By: Chris Lozier for Artisan Spirit Magazine
"That's what I'm excited about," tells Klann. "Getting back to less ingredients, better ingredients, and more flavor." Mecca Grade will plant 300 acres of Full Pint barley and 40 acres of malting rye this spring, with all of those acres concentrated as closely as possible. That way there is consistency in the grain, allowing any genetic and terroir differences to stand out. He is also growing test plots of 130 experimental varieties he got from Hayes, and if any of them perform well, Mecca Grade will purchase them for Oregon State University.