply don’t have the kernel size that’s adequate to even perform inside our machines,” says Dave Green, CEO at Skagit Valley Malting.