Press release… The 5th Annual Philadelphia Grain & Malt Symposium returns in a virtual, 2-day format on March 8 & 9, 2021. This annual convening event connects stakeholders across the grain & malt value chain – from food & beverage producers to farmers & researchers to consumers – to share knowledge, expand networks, and showcase products made with local grain.
At its outset, COVID-19 posed challenges for the industry to operate anywhere close to normal. It has interrupted the grain supply chain, stalled research, kept consumers out of restaurants, and forced many food and beverage artisans to scale back production. At the same time, millers often experienced an increased demand for flour by budding home bakers, and farmers found new direct to consumer market outlets. Consumers embraced open air farmers markets and shopping outside of big-box grocery stores. Social unrest, racial injustice, and escalation of the climate crisis encouraged many people to use their platform(s) to make their voices heard and inspire change. Despite incredible challenges and unprecedented division, we saw countless examples of people coming together during the pandemic.
The Symposium, founded by Matt Farber of the University of the Sciences (Philadelphia, PA) and Mark Brault of Deer Creek Malthouse (Glen Mills, PA), has brought together hundreds of stakeholders in past years throughout the region. The need to come together as a community has never been more important than it is now:
“With the pandemic keeping us apart, virtual events like the Philadelphia Grain & Malt Symposium play an important role in maintaining the growth that local grain agriculture has achieved over the last several years. It keeps members of the supply chain connected; it provides educational opportunities for inspiration and improvement; and it raises awareness of the importance of local grains in the community.”
– Matt Farber, PhD, Director of the Brewing Science Certificate Program
Assistant Professor of Biology, University of the Sciences
“Grain is the bedrock of community. The opportunity to shorten the supply chain and leverage relationships to overcome challenges is more apparent than ever. This annual convening event aims to strengthen the regional grain value chain for ALL stakeholders through education, networking, and sharing products. We are excited about the virtual format this year, which allows for more participation from stakeholders outside the Mid-Atlantic region.
– Mark Brault, Founder/Owner, Deer Creek Malthouse
The symposium, again hosted by the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, has grown from an audience of largely craft brew-focused professionals and enthusiasts into a wide ranging collection of leaders in grain-centered technology, education, and culinary tourism. This year the virtual format (Zoom Webinar) allows for an expansion of both theme and geography.
Monday’s agenda (Day 1 / March 8th) will feature pre-recorded and live consumer-oriented programming by producers, many of those representing PA Grain Coalition/All Together Now, including a pizza demonstration by Lost Bread Co., and a tour of the historic Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown. Tuesday (Day 2 / March 9th) will focus on research, education, and the unique interests of grain and malt industry professionals. We will hear from Allagash Brewing Co. in Maine about using local grains from the Northeast, and Chatham University’s CRAFT program on grain-focused culinary tourism in PA. We will also hear regional farmers and other grain leaders discuss malting barley, specialty crops, and the revival of regional grainsheds throughout the US.
To commemorate the symposium, Troegs Independent Brewing has produced a unique beer, made with organic PA spelt and fresh spelt baguettes – A collaboration among Pennsylvania farmers, maltsters, bakers, and brewers. The brew will be released in conjunction with the 2021 symposium, and it will be available for sale at Troegs (Hershey, PA) and via limited distribution in Philly.
The Troegs beer will also be featured during a Penn Museum hosted “Ancient Alcohol” event, a LIVE interactive beer tasting experience with archaeologist and beer experts, capping off Monday’s consumer-oriented festivities. Tuesday’s industry-focused agenda will wrap up with an equally fun, educational and interactive happy hour co-hosted by Beer Busters & GK Visual. This LIVE pizza and beer themed discussion will feature guests from the craft beer industry who have responded creatively to COVID-19, and a DIY pizza dough demonstration by James Beard award winning chef, Jeff Michaud.
Registration for the event (Zoom Webinar) opens on Wednesday February 10th. Tickets are $12, which includes access to two full days of programming, and they can be purchased at grainandmaltsymposium.com . Ancient Alcohol: Tour & Beer Tasting, requires a separate ticket for $10 that can also be purchased on the symposium website.
