One of the best things about fall in Wisconsin, besides the large variety of Oktoberfests, is the annual Malt + Brew Workshop, hosted by Briess. This was my first year attending as the Mountain Division Manager for Briess, and it’s a great reason to gather with our industry partners to talk and learn about the grains that make beer and spirits happen.
This year, we hosted over 30 customers from 10 different states, all the way from California to Vermont. Things kicked off at Tapped on the Lakeshore, where everybody connected over 20+ craft beers on tap and axe-throwing. Nothing says “team building” like tossing sharp objects while sipping crispy bois and IPAs!
The workshop itself was packed with a plethora of malt wisdom, with insights from Briess’ Center of Malting Excellence and Technical Services Teams: Betsy Roberts, Jordon Geurts, Nick Theisen, and Erika Flores. Presentations ranged from base and specialty malt production to barley varieties, our flaked products, and a virtual tour of our 500 BBL brewhouse and extract plant in Chilton.
Day one was a two-hour tour of the Manitowoc Malthouse, where the group received a behind-the-scenes look at the malting process: cleaning and grading, steeping, germination, kilning, roasting, packaging, and quality control.
There were also some incredible guest speakers:
- Brittany Frey, Head Brewer at MadTree Brewing (Cincinnati, OH), presented the power of forecasting.
- John Mallett, craft beer consultant and author of Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse, took us on a flavorful ride through the malt lifecycle.
Day Two featured Briess’ Malt Sensory Analysis, where brewers explored how malt’s sensory profiles translate from kernel to work and finally into the taste, aroma, and character of finished beer.
A huge thank you to all our attendees for making this year’s workshop a success. We’re already counting down to M+B Workshop in October 2026—same time, same place, same malt magic.