Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X M AY 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 12 M aine is where the grain is, says Joel Alex, founder and maltster of Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls. Add that to the sprouting number of hop growers in the state and you've got a formula for sourcing two of the main ingredients in beer locally. And that's just what local craft brewers and some government offi cials want: a truly Maine beer, with Maine-grown and processed ingredients. e side benefi ts are higher prices for farmers producing malt-grade barley and varieties of hops as well as a stable, local market for those products. at com- pletes the chain from farm-to-table for beer: from fi eld to processor to craft brewer to consumer. Craft brewers already are taking the leap to buy local. Rising Tide Brewing Co. of Portland said recently that it plans to use some Maine-grown and processed grains in every batch of beer it brews. It will source malted barley from the Maine Malt House in Mapleton and unmalted wheat and oats from Maine Grains in Skowhegan. Rising Tide expects to use at least fi ve tons of malted barley and about three quarters of a ton of unmalted grains grown and processed in Maine in 2016. e company said that when more high quality local options become available, it will continue to evaluate and expand its use of local ingredients. Rising Tide isn't the only craft brewer hopping onto the trend. Allagash Brewing Co., also in Portland, started shipping Sixteen Counties, a Belgian strong golden beer, on April 16. It is made entirely from malt from Maine with a combination of Maine Malt House 2-row malted barley and Blue Ox Malthouse 2-row malted barley, plus raw wheat from Maine Grains and oats from Aurora Mills & Farm in Linneus. e two Maine malt houses and 15 to 20 hop growers have a ready market in the state's 70 brewer- ies. at's double the number of breweries three years ago, Dick Cantwell, co-founder of Elysian Brewing Co. and now quality ambassador at the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, said at April's New England Craft Brew Summit in Portland. In its most recent annual report on the industry, the association estimated the economic impact of Maine's breweries to be $432 million, based on 52 breweries. Buying from local growers and processors helps craft beer and other beverage makers compete with distinctive fl avors and local lineages to ride the "source locally" trend. To support these eff orts, Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers' Guild, said the guild is working with the offi ce of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, to convene a roundtable discussion "in an eff ort to identify opportunities to accelerate the positive impacts the craft beer industry may have on Maine's agricultural sector." Sullivan said the roundtable will be held in Maine likely in the next three to six months. It will include P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Blue Ox Malthouse 41 Capital Ave., Lisbon Falls Founded: 2013 Founder and maltster: Joel Alex Business: Creating malt for craft beer from barley, other grains Employees: Three (aim to have 5–7 full-time equivalents in first five years) Total investment to date: Just under $1 million Contact: www.blueoxmalthouse.com The Hop Yard 26 Hamblen Drive, Gorham plus farm in Fort Fairfield Founded: 2010 Founders: Ryan Houghton and Geoff Keating Business: Growing hops to sell wet and dry to craft beer industry Employees: Four part-time plus seasonal workers Contact: www.thehopyard.com Dan Whitmore of The Hop Yard in Gorham strings coir twine for the hop to grow around. Workers will string 18,000 pieces of twine on eight acres. GROWING TRUE MAINE BEER Burgeoning hop growers and malt houses aim to sate the craft beer industry's thirst B y L o r i V a l i g r a

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