Grainswest - Spring 2023

Spring 2023 grainswest.com 35 M ike Foniok lights up when he talks about his work. A decorated veteran of Alberta’s craft beer scene, he is co-owner and head brewer of The Establishment Brewing Company. The Calgary business was named Canadian and Alberta brewery of the year in 2021. Foniok is particularly enthusiastic about a new brand of malt. Located just northwest of Olds, Hogarth Malt produces locally grown, organic floor malt—more about this process shortly. Adjacent to The Establishment’s cozy taproom, Foniok shows off banks of oak casks in which the brewery ages its limited-edition beers up to three years. They are produced using traditional Belgian brewing practices that employ the brewery’s own wild yeast cultures. Hogarth malt is the central ingredient of these signature, barrel-aged beverages and the malt is gaining favour among Foniok’s fellow craft brewers. A separate product line from the brewery’s main canned beer selection, The Establishment’s barrel-aged beer is sold in 750-ml glass bottles beautifully labelled with black and white illustrations by Alberta artists. “You experience the unique flavour and terroir of that malt, and that’s important to us,” said Foniok. “It tastes great, and it’s just freakin’ cool. How can we not use it?” HOW IT’S MADE With its bright fluorescent lights and shiny malting gear that trails tubes and cords, the Hogarth floor-malting room has the feel of a hospital operating theatre. In contrast to its clinical appearance, the air is invitingly fragrant with the sweet and earthy aroma of warm, moist malting barley in the germ stage. On polished concrete to either side of a central gutter are two flattened, oval piles of tan barley. The thicker of the two piles, about a hand’s length high, was laid down the evening previous. When piled to a certain depth in a process known as couching, the grain generates a little of its own heat, which pushes the sprouting process along. The other pile is in its third day and will soon be roasted in the kiln. Maltsters Aaron and Alex Hogarth constantly attend to the progress of multiple malt batches. The couple built this stand- alone facility and launched the business in September 2021. Aaron, also a master brewer, examined the progress of the youngest malt stack. The chitting process underway, delicate, creamy rootlets were visible on the kernels. “As the grain grows, we’ll spread it out further and further,” said Aaron, gesturing to the shallow pile. This turning and spreading is conveniently done with a device that resembles a massive rotary lawnmower. It’s a process the duo used to carry out with grain shovels. What previously took an hour-and-a-half of intense work now takes 10 minutes. The sprout or acrospire of the three-day barley almost reach the bottom of the kernel, which will signify the batch is fully modified. “At that point, the enzyme package and the starch is available to the brewer,” said Aaron. Prior to this stage, each 1,200-kilogram batch of raw barley spends two days in the steep tank off to one corner. In this tall chrome tank, the grain undergoes wet and dry phases until its ideal moisture content is reached. It is then transported to the malt floor in a simple, black fibreglass wheelbarrow. A batch will yield about a tonne of finished malt. Approximately a four-day process, floor malting is time and labour intensive but less expensive than other systems. The set up will also simplify an eventual planned expansion. With the large floor they can quickly and cheaply expand production. THE MALTING LIFE The Hogarth malthouse features a pleasant meeting area decked out like a taproom. It’s a sunny space where the Hogarths can meet with clients and offer samples of various beer styles Aaron has brewed with their products. The Hogarth roster includes a selection of base malts that includes pale, pilsner, Vienna and Munich. Specialty malts include rye, honey, roasted coffee and roasted chocolate. “We can go from biscuit-light and toasty to black malt and roasted barley, which are a lot like coffee," said Aaron. Brewer Mike Foniok of The Establishment Brewing Company uses Hogarth Malt to produce a selection of barrel-aged beers.