Grains - Proximity Malt

Grains

A New Way Forward

Calling on decades of experience in the global commercial malting industry, Proximity Malt’s team is forging a new way forward as North America’s first ‘new-generation regional malt company.’ We are a full-scale malt company operating at the nexus of locally sourced grains and vibrant brewing communities. We’re dedicated to providing the best quality malts at the best possible prices.

Locally sourcing premium barley, wheat and rye year after year doesn’t happen overnight. Proximity’s success is powered by our leadership in local grain communities, comprised of researchers, seed companies, farmers and ag transport companies–all close and working together to provide a new standard of consistently and efficiently sourced regional malting grains–barley, wheat, and rye. We are tightening a traditionally extensive, impersonal supply chain, to reduce costs, environmental impact and waste, while producing premium grain quality.

Amy Germershausen

“Our value proposition-whether you’re a craft-style brewer, distiller or food user – is unique. At Proximity, we start with our relationship with the grain community to build a sustainable structure to supply premium grains for malting. It ends with our renewed vision of customer care – more partnerships, less transactional.”

Amy Germershausen, Vice President Sales and Marketing

The Barley Development Pipeline

Our commitment to sourcing the best possible malting barley varieties means we continuously seek out the next opportunity. For Proximity, that means keeping abreast of varietal developments world-wide, developing strong breeding partners, and investing in localized barley trial plots. We employ our substantial expertise to pipeline new varietal options that are best suited for both our brewing and distilling customers, while also being adaptive to the agronomic realities of our Colorado and Delaware barley-growing regions.

As long term partners in both grain communities, Proximity Malt introduces local growers to agronomical barley varieties of European origin, specifically bred for ‘all-malt’, craft-style beers or spirits. We support them in seed acquisition, quality control and test plotting of new varieties in the pipeline. Our current varieties of Violetta (DE) and Genie (CO) are flavorful, disease-resistant varieties originating in Germany and UK respectively, but thrive in our chosen North American locations. Both were bred for all-malt brewing and are naturally lower in protein, with ideal enzyme ratios and extract levels.

GENIE

LCS Genie is quickly becoming a preferred spring 2-Row option for all malt styles of beer across the US. With a malting profile tailored for the craft industry and agronomic yield levels that compete with barley feed varieties, LCS Genie was recently added to the AMBA list of recommended varieties. LCS Genie has naturally lower levels of protein, offering farmers utilizing high input management strategies an opportunity to push acreage yields while still landing safely within contract specifications. Click here to read more about Genie’s agronomic, malting and brewing characteristics on Limagrain Cereal Seeds’ website.

VIOLETTA

LCS VIOLETTA is a two-row winter barley, originally bred in Germany. It is a short stature plant height (averages 31.4 inches), an early maturing with green leaves at boot. Violetta is respected for its malting quality attributes, early sprouting, winter hardiness and resistance to Barley Yellow Mosaic Virus. LCS Violetta also showed excellent tolerance to leaf rust, powdery mildew, and net blotch. Proximity Malt supports the planting of Violetta on the Eastern Seaboard of the US. Click here to read more about Violetta’s agronomic, malting and brewing characteristics on Limagrain Cereal Seeds’ website.

Winter barleys such as Violetta are especially valuable to growers as they allow for a winter planting alongside a spring planting of barley or another suitable crop. Winter barleys are known to be less erosive to soil, an especially notable benefit for our Delaware malthouse growing regions around Chesapeake Bay. By developing winter varieties such as Violetta that are favorable to growers, the brewer and the soil, Proximity is leading the way for greater sustainability in malting.

Proximity Malt