A truck rolls in with a fresh order straight from the BSG Warehouse. The team gathers around as the pallets are unloaded, and as the last pallet hits the ground, the hunt is on. Somewhere between the malt bags hides a hidden gem – the coveted Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll. How did the Salted Nut Roll become such a staple sweet in the brewing industry?

It’s common in the craftbrewing industry for new trends to emerge from the creative brainwaves of brewers. One of the latest emerging trends however, has left people scratching their heads. Meet the Cold IPA.

There’s something special to be said for a malt that’s considered the workhorse of many a brewery, and useable in a respectable amount of beer styles. Crisp Scottish Pale Ale Malt is, as its name alludes, 100% Scottish, with a rich color and balanced sweet, malt flavor which is ideally suited to ale brewing. But, you don’t have to take our word for it- just ask Steve Finnie of Little Thistle Brewing Co., and Luc “Bim” Lafontaine of Godspeed Brewery.

Meet Steve LePoidevin, Sales Director for Crisp. His passion for malting was brought to light as BSG got the chance to chat with him about his role at Crisp, upcoming malts to the Crisp profile, industry trends and some of his takes on craftbrewing.  

Centuries ago, women brewsters would don their long, pointed hats, hang their broomsticks above their door to signal business was open, and get to work brewing in their large cauldrons. The visual should conjure up the image of a classic witch, complete with a cat to case away mice and vermin from the brewing ingredients. While modern brewsters have ditched the broomsticks and cauldrons, the term “witch” carries on to become a positive affirmation with the organization Witch Hunt in Minneapolis.

Last week, Brew Your Own (BYO) held its first ever NanoCon, a two-day conference dedicated to education about small-scale craft breweries. The event was held in Burlington, VT, and included attendees that ranged between local small-scale craft breweries, suppliers, and those planning their nano-brewery. Attendees participated in over 30 seminars, as well as workshops, exhibitor tables, roundtable discussions, and events. Four learning tracks geared towards various small-scale brewery elements were available for attendees to learn more about some of the best practices to run their brewery on. These learning tracks included Brewery Operations, Start-Ups, Business Operations, and Sales & Marketing.