This week we meet for a beer with Kyle Geeraert of Origin Malting & Brewing, one of the few breweries in the world that are truly farm to table. We discuss the century long history of the family business including their enormous contribution to soil conservation in Alberta and how they continue to innovate today.

Origin Malting & Brewing’s operations might be seen as the estate winery of the beer world. They grow their own barley on their fifth generation family farm which was settled in 1910, and have been malting their barley in a state of the art facility since November of 2017. The majority of their 12,500 acres stretching from the south-east of Calgary to nearly Drumheller is seeded primarily with canola, wheat, and of course barley. The wheat goes to Roger’s Milling in BC every single stalk of barley is grown for malting and eventually beer. While some of the barley will end up in the Origin Malthouse much of it is also sold to Rahr and Red Shed who also provide world class Alberta malt barley for breweries here and around the world.

Kyle’s family has been growing barley on their farm since 1960, but only just recently begun malting their own barley and brewing their own beer. The malting operation was originally conceptualized as a form of vertical integration on the farm once they were no longer required to sell all their barley to the Canadian Wheat Board, and the brewery would allow them to showcase for brewers and consumers alike the great beer that comes from Alberta Barley. We also discuss his family’s contribution to farming practices in Alberta, how science plays a role in the sustainability of their farm, and get a brief lesson clearing up the misconceptions of GMOs.

Let’s Meet For A Beer!

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Origin Malting & Brewing: website | twitter | instagram