Craft Maltsters Guild Names 2026 Malt Cup Winners

NATIONAL— The Craft Maltsters Guild announced the 2026 Malt Cup award recipients at a virtual ceremony on February 26, with winners from across the globe.

Hannah Uhlmann, Director of the Barley, Malt & Brewing Lab at Montana State University and manager of the Malt Cup awards for eight years now, presented the awards alongside Aline Brito, Sensory & Food Scientist at Montana State University. They reported 117 total entries from 29 malthouses in five countries. These entries included seven grain types and 48 varieties.

Here are the 2026 Malt Cup winners:

Distillers Malt

Gold: Maltese, Two Track Malting in Menoken, North Dakota

Silver: Distillers – High Enzyme, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Bronze: Whiskey Jack, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta

Light Munich

Gold: RS M-10, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Silver: Light Munich, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine

Bronze: Mjolnir Light Munich, ND Malting & Hops in Williston, North Dakota

Caramel

Gold: Cara Rubie – C20, Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado

Silver: Caribou Malt – C40, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta

Bronze: MOD AFTDRK – C120, Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado

Vienna

Gold: Super Pevec, Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado

Silver: Vienna, Voyager Craft Malt in Whitton, NSW Australia

Bronze: Keughen Vienna, Gallatin Valley Malt in Manhattan, Montana

Wheat

Gold: Wheat Pale, 3D Malt in Camrose, Alberta Canada

Silver: Wheat Malt, Rabbit Hill Malt in Shiloh, New Jersey

Bronze: Wheat Malt, South Fork Malthouse in Cynthiana, Kentucky

Pale Malt

Gold: Parkland Pale, Red Shed Malting in Red Deer County, Alberta

Silver: Okefenokee, Two Track Malting in Menoken, North Dakota

Bronze: Baronesse Pale, LINC Malt in Spokane Valley, Washington

Pilsen

Gold: Pilsner Lake, Loam Malt Studio in Nomans Lake, WA Australia

Silver: '23 Violetta Pils, Mitten State Malt in Okemos, Michigan

Bronze: Yankee Pils, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine

Unique Malt

Gold: Finger Lakes Flaked Corn, New York Craft Malt in Batavia, New York

Silver: Golden Triticale, Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine

Bronze: Frontier Malt, Gallatin Valley Malt in Manhattan, Montana

Each year, the Best In Show designation goes to the Gold Medal malt that had the highest performance through all three rounds of evaluation: Analytical Quality, Sensory Evaluation, and Best Of Show Judging. The 2026 Best In Show malt was Parkland Pale by Red Shed Malting, crafted from the CDC Churchill barley variety.

"Winning the Malt Cup means the world to us— we pour our heart and soul into this business and our products," says Matt Hamill, Maltster at Red Shed Malting. "I'm constantly touting 'premium' products in the market, so this recognition helps us as a sales tool and an icebreaker to get us in the door."

Red Shed Malting will receive the traveling Malt Cup trophy, shipped to them from last year's winners Blue Ox Malthouse.

The 2026 Malt Cup was made possible by generous sponsors Ackermann, Bratney, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, the National Barley Growers Association, New Glarus Brewing Co., Promalting, RadCraft, and Yingtai Machinery; as well as AV partner Empowered Streaming.

The Craft Maltsters Guild extends gratitude to all of the Malt Cup entrants who will soon receive judging notes for their entries. This program intends to provide feedback that improves malt quality, ultimately elevating the credibility of the small grains community at large. Registration for the 2027 Malt Cup will begin in October.

Media inquiring about the Craft Maltsters Guild and the Malt Cup can contact Emily Hutto at the link below.

ABOUT THE CRAFT MALTSTERS GUILD

Formed in 2013, the Craft Maltsters Guild's mission is to promote and sustain the tradition of craft malting in North America, provide services and resources to the Association's members, and uphold the highest quality and safety standards for Craft Maltsters. Learn more about the Craft Maltsters Guild at the link below.