For Matt Riggs, the drive to open a brewery (http://www.riggsbeer.com) on their family farm in central Illinois was driven by two passions—a desire to sustain the farm into future generations by adding value to their crops beyond typical commodity pricing, and a love of the German brewing tradition fostered by years spent there studying brewing (and brewing professionally). As farmers, the Riggs family has a special love for the agricultural side of brewing, and now grows 60 acres of barley, wheat, and corn that they malt nearby and use in their various beers.
In this episode, Riggs discusses:
the ins and outs of six row barley, and how they use it in their American lager
the origins of their low-oil corn variety, and the gelatinization process necessary when brewing with unprocessed corn
yields and varieties for their various brewing crops
how they efficiently accommodate out-of-spec grains in the brewing process
the cost, challenge, and philosophical background to vertical integration
brewhouse strategies for achieving classic characteristics like head retention in American lager
supplementing with two-row barley when seasonal variations require it
and much more
From field to fermenter, Riggs Beer Company has focused on a tight integration between agronomics, farming, beer design, and brewing technique. In this detailed conversation, Matt Riggs explores the various ways each impacts each other.
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