A few of us had the opportunity to go check out the brewing process out at Riggs Beer Company on High Cross Road in Urbana yesterday, and aside from tasting some of the brews, we learned a bit more about the process.
Pictured above is a handful of malted barley — which you can literally eat, and is delicious. The raw barley is grown directly next to the brewery. A farmer in Thawville at Mammoth Malt takes the barley, malts it (which is a process where you wet the barley and allow it to generminate for five days), and then puts it in a kilm to dry out and produce more flavor and aroma.
That, plus a few other steps in the process allow for their brews to become reality.
Read Emilio’s review of Riggs back when it opened while you’re at it.
