Is small batch barley malt, cultivated by local farmers, and malted by small producers local to those farms the future of craft beer? In this episode Matthew meets Chris Schooley, co-founder of Colorado’s Troubadour Maltings, and discusses the importance of connecting beer back to its agriculture, and the latent potential malt inherently possesses.

I first met Chris Schooley, and his business partner, Steve Clark, back in 2015—not long after they had established their business in the city of Fort Collins. I had visited malthouses in the UK before, and looked on in awe at their immense scale, but what I found at Troubadour was something different entirely, not just in terms of their smaller scale, but in terms of the quality and flavour of what they were producing.

Initially working out of a concrete saladin box that allowed them to produce up to five tons of malt at a time, what I discovered at this little malthouse was familiarity; I saw craft beer in what they were producing. Over time, and repeated visits to the malthouse, I got to know Steve and Chris well, and they became good friends. I would love listening to Chris in particular wax lyrical about the “potential” of barley malt, so much in fact that I credit him in my book, Modern British Beer, for helping me to properly connect beer back to its agriculture.

Troubadour has gradually grown into a well-regarded “craft maltster”—as they are known in the US—one of about 70 nationwide. And things didn’t slow down for them in lockdown, when they installed equipment that allowed them to triple capacity, as well as a new roaster that allows them to customise darker malts to brewers exacting specifications. Over their relatively short lifespan they’ve provided malt for large breweries like Odell, Oskar Blues, and New Belgium, as well as smaller breweries including TRVE, Cohesion, and Primitive.

Honestly, you’ll have to take it from me that you can really taste the difference in Troubadour’s malt, and the beer it produces. Where often you’ll hear this ingredient forms the “backbone” of beer, for me it’s about more than that. It’s about flavour, and freshness. If you ever find yourself in Northern Colorado seek out a glass of TRVE’s Cold keller pils and taste it for yourself. Beers like this, and how maltsters like Troubadour are working closely not just with brewers, but with farmers—closing the loop on the agricultural supply chain—make me excited for what could be ahead in beer’s future.

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