Beers from local grains

It is talked about quite a bit with by breweries here in my region and I know I’ve seen these threads pop up from time to time.

I can speak from my perspective that in New Jersey we have a farm and malt house that a lot of NJ breweries use called Rabbit Hill Malthouse (rabbithillmalt.com).

The breweries that use their malt both advertise it and are proud of it

 

Does your local coffee shop grow its own beans? Does the locally-owned gas station/auto repair shop refine the gas in town or manufacture their own spark plugs? Does the "mom & pop" grocery store you prefer over the big multinational-owned supermarket only sell toilet paper, canned peas and milk produced in the local region?

Could it be that manufacturing strawberry jam on a small scale is a different industry than brewing beer? Does the strawberry jam have added sugar? If so,does the farm refine it's own sugar?

One of the largest of the "micro-maltsters" just abruptly shut down - SKAGIT VALLEY MALT CLOSES

It's not an easy business to enter. (But, then, in the 1970s-1980s, neither was brewing).

 

This topic came up in the recent “terroir in beer” thread, and I would second some of @jesskidden ’s points. For certain products I don’t think all, or even the majority, of the ingredients need to be produced in the area for them to be considered “local.” Coffee and chocolate are two great examples, but usually that is clarified by saying something like “locally roasted.” Since most malt is not produced locally (and hops too for those breweries unfortunate enough not to be based in the Northwest), most beer is locally brewed but not locally sourced.

Clearly the exception is raw single products—for example if someone was advertising local peaches or oysters that had been actually shipped in from a great distance, that is misrepresentation. I don’t know what the radius is for what can truly be considered “local” in that regard, but I’d think more than 50 miles is pushing it.

 

There is a series of beers marketed as “PA Pride” where a number of breweries will brew the same beers using the PA produced malt (I believe from Deer Creek Malthouse located in Glen Mills, PA):

“The original PA Pride started as a way to support small craft breweries with a packaged product that would allow them to share with their customers during the pandemic when taprooms were closed. Breweries without the capabilities of canning beer could now have a to-go option in their taproom coolers without the massive investment of a canning operation. It has since grown into so much more by connecting the many different breweries that make up this amazing state while showcasing the true power of Pennsylvania agriculture” says Chadd Balbi, co-founder of Breweries In PA, one of the companies behind the project.

The latest in this series is #9:

“The PA Pride beer series, which started in 2020 in part because of the pandemic, but also to showcase the robust Pennsylvania agriculture landscape, continues with the ninth beer in the series scheduled to release to the public Friday June 30th. This exceptional brew, made using local 2-row barley and oats, serves as a testament to Pennsylvania’s vibrant craft brewing industry and showcases a range of products that can be cultivated within the state. (See a map of where it is avaiable here).

Breweries from across Pennsylvania have yet again teamed to produce the ninth installment of the series which is named for the love and pride we all share for the Keystone state. The latest version in the beer series is a 5.1% English style Pub Ale made with locally produced UK-style Pale Ale malt and fermented with an English Ale yeast. All canned and draft options of this beer will be served with the use of Nitrogen to create a distinct mouthfeel, enhanced aroma, and characteristic cascading effect for the authentic pub experience.”

https://breweriesinpa.com/pa-pride-...the-series-a-smooth-tasting-nitrogen-pub-ale/

It appears that 19 breweries are participating on this latest release.

I have had a couple of the previous iterations of PA Pride beers, draft pints. I thought they were good but not good enough to warrant a purchase of cans for drinking these beers at home.

Cheers!

 

I see many beers here in the USA having some of the ingredients used being local but usually not all. It becomes expensive across the board esp if it were 100% local. Lagers/Ales with honey or perhaps a Fruit & Field beer. Sometimes a collaboration btwn brewers can get more "local". So like, estate-grown hops are difficult to find in a region that doesn't grow hops. Yet there are examples where a brewer will tout the fact that they've sourced local artisans for product. Cheers Erik!

 

The "craft beer" division of Coors is called Colorado Native. All of their ingredients are sourced solely from Colorado (the state where Coors is located). Does that mean local? The hops are grown on the Western Slope of Colorado, so about 325 miles away. I guess it all depends on what your definition of local is. Personally, I would call this local.

 

I did a search of this Beer Talk forum by checking the 'Search Titles Only' box and asked for 'Ingredients + Local' and got one thread from 2015 that may be of some help. (https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/local-ingredients-other-than-water.360248/)
If I do the same search without the 'Titles only' qualifier I get this, which may be helpful but has so many suggestions that I didn't try to look through them:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/159328138/?q=ingredients+++local&o=date&c[node]=39

If I search the Homebrewing forum with the 'Titles Only' filter I get one thread:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/homebrew-using-local-ingredients.87481/

Searching the Homebrewing forum without the 'Titles Only' qualifier I get a ton of responses:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/159328259/?q=ingredients+++local&o=date&c[node]=8

There could be other key words besides 'ingredients' or 'local' that could work better, with or without the 'Titles Only' qualifier.

Here in the US I see some marketing efforts for 'local ingredients' which usually use a state boundary to define local. I suppose where the size of a state is fairly small that a brewery could define local as a region such as the ingredients were grown in the New England states. A large state such as Texas may define 'local' as being just a section of the state such as Northeast Texas and probably not define the counties in that definition.

Here in Michigan I've seen Bell's and Shorts market beers that have malt and/or hops originating within the state. Bell's even has/had a barley farm in which they brewed their Midwestern Pale Ale. I'm unsure if the hops were grown in Michigan, but we have a couple large hops farms that could easily be the source.

 

One of my favorite breweries in Virginia, Wheatland Spring, focuses heavily on using local ingredients. https://www.wheatlandspring.com/estate-brewery
I know there are a couple other breweries that have a similar focus in the Mid-Atlantic like Black Narrows: https://blacknarrowsbrewing.com/landandwaters

In the Northeast, there are a bunch that participate in the Northeast Grainshed Alliance: https://northeastgrainshed.com/

 

Sierra Nevada's Estate Ale used to be a treat. I haven't seen it in years.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/62328/

 

Mecca Grade Malt in Madras OR is also shutting down. Too bad, as those were great malts.

 

Bell's sold the barley farm years ago. They did contract to have the barley grown there, and IIRC it was malted at Briess.

 

My definition of “buying local” when it comes to beer is, first, whether I can conveniently buy directly from the producer. Can I get beer to go, and is there I brewpub or tasting room I enjoy spending time in?

Second, is the brewery active in the community? Are they promoting other local businesses, giving to local charities, participating in community events? Do the owners and employees live in the community, pay taxes in the community and spend their money in the community?

Whether they use local ingredients isn’t a priority for me. That said, I do see more and more breweries (and distillers) touting their use of local ingredients. I often do like to try those products when I see them.

 

Yea lots of farm breweries around the mid-Atlantic use locally sourced grains and grow their own hops. As far as grains, I know in the early years when Monocacy brewing first came out with their Riot Rye IPA, they sourced their grains from a local farmer (a guy I actually know) but that contract was only for a year or 2, not sure where Monocacy sources their grains for that beer now adays.

 

Yeah, and mine was not meant that way, either, but it sure sounds like it. Sorry 'bout that (more a result of negative "stuff" going on in my life than your post). Hey, it happens - and it's easy to do on the 'net, but still not excusable. I should have at least put more smilin' Emojis in there - the play-on-words screen name I use doesn't always work.

Your question did bring to mind an old ad from a New England brewery - a region of the country that was losing it's small "local" breweries left and right at the time, as big mid-Western "national" brewers were entering markets around the US.

(It also works as proof that the concept of "fresh beer" is somehow a new one is incorrect.)

 

TjifTjaf from Butcher's Tears is brewed from Amsterdam hops, Amsterdam Yeast, Amsterdam water and Dutch barley. That seems pretty local to me.

 

That ad campaign didn't work since the brewery isn't around today. There's evidence in that ad that Holihan's lasted from 1867 to 1952 but do you have any idea how much longer they stayed in business?