The holidays are around the corner and it’s getting cold in Texas, but on this episode of The BrewDeck, things warm up nicely in this interview Toby Tucker has with Bart Whipple. Bart is the assistant brewmaster and supply manager at the one and only Sierra Nevada, and has been involved in the legendary brewery for 36 years. Having transitioned from the brewery operations to the raw ingredients side of the business, Bart takes the lead when it comes to sourcing new malts and presenting it to the brewers. He talks about his “bloodhound” ability to smell and taste a good quality malt when it is still in the railcar, describes their formal and informal processes for checking the quality before accepting a load, and shares his take on how the consistency and quality of malt in the US have changed in the last 40 years. Joining in today, listeners will also hear the two chat about Sierra Nevadas’s sustainability efforts, their recent community outreach programs, and what beer lovers can expect in terms of upcoming trends.