The North American Craft Maltsters Guild, an international trade association dedicated to promoting the tradition of craft malting in North America, officially unveiled its Certified Craft Malt Seal that will allow brewers and distillers to communicate their use of and support for distinctive, locally produced raw materials.
The seal was designed to provide a key point of differentiation between Craft Maltsters Guild Member Malthouses and producers. To qualify as a Craft Maltsters Guild Member Malthouse, a malthouse must produce between 5 and 10,000 metric tons annually and should source more than 50% of its raw materials from within 500 miles of its malthouse.
“This seal marks an exciting development for our organization,” states Board President Brent Manning. “Craft beverage consumers are becoming savvier about their purchasing decisions and the seal will serve a guide that helps them support locally-sourced products.”
“We utilize craft malt in a myriad of ways across our operation, in a way to present atypical flavors and terroir,” said Doug Reiser, President of Burial Beer Company, “and the seal gives us a great opportunity to start a conversation with our customers about what it means to get up close and personal with farmers and the maltsters that bring their grain to life.”
The Craft Maltsters Guild which was formed in 2013 by eight craft malthouses currently has over 300 members worldwide. According to the guild, “craft malt continues to grow in popularity across the nation with both large- and small-scale breweries and distillers incorporating these products into their flagship brands and major seasonal releases. This incorporation typically adds additional cost to production but yields a unique, flavor differentiated product with additional marketing opportunities. These marketing opportunities build the value proposition by connecting local agriculture to the individual brewery, and to the drinker. This connectivity story mirrors the work done by farmers markets and “farm-to-table” dining establishments across the nation.”
