I’m the owner and brewer of From The Ground Brewery. It’s a gift having Dennis and Jeanette just down the road. I’ve seen the Malthouse grow from an idea to a reality. Starting small has it’s challenges and they have met them at every step of the way, paying special attention to quality. I currently use their two row for all the base malt in my beer, 70-100% of the malt bill, depending on style. I’m getting great extract and excellent flavor. My customers love the fact that my ingredients are sourced locally. I’m looking forward to their growth and working with Hudson Valley Malt in the many years to come.

I’m the owner / Brewmaster at Old Klaverack Brewery! We have been using Germantown Beer Farms malt for about 8 months now and really like the flavor and character that these locally grown NY malts bring to our beer!! I would highly recommend these malts to any brewery looking for locally grown ingredients!!!

Every other Wednesday I drive my 2005 Ford Escape 30 miles north from our Farm to the Germantown Beer Farm. It’s a peaceful route that snakes through forests and farms running parallel to pasture fences and tiny creeks. As the Catskills Mountains start to invade the horizon, I know my turn is coming up. Turning right I start to climb a paved farm road passing a vineyard, an exotic animal farm, and a BBQ joint that looks to be attached to somebody’s house. I know to turn left after the Bison. I park abreast a horse stable/barn that has been recently modified to malt barley, the traditional way. On the floor. Dennis greats me with a smile, a strong handshake, and 1000+ lbs of freshly malted, cleaned and bagged barley. We load up the back of my SUV, sometimes a couple bags in the passenger seat, & settle up over an icy glass of beer. We chat about our little community of farmers and brewers, but mostly about whiskey- peaty single malts lately. Generally, Dennis will begin to steer our conversation away from the peat bogs of Scotland and back to his malt house, specifically his process. Perhaps, a European malster had just visited and introduced a new concept, or maybe Ken, a farmer he works closely with, had just shared some encouraging news about the kernel size of a plot of barley that’s seeding just down the road at Migliorelli Farms. Whatever the detail, no matter how seemingly idiosyncratic, Dennis explains to me its importance, how’s it’s gonna make my malt more efficient, better tasting, easier to mill. You see, Dennis (Germantown Beer Farm) is balancing romance & reality, the tradition of malting grains on the floor, with the inspiration of modern science. He allows his heart to reside in the past while his mind’s eye is looking towards the future. Malted grains are the backbone of every beer. At Plan Bee Farm brewery we only brew with grain that has been painstakingly & meticulously malted by Dennis Nesel at Germantown Beer Farm. Dennis has resurrected the natural technique of ‘Floor-Malting,’ as well as the connection to the farmer & the brewer. We rely on Dennis & he has never let us down. Driving back down that farm road, bison to the left now, BBQ shack to the right the car is packed tight with fresh malt, & 1000lbs heavier. It’s a heavy load for my old Ford. It  nearly teeters as I maneuver the country path back to my farm brewery. The weight is very noticeable. I have developed a connection to that weight and that smell. I’m very proud of Dennis. He is the heart of our community- Hudson Valley Malt is the backbone of our beer.