BarleyFest
Four years ago, Andrea and Christian Stanley sold their first big batch of malted barley as the then-newly minted business, Valley Malt.
And with that, they had tapped into a new local market that is thriving beyond their expectations today.
The couple celebrate this anniversary each year with a harvest festival and community event known as BarleyFest. This year's festival takes place Sunday in Hadley from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be malt house tours from 10 a.m. to noon at Valley Malt (27 Middle St.), then the festival itself from noon-6 p.m. at the Young Men's Club (183 East St.) The cost is $10 for adults, with anyone under 21 getting free admission.
"We will highlight beers made from local ingredients–malt, hops, pumpkins, honey, etc.," Andrea Stanley said. "The food served is also locally sourced."
Along with the beer and food, there will be music provided by Acoustic Brew and Fat Bradley, as well as a Cornhole (or Baggo) tournament. Cornhole is a game where players try get bean bags (filled with corn) into a hole on a board.
In addition, Mapleline Farm is bringing some of its old John Deere tractors and Hadley Malt showcase some of its antique combines and threshers.
"Families love to climb on them and take pictures during Barleyfest," Stanley said. "There are lots of beautiful tractors in and around Hadley that are a great reminders of our history."
Stanley said the couple's interest in starting a malting company stemmed partly from being home brewers. But it also grew from the area's farming community.
"As you know, the valley is rich in farming traditions and in supporting those local farms. We really wanted to start a company that allowed us to give farms a local market for alternative crops like barley," she said. "We were home brewers for over 15 years and wanted to start using local grains in our beers. When we discovered that the closest malthouse was in Wisconsin we decided to bring the malthouse back to New England."
The couple malts about five different varieties of barley and makes lots of malts with them. Regular two-row pale malt as well as Vienna malt! Munich malt, Crystal malt and chocolate malt.
"We also malt other interesting grains like spelt, rye, wheat, and oats," she said.
The reaction from local brewers has been extremely positive, Stanley said, to the point where they can't keep up with the demand.
"We get lots of good vibes and support from like-minded brewers who have been wanting to get more locally sourced ingredients," she said.
But learning the process and getting the right equipment in place wasn't easy.
"The learning curve is huge," Stanley said. "Not only do we need to rebuild the local infrastructure for growing high quality grains but we also need to build our own malting equipment and learn how to work with every batch of grain from each field. We are still continuing to learn our craft and it is a wonderful thing to be a part of. Never a dull moment."
Stanley said she hopes people come out and enjoy the BarleyFest activities.
"We hope they have a great relaxing day with their family and friends," she said. "Lots of activities for kids, great bluegrass and jazz music, great beer, great food, and a sunny, wonderful fall day."