Drew Beechum (Experimental Brewing) Taste Tests Mecca Grade Malt
Artisanal Malt, the Next Big Thing in Craft Beer
Jeff and Patrick discuss the next big thing in craft beer ingredients, artisanal malts. They discuss the techniques, the artistry, the beer and the economics of artisal malts and interview Seth Klann of Mecca Grade Estate Malts in Madras, Oregon.
Barley, Malt, Beer and Flavor
By: Dr. Patrick Hayes for the April 2017 Oregon Wheat Magazine
"In companion experiments, sensory panels at the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Center, Deschutes Brewing, and New Glarus Brewing assessed a range of beers. In addition to the genetic component of flavor, Dustin identified an “environment” component. The growing environment can affect flavor – a phenomenon known as terroir and a feature that Mecca Grade Estate Malt is capitalizing on. All of this work constitutes part of a PhD thesis for Dustin Herb, but it is only the beginning."
Malt is the New Hops
By: Parker Hall, Willamette Week
That's what it takes to stand out in today's market. And Mecca Grade doesn't come cheap. It costs more than twice the wholesale price of malts typically used in Oregon beer.
"At the end of the day," Klann says, "it has to be something special for the brewer to want to take a chance on it."
For people like Conrad Andrus of Portland's Culmination Brewing, Mecca Grade malt is something he tends to order for particularly important batches, like a recent collaboration beer with the Commons.
"We definitely try to use them whenever we're going after something special," Andrus says. "They are one of the best maltsters in the United States."
Malt: The Meat in your Beer
By: Nicole Vulcan
"If hops were salt and pepper, malt would be the steak."
In case you were curious about the relative importance of each ingredient in your beer, that quote from Madras resident Seth Klann should set some things straight. Here's another way of putting it: Barley–and its resultant product, malt–is the bulk that makes up most of your beloved pint.
Oregon's Terroir Triangle
"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.
Whiskey Review: Tualatin Valley Oregon Single Malt
"Jason O’Donnell described Mecca Grade’s malt as “peanutty,” and I definitely agree. This is a surprisingly rich spirit for its young age. While it won’t fool you into thinking that it’s a 10-year-old Scotch, for fans of the American Single Malt category, this is an interesting release and a fascinating window into the new world of craft malting."