Our friends at Summit Brewing Co. invited us over on a brew day for a limited-release beer celebrating their 30th anniversary, using 100% Simpsons Maris Otter from BSG. Thanks to head brewer Damian McConn and everyone at Summit for having us - can't wait to have the finished product!

When Euan Macpherson joined Crisp Malting Group in 1987, the company was making 120,000 tonnes of malt a year. During his tenure, production has more than trebled to an annual output of 430,000 tonnes: 5% of EU output. This means that Euan has overseen the production of enough malt to make over 64 billion pints of beer, enough to give every person in the UK 1,000 pints each.

Euan is retiring following a lifetime career in brewing, distilling and malting. Adrian Dyter, previously from Boortmalt and Carlsberg, has been shadowing Euan for a short period, and has now fully taken over as Crisp Malting’s managing director.

BSG CraftBrewing is proud to support 72 Stretch, a limited-edition Gose that's a collaboration between Rahr Malting Co., Fulton Beer, Friends of the Mississippi River, and Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop. $1 from every pint helps fund FMR's work to protect, restore, and enhance the Mississippi for everyone.

The launch party for 72 Stretch will take place on Tuesday August 2 at the Fulton taproom in Minneapolis, MN. More details here.

Brewers Supply Group opened a new 80,000 square-foot distribution center in Summer 2016. The new facility will replace the former warehouse in Kasota, MN, and will serve BSG’s brewery customers across the United States.

The new distribution center is part of a large expansion project undertaken by BSG and its parent company, Rahr Corporation, which also includes a new malthouse on as well as a 20,000 square-foot technical center housing a pilot brewery, micro-malting facility and expanded malt quality control lab.

Raytown, MO

Population: 29,510

http://cranebrewing.com/

Raytown, MO was once known as the “Lost Township” when an 1826 Jackson County survey declared the tough prairie grassland to not be worth measuring. William Ray disagreed and set up a blacksmith shop at the crossroads of many important settler trails, developing a center for trade and gathering. What began as a humble Santa Fe Trail stop for early 19^th century pioneers heading west, Raytown has grown into an important economic development corridor blending the best of modern urban and suburban life.

That pioneering spirit important to Raytown’s namesake has not been lost on Michael Crane. Michael may seem the unlikely subject of a brewery story: he never was much of a beer drinker. But a fateful clearance sale and an innate scientific inquisitiveness transformed into a passion for exquisitely crafted beer. Toss in whimsical experimentation with exotic ingredients and styles, and you’ll understand the soul of Crane Brewing. We spoke with Michael to get the full story.

Even though it’s midsummer, it’s not too soon to start planning fall seasonals – for many, this might mean something with pumpkin, but for traditionalists it’s a classic Oktoberfest.

Like other Bavarian lagers, the ingredients for an O-fest are fairly straightforward – a good base of Vienna, or a mix of Pils/Munich; noble hops to balance – the devil is in the details, and fermentation is a big detail for this style. Here is a quick overview of our lager strain selection to help you select the best strain for the job:

BSG CraftBrewing is proud to be a sponsor of the Copa Cervezas de América!We have been involved with this event since 2011 and continue to support the mission of promoting craft beer in Latin America and beyond. All professional brewers in North and South America are invited to participate - more info here.

The USDA has released its annual hop acreage report for the United States. In the Pacific Northwest acreage for 2016 is up 17% over last year, with significant increases devoted to aroma varieties including Azacca™, Citra™, and Mosaic™. According to the USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service, Idaho and Washington are expecting to string record high acreage, and, at a national level, the highest acreage since 1915.

Read the full report here.

New England-style IPA and Hefeweizen notwithstanding, the need to produce beers with a high degree of visual appeal and clarity without tying up limited tank space with cold conditioning is a continual challenge for today’s growing craft breweries. Brewers Clarex® has helped brewers of all sizes maximize efficiency and minimize time and resources used to achieve clear, bright beer that appeals to customers in your taproom or at the bottle shop. 

In 2015, Rahr Corp. broke ground on an expansion project at its headquarters in Shakopee, MN which will make it the largest single-site malting facility in the world. This time-lapse video shows the progress so far.