All Posts

Last fall, we shared a post about two experimental varieties of fall-planted barley that we were testing. The hope was that these varieties, Thunder and Lightning, might prove to be viable alternatives to spring-planted barley, giving us a leg up by allowing it some of the winter moisture in the form of snow.

A few weeks ago, we did a post on the newest grain trial we’ve got growing on the farm: a small, seven-acre patch of Kernza, an exciting grain project from The Land Institute out of Kansas.  Now that the seed is sprouting and things are greening up, we wanted to take a bit of a deeper dive into these trial acres we’ve planted. What the heck is Kernza anyway, and why bother trying something that’s still just in the development phases?

It comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that a man dead-set on “making Northern Colorado become a world-renown location for beer and beer ingredients,” wasn’t always aboard the local train.  Why the change in heart?  The good influence of good friends.

Munich 10 malt was our silver lining of the 2020 pandemic. Or, perhaps more adequately, our bronze lining. A malt that we had been developing and refining, trying to make just right, finally hit its stride, winning a bronze medal in that year’s Craft Malt Cup, and giving us a bit of a bright spot in what was otherwise a strange and difficult time.

Long famous for the epic scenery in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes is a fantastic destination for all things outdoorsy…but what do you do post-adventuring? When you’re all sweaty and have bug bites, and drank all your water, and just want to sit down and give those hiking boots a break? Swing over to Avant Garde Aleworks, of course!

It’s May and we’re off to a great start to the farming season! All of our grain except for corn is in the ground, and with the moisture we got this past winter, everything is looking happy and healthy. Plus (as always!) we’re up some experimental shenanigans and busily taking notes on how it’s going.

Meet Root Shoot’s Vienna malt: gold medal winner in the 2023 Craft Malt Cup and Root Shoot malthouse rebel.

Our pilsner kiln profile hasn't changed much over the years. Pilsner is consistent.  It’s the under-appreciated workhorse of the malthouse: not too flashy, just the right amount of hay and straw character to give it the perfect profile for delicate beers.  It lagers bright, the foam it leaves behind has it’s own je ne sais quoi with lacing for days.

After three years of remote Craft Malt Conferences, we (and everyone else we met) were thrilled to be able to meet with our craft malt community in person again. Friends and colleagues, handshakes and hugs, beer and whiskey in glass-clinking toasts were a welcome change from the COVID shadows of the last few years.

Distillery 291 ranks high among these locally-focused, artisanal producers. Nestled in the stunning foothills of Colorado Springs, Distillery 291 is a globally-acclaimed, yet locally-focused small-batch distillery. 

This is Green Mountain Beer Company. A small brewery in the western suburbs of Denver, Green Mountain Beer Co emanates Colorado soul. Founded by those rock climbing buddies (and longtime friends) that we mentioned Cassidy Hill and Brian Milhaupt, have worked hard to create a space that serves up craft brews inspired by traditional methods but that cater specifically to the tastes and desires of the Colorado community.

That’s right. We built an entire malthouse before we even knew how to make malt. That’s kind of shocking, even to us. It gives us serious anxiety in retrospect if we think about it too long. Luckily, despite our rather non-traditional timeline of doing things, it all seems to have worked out in the end.

Root Shoot’s alternative to the traditional Maris Otter malt, English Pale Ale may not have the long and storied history of Maris Otter, but it is a malt through which we have begun to tell our own story…and the story of so many spectacular local beers.

We’re working hard to up the soil health of our fields, with the belief that healthier soil will produce more resilient crops. We’re also trying to stay on the cutting edge of all thing well...barley! Which is why, this year, we kicked off 2023 by joining the American Malting Barley Association.

There’s a new brewery in Denver! Public Offering Brewing Company, on South Broadway. And their beer recommendation for folks checking them out for the first time? Open Spaces Kölsch.

We wanted to explore the world of flavor beyond our traditional Malted White Wheat.  So, we took our malted white wheat, germinated it as usual, and sent it to the kiln with an entirely different kilning profile. We made sure the grain was full of moisture, then blasted it with high heat, applying the same kilning process that creates all the rich, complex flavors in our Munich 10 malted barley.

Traditionally, January is a time for resolutions. After the excess and the indulgence of the holidays, the country collectively pulls itself together, takes a deep breath, and commits to doing better. We sign up for gym memberships. We reduce our screen time. We swear we’ll figure out work/life balance, and we promise to stop eating so much junk food. A few dedicated souls even give up alcohol in the name of Dry January.

We’re always busy at the malthouse - crafting some of the best dang malt in the country is a full-time job, after all - but this year, we achieved some major milestones. Maltstones, you might call them. Goals that have been long in the dreaming and years in the making. And the honest truth of it?  We’ve had a blast in the process. Turns out this whole craft malt community is pretty amazing.

As 2022 rolls to a close, and as we take a rare but welcome moment to sit back, kick up our boots, and sip on that eggnog, we can’t help but wax a little poetic.  Farming will do that to you. All the hard work, long hours, and crazy pace suddenly draw to a close and we look back and think, “Holy sh*t! We did it!” Another year in the books. 

We couldn’t do what we do without the hard work of our dedicated team. And so, as we wrap up this calendar year, we asked them to reflect a bit on 2022 at Root Shoot Malting. Read their reflections (posted in no particular order!) to see what stood out to everyone - and pick up a few favorite beer and spirit tips in the process!