Did you know September is craft malt month? If you said no, fear not, because we didn’t know it either! We figured we’d mention some locally malted barleys (and other grains!).
In a recent Beer Sessions Radio episode Emily Hutto, founder and CEO of RadCraft, mentioned that Craft Malt Month started out as Craft Malt Day, then became Craft Malt Week. And September 2025 brings us the second annual Craft Malt Month. For some breweries, everyday is craft malt day, and if you’re a brewer using 100% local grain, we salute you!
In the spring, we touched on Bluejacket and their strong efforts using Valley Malt in their beers. Another Valley user is Schilling, who just released a collaboration with Bluejacket last weekend. That beer, a Vietnamese-style rice lager, Sapa, is a tasty treat.
In DC, we are surrounded by quality maltsters. To the south of us is Murphy & Rude and to the north is Bear Branch malt. The latter is working with Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore and is participating in what looks to be a great event at the end of the month. “Craft Malt Celebration with Bear Branch” will take place on Tuesday, September 30, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Per Bear Branch here is a full list of the breweries participating in Craft Malt Month using their malt:
- Bavarian Brothers Brewery
- Black Locust
- Streetcar 82
- Forward
- Franklin’s
- Mayan Monkey
- Pherm
- Brewery Fire
- RAK
- Flood Zone
- Pipe the Side
- Milkhouse
- Olde Mother
- Pub Dog
- 1623
- 1812
- Liquidity
- Pickett
- Wico
- Checkerspot
- Diamondback
- Monument City
Most of the above breweries will be participating in the Max’s tap takeover, but not all. It may be another week before we have a final list for the beers that will be pouring at Max’s. If you already have plans on Tuesday the 30th, worry not. The Brewers Association of Maryland (BAM) is putting on Wanderland at Columbia’s Symphony Woods the weekend after. This event, on Saturday, October 4, 2025, replaces the Baltimore Craft Beer Festival on the BAM docket. We bet you’ll see some beers made with local malts there.
If both Baltimore and Columbia are too far, Franklin’s brewer Jeff Hancock has a Vienna Lager that was brewed with 100% Vienna malt from Bear Branch Malt. Hancock brewed this one especially for Craft Malt Month.
Streetcar 82 recently celebrated their seventh anniversary. According to owner Mark Burke a batch of their popular The Colonel pilsner will soon be out which was their first time utilizing Bear Branch pilsner malt. They also have a hoppy lager with New Zealand Cascade coming out, which is 100% Bear Branch Malt, this grist is a mashup of Bear Branch pale ale and Vienna barleys.
Burke says they previously were using Riverbend, another great local maltster (out of North Carolina) and they will continue to use them for malts that Bear Branch doesn’t offer. For Streetcar’s Altline Festbier, Burke used Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich Malts from Bear Branch.
So go see local beer and support local economies at Franklin’s and Streetcar 82 and hopefully we’ll see you in Baltimore at the end of the month!
Denizens Brewing Co., 4550 Van Buren St, Riverdale, Maryland 20737
Franklin’s, 5121 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Sangfroid Distilling, 5130 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Streetcar 82 Brewing Co., 4824 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Pizzeria Paradiso, 4800 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Maryland Meadworks, 4700 Rhode Island Ave Ste B, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
