#32: Jacob Buck | Maine Malt House

The guys get blessed with a rare "in-studio" guest this week,
with Jacob Buck making the 2.5 hour trek south to Milo, all the
way from Mapleton, ME. Jake runs Maine Malt House with his three
brothers and their father on their multi-generational family
farm. BBB will buy about 200 tons of grain produced by the Buck
family in 2020, so their is no shortage of Noah playing fanboy as
Jake explains how their farm - which for decades had grown only
potatoes - diversified itself by beginning to produce brewer's
malt. He paints a succinctly informative picture of the malting
process itself, one that Jake and his brother Josh effectively
taught themselves how to do at a very high level, despite not
knowing beer was brewed with barley for the majority of his life.
He also sheds light on the numerous and often surprising
challenges farmers face in chasing consistency, as well as
discussing the the pros and cons of working with your family and,
importantly, the value in treating some breakfast cereals as a
rotating crop instead of a base malt. A great conversation with
an awesome person doing awesome things.
Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill