Skagit Valley Malting Wins Major Award

Skagit Valley Malting is proud to announce its Bronze at The 2022 RMI Brewing Supply Awards. These awards recognize excellence in the supply of malt products to the brewing industry through transformative innovations, sustainability initiatives, and supply chain agility.

The award was given for Category B:

“Maltsters who have an operational plant capable of outputting less than 50KT of malt annually and who have implemented over the past 3 years projects and/or programs which have either essentially transformed the agricultural, manufacturing and/or sales & distribution characteristics of the malting industry as recognized by their customers & industry peers.”

Highlighting increased diversity in product line-up by offering Gluten-Free Malts while working towards full Gluten-Free certification, along with a deepened commitment to sustainability. By adding on-farm anaerobic digesters, and increasing the number of Salmon-Safe, Organic, and other third-party certified growers, Skagit Valley Malting generated very positive feedback from the panel of judges.

Combining new processes and diversified sustainability practices, Skagit Valley Malting was the only American malthouse and the only member of the Craft Maltsters Guild, to be honored at the awards gala that took place on March 30th, 2022 in Antwerp Belgium. Other award winners included – Category A: Muntons, Bairds, Malteurop; Category B: Castle Malting, The Swaen/Birdies.

Dave Green, CEO of Skagit Valley Malting on the award, “It means a lot to our team to be recognized for the work they’ve put in over the past couple of years, as we’ve made changes to our company and moved toward a more sustainable supply chain. We’re also proud to be held up alongside these other companies who are helping to move our industry in a great direction.”

Skagit Valley Co-Op Supports the 2022 Roadshow

The Skagit Valley Food Co-op has been community-owned for almost 50 years, working toward providing healthy, high-quality food to their communities at good prices—for shoppers and producers. And while our local Skagit Valley Food Co-op is still a little quirky and crunchy, our Co-op isn’t just for hippies anymore. The Co-op is simply the best grocery store in town where you can find fresh, local food and popular organic brands, too. In fact, they were recently named Mount Vernon’s Business of the Year! The Co-op is not an exclusive club; everyone can come in and shop or browse any time. No membership required!

From 4% Friday donations to carrying Viva Farms produce, the Skagit Valley Food Co-op has supported Viva Farms in many ways over the years. So, supporting the Skagit Farm to Pint ROADSHOW just makes sense. Plus, we’re huge fans of local craft beers.

Partnering with local farms and producers is a big part of what makes the Co-op so much more than a grocery store. When you shop locally (aka: drink a local beer made with local malt and wheat from a local farm), not only are you sipping on something delicious, you’re putting your hard-earned dollar back into the local economy and supporting the dreams of real people who live here. It feels good to shop local. It feels even better to shake the hand or give a high-five to the folks who grow our food, mill our grains, brew our beers, and happen to live just down the road.

Breweries, bottle shops, and neighborhood taphouses abound in our neck of the woods. What sets Western Washington breweries apart is that many of them source their malt from Skagit Valley Malting, who partners with local farmers to process barley grown right here in our own backyard. The same farm that supplies the Co-op with world-famous Skagit strawberries also produces grain for a unique, hyperlocal malt. It’s safe to say we’re not in Kansas anymore. Cheers to drinking beer from here!

Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow Pairings

Drumroll please!  Announcing the 2022 Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow Pairings!

Roadshow Menu Pairings 2022

Port of Skagit Champions Local Ag Industry

“Skagit Valley is a special place. Surrounded by natural beauty and rooted in a deep agricultural heritage, Skagit is home to some of the best beer, locally-grown ingredients, and skilled brewers and makers around. We think that’s something worth celebrating, and that’s why we host the Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow every year!” says Michael Frazier, Viva Farms Executive Director.

The Port of Skagit has long been a champion of the local agriculture industry, and has been home to Viva Farms’ original Farm Business Incubator since 2009. The Port nurtures partnerships like the one with Viva Farms to enhance the local agricultural industry, promoting innovative approaches that combine research and technology producing new jobs and a robust economy centered on the valley’s rich agricultural resources and heritage.

In 2013, the Washington State Department of Commerce designated the Skagit Valley as an Innovation Partnership Zone, focused on Value-Added Agriculture. The Port of Skagit quickly became a leader in the partnership initiative and has invested significant resources in infrastructure and business recruitment to support local agriculture.

Nearly 200 jobs and 20 businesses at the Port are directly related to value-added agriculture, including Skagit Farm to Pint ROADSHOW partners Chuckanut Brewery, Cardinal Craft Brewing Academy, Garden Path Fermentation, Skagit Valley Malting, Skagit Landing and Water Tank Bakery. The Port of Skagit also helped create the Genuine Skagit Valley™ brand, a federal certification mark designed to increase consumer awareness and consumption of Skagit Valley agricultural products and services.

With the Port’s focus on the agricultural vitality of our area, it is easy to understand why they are such a dedicated supporter of Viva Farms, and the Skagit Farm to Pint ROADSHOW.

Viva Farms started with just five beginning farmers farming on eight acres in the Port in 2009. Since then, they have educated over 1,000 beginning farmers (350+ Spanish speakers) in sustainable organic farming and business management. Today, they are one of the largest (in acreage and sales) and most comprehensive farm incubator programs in the country. They are currently incubating 35 farm businesses on 119 acres of organic farmland across four sites in Skagit and King counties of Washington. Together with their farmers, they grew, marketed and distributed over $2.1M of organic produce in 2021.

The Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow is their biggest fundraising event of the year. The money raised will help fund their Farm Business Incubator for the 2022 season.

Water, Beer and Art

Did you know that beer is 95% water?  We have united water conservation, breweries, art, and the Viva Farms Farm to School program altogether to create the Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow Rain Barrel Project!

skagit pud rain barrels

Skagit PUD Donates Rain Barrels

Skagit PUD has donated and delivered the rain barrels to participating breweries, artists are painting the rain barrels, and Viva Farms will be delivering to local school gardens after the Roadshow.  The painted rain barrels will be on display all together on a Facebook photo album for you to vote for your favorite.

Rain Barrels

Collecting rainwater is an easy way to conserve water — and save money on your water bill. During the drier season, when water consumption often doubles, using collected rainwater also reduces the strain on the water supply and keeps more water available for fish and wildlife.

Century-Old Solution

Rainwater is also naturally “soft” and free of minerals and chemicals, making it ideal for plants and lawns. Using a rain barrel to collect rainwater also helps reduce stormwater runoff that might otherwise run down storm drains and into our streams, rivers, lakes, and bays. Stormwater runoff can cause flooding, erosion and carry pollutants into our waterways.

Purchasing a Rain Barrel

Skagit PUD sells rain barrels for $60/each that come fully assembled and ready for installation. These are recycled 55-gallon, food-grade plastic barrels. Barrels are not in “perfect” condition and may have a scuff or blemish. Barrels vary in shape and color.

Each rain barrel includes a 3/4 inch spigot, overflow valve, 4-5 inch diameter drain grate, mesh insect/debris screen, and a downspout adapter. Please call (360) 424-7104 to ensure availability. Cash or checks only.

Rain Barrel Math

How much water runs off your roof? To do the calculation, use this formula: .623 gallons per sq ft per inch of rain x Roof sq ft x Inches rain per year.

So, if your roof is 1,000 sq ft and you live in Mount Vernon, which gets 32.7 inches per year, you could expect 20,372 gallons of water running off your roof per year! (.623 gals x 1,000 sq ft x 32.7 inches rain = 20,372 gallons)

During the dry months, May – September, when most people think about gardening outside, you still could potentially collect 5,365 gallons of rainwater off your roof.

Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens Work Together

A wonderful way to complement a rain barrel and increase your property’s ability to absorb runoff is through a rain garden.  Rain gardens can be a fun and easy way to learn about beautiful native plants, improve water quality, and reduce flooding.

Rain gardens typically absorb 30% more water than the same size area of lawn; they are drought resistant and are less prone to destructive insects and diseases. Rain gardens create a preferred habitat for birds, butterflies, and dragonflies. These specialty gardens are versatile — they can be any size or shape, but to maximize their benefit, they should be built in an existing low spot or near a rain barrel’s drainage area.

A great resource guide is the Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington Homeowners. Print copies are available by contacting the Skagit Conservation District at (360) 428-4313.

Chuckanut Brewery Smoke Fest on March 5

Historically all beers were smoky due to the fires on which they were brewed as well as smoking the malt as it dried during the malting process. Now smoke beers are a rare, special treat and hard to find at that, but Chuckanut Brewery is celebrating these delicious beers with a Smoke Fest!

Chuckanut’s P. Nut Beer Hall in Portland and South Nut Brewery & Tap Room will be hosting Smoke Fest on March 5 in celebration of smoke lagers! Both locations will have three smoke beers on tap: Grodziskie Polish Lager, Rauch Marzen Lager and Rauch Helles Lager. All three beers use a different variation of smoke malts and are unique in color and flavor.

Wildfire Relief Donations

To help our communities in wildfire relief Chuckanut will be donating $1 of each smoke beer sold at both locations on March 5 to Direct Relief an organization that supports firemen and people who have been affected by wildfires. The festivities will include a brewery Open House at South Nut with free brewery tours from 12-4 pm and food pairings ordered from local Skagit Valley Provisions and Skagit Landing Restaurant. At P. Nut in Portland Poblano Pepper Food Truck will be on site as well as Sip & Knit with its first meet up (no charge) for those that want to knit while they sip their beers!

The Beer Styles

Grodziskie is an old Polish style beer sometimes referred to as “Polish Champagne” that’s brewed with oak smoked wheat malt. It has a subtle smoky flavor and finishes dry as a bone due to the use of the wheat malt. Grodziskie has mineral notes on the nose and great back-end vanilla on the palate. Weighing in at a whopping 3% ABV this beer is extremely crushable.

On the other hand, Rauch Marzen Lager is a more medium bodied amber colored beer. Known as the beer from Bamberg, every brewery in Bamberg, Germany where this style continues to be brewed, makes their own rendition of a Beechwood smoked malt lager. The complicated malt bill used in a Rauch Marzen rewards one with a balanced malt/hop combination covered in smokiness! Chuckanut Rauch Marzen Lager is modeled after the style Spezial Brewery in Bamberg makes.

And last but not least, the Rauch Helles Lager also uses Beechwood smoked malt but in the body of a Helles (light colored) beer. This rauch bier has the body of a Marzen but the color and lightness of a Helles Lager. With its well-developed bready flavors and elegant maltiness Rauch Helles has an added layer of smokiness too!

Mexican Food Truck

All smoke beers are great food beers and Chuckanut would like you to experience the possibilities with the presence of a Mexican food truck in Portland and two different pairings created by local food purveyors in Skagit Valley. Make sure to visit Chuckanut’s P. Nut Beer Hall and the South Nut Tap Room for some new smoky beer fun on March 5! See you there!

Skagit Valley & Portland

Chuckanut Brewery’s P Nut Beer Hall is located at 920 SE Caruthers St, Portland, OR 97214. Chuckanut Brewery & Tap Room is located in the heart of Skagit Valley at 11937 Higgins Airport Way, Burlington, WA at the Port of Skagit. Chuckanut has won multiple awards from the GABF, World Beer Cup and WA Beer Awards. Both locations welcome guests of all ages!

Check out additional information about Chuckanut http://www.chuckanutbrewery.com/

 

Skagit Cider Fest After Party Concert

In celebration of the first Skagit Cider Fest, a Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow Experience, Farmstrong will be opening their beer garden for a free afterparty concert!

Whatcom County R&B legends BABY CAKES will be blasting 2 hours of incredible live music from the Truck Show stage. With toe-tapping originals and fan-favorite covers, this is one group you do not want to miss!

This concert is for all ages and free to the public for everyone to experience. Jam to the tunes while you enjoy beer and cider (21+) from Farmstrong and food from their Rooted Kitchen!

• Saturday, April 9, 2022
• 5:00 PM 8:00 PM
• Farmstrong Brewing (map)

Baby Cakes will be bringing two hours of funk, rhythm, blues, and rock to the Truck Show stage for a free / all ages / after party for Skagit Cider Fest.

Seating is limited, and outside chairs are welcome!

skagit cider fest after party

Tulip Town – A Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow VIP Experience

See the splendor of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at Tulip Town during the Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow! Tulip Town has redesigned the fields for an immersive photography experience, updated its retail and cafe,  and a beer & wine garden! Experience Skagit Valley as a Roadshow VIP – purchase a VIP ticket for $85, and you will receive entry to Tulip Town AND a ticket to Skagit Cider Fest!

Skagit Beer Month (ROADSHOW) Trivia Gauntlet

Every Wednesday during the Skagit Farm to Pint Roadshow in April, head on over to Farmstrong Brewing. Voted editor’s pick for Best Trivia from Alive Magazine, this trivia night is not to be missed. Teams of 2-6 people play every week for a cumulative score and a total of $300 in cash prizes!
Each week will have a raffle prize from a local sponsor just for playing! Teams that play all four weeks will have a cumulative score resulting in CASH PRIZES for the top 3 teams of the month!
The max team size is six participants and seating is available on a first-come-first-served basis.  There will be four rounds each night with a score potential of 55.

Skagit Cider Fest- A Roadshow VIP Experience

Calling all Cider lovers! Meet the makers, learn about the cider-making process and sample some of the best ciders in Washington.

Viva Farms + Skagit Farm to Pint present

Skagit Cider Fest

Join us in the expansive Farmstrong Brewing beer garden to meet the makers, learn about the cider-making process and sample some of the best cider around, including:

Alma Cider, Bauman’s Cider, Bull Biter Cidery, Dragon’s Head Cidery, Greenbank Cidery, Greenwood Cider, Hammered Dwarf Cider, Locust Cider, Lost Giants Cider Co., Madrone Cellars & Cidery, Misfit Island Cider Company, Ragged & Right Cider Project, Renaissance Orchards, Soundbite Cider, and more.

Play your favorite lawn games, eat great food from Rooted Kitchen, purchase your favorite cider to take home from our festival store, and stay a while longer for an incredible afterparty concert from the legendary Baby Cakes!

SKAGIT FARM TO PINT ROADSHOW VIP TICKETS INCLUDE ENTRY TO THIS EVENT!

Tickets are also sold separately.  Stand-alone tickets available HERE.

The sampling event is 21+ for ticketed guests only. The afterparty is at 5 pm and is open to all ages and free to the public up to capacity: rain or Shine.