Cartridge Brewing & Crystal Wheat 3L: A Crafty Relationship

 

We dedicate our business to the craft of malting.

And our craft brewers dedicate theirs to the craft of brewing.

Together we make a great team.

 

And that is exactly what Adam Mills, Head Brewer at Cartridge Brewing in Maineville, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati, says about beer. It takes dedication and teamwork from the entire industry.

 

“This industry done right requires some humility for the people that came before you.”

 

Crafting good beer is about people working together to craft the best beer possible.

 

Adam is a self-described life-long learner and a perfectionist. He is always attempting to one-up himself in order to better the beer that both he and Cartridge Brewing customers love and have come to expect.

 

And that’s where Malteurop Malting Company (MMC) comes into the team. With their innovative malts, alongside their time-proven classics, Malteurop has the same goals as Adam and the entire team at Cartridge.

 

“We’re always growing, always learning, and always trying something new.” (Adam Mills)

 

Location, Location, Location

But before the beer could be brewed, there had to be a location. And Cartridge Brewing’s location, like its beer, is one for the history books. It will and has stood the test of time.

 

Known as the Peters Cartridge Company, this massive space outside of Cincinnati was built in the late 1800s as a factory made to produce munitions, first crafting gunpowder inside the original Powder factory (destroyed in an explosion, later rebuilt across the river), and the producing shot for the Spanish-American War. 

 

Still a functioning munition factory during both World Wars, the factory continued to produce munitions up until the mid 1900s when it became more of a storage facility. Not willing to let this historic site go down without a fight, a few other businesses took up residence here, including Columbia Records to press vinyl before it finally shut its doors forever.

 

Or so was thought. Long-time dreamer of owning a brewery, Kyle Hackbarth, knew within 35 seconds of his first visit that the old Cartridge factory was exactly where he would be opening his brewery.

 

Withstanding the rough hands of time, with the help of the Cartridge Brewing team alongside fellow visionary business owners, the history of the iconic towering smokestack and neighboring pillar rises up from the ancient, dilapidated stones once again.

 

But What is a Brewery Without a Head Brewer?

While location is a must for a brewery to succeed, without a brewer, the location really doesn’t matter. Say hello to Adam Mills.

 

Meet Adam Mills, Head Brewer at Cartridge Brewing

Teacher turned brewer, Adam never really quit teaching nor learning.

 

“You should always be pushing yourself to get better, and when you no longer have that desire to do so, maybe it’s time to do something else.”

 

There is no something else for Adam. He loves the technical aspect of brewing while teaching his team to craft the best beers based on bold flavors that are still balanced. Brewing well-balanced and clean lagers are exciting for him.

 

“You shouldn’t be halfway through a pint and enjoying the flavor of it, but it’s weighing on your palate so heavy that you’re thinking of what you’re going to be drinking next.”

 

Brewing a Balance at Cartridge Brewing

It’s that balance that brought him from teaching to brewing. Straight out of high school, he headed to college. Graduating with a history degree, for the next 10 years he taught at-risk kids.

 

While teaching, he fell in love with homebrewing. Feeling that his balance was about to shift, his love of always learning took him on a new path. Taking a year-long sabbatical from teaching, he got into beer judging and competitions alongside his homebrewing endeavors. He also found a professional brewing mentor and started working at Arbor Brewing Company near his hometown outside of Detroit, Michigan.

 

It was around this time that the dream of opening a brewery for Cartridge’s co-founder, Kyle Hackbarth, was becoming a reality. But he needed a head brewer.

 

Adam, his wife, and his six kids, now ranging in age from one year to 20 years, transitioned their lives from Michigan to Ohio. He moved here for the job, but also for the site itself – the history of what was and the future of what it could become.

 

“This building just says history and the German roots of the area bring some appeal for the lagers – clean, easy drinking, food friendly beer.”

 

“Adam brought no ego and an artistic point of view and approachability.” (Kyle Hackbarth)

 

Always Teaching. Always Learning.

Recently, Adam started a YouTube channel – Adam Makes Beer – to give a behind the scenes look into the brewing process. He is pulling back the curtain, so to say, and giving insight into brewing recipes, techniques, ideas, and more.

 

With a goal of showing that brewing is a continuous educational journey, Adam is eager to share his knowledge through a welcoming space for anyone interested in brewing, both pro and novice. There’s always something to learn, and Adam wants to be a resource for others.

 

The Malt that Makes the Beer

And since brewing is a journey, and he wants to be a helpful resource for others in the industry, he’s excited to share his newest endeavor while working with Malteurop – Crystal Wheat 3L.

 

“Crystal Wheat 3L is a unique, low color crystal wheat that brings a lightly sweet character to beer with hints of honey and subtle fruit notes while maintaining a clean finish. It also improves head retention and helps maintain both flavor and colloidal stability.” (Malteurop)

 

First trying it out when he received a sample of it, it didn’t take him long to realize that he could use it in any color range of beers. Currently he is using it in many of his fruited beers as a residual gravity manipulator and looking forward to trying it in other styles, as well.

 

“It’s a crystal malt without the cloying crystal sweetness and is flavor neutral. It’s a really dependable way to manipulate residual sweetness without adding a lot of color.”

 

The key for Adam with the entire brewing process is to have a variety of ways to craft the beers he brews. Malteurop is one way that allows him to do this with their flagship and long-standing malt varieties along with their newest and innovative malts such as Crystal Wheat 3L.

 

 

Dedicated Brewers. Dedicated Maltsters.

While the journey never ends, the day does, and what better way to end a day than with a beer made from dedicated brewers and dedicated maltsters.

 

Adam says it beautifully, “Drink what you make and enjoy it. How can it not be fun.”

 

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To learn more about Crystal Wheat 3L and other malts offered through Malteurop, click here, or contact your local Malteurop Craft Sales Manager today.