Celebrating the 2026 Malt Cup Winners: Elevating the Craft Malt Movement
The foundation of every great beer starts long before the boil kettle. It begins in the field, moves through the malthouse, and only then finds its way into our glass. That’s why the annual Malt Cup, presented by the Craft Maltsters Guild, is such an important event for the beer community.
This week, the Guild announced the 2026 Malt Cup award recipients during a virtual ceremony celebrating excellence in craft malting across the globe. And this year’s competition once again proves just how far the craft malt movement has come.
A Truly Global Competition
The 2026 Malt Cup featured:
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117 total entries
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29 malthouses
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Five countries represented
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Seven grain types
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48 unique grain varieties
The awards were presented by Hannah Uhlmann, Director of the Barley, Malt & Brewing Lab at Montana State University and long-time Malt Cup program manager, alongside Aline Brito, Sensory & Food Scientist at Montana State University.
Entries were evaluated across three rigorous rounds:
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Analytical Quality
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Sensory Evaluation
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Best of Show Judging
This isn’t just a popularity contest. These malts are scrutinized for performance, consistency, and flavor impact — the very characteristics that help brewers create world-class beer.
🏆 2026 Malt Cup Winners
Here’s a look at this year’s medalists by category:
Distillers Malt
🥇 Gold: Maltese – Two Track Malting
🥈 Silver: Distillers – High Enzyme – Root Shoot Malting
🥉 Bronze: Whiskey Jack – Red Shed Malting
Light Munich
🥇 Gold: RS M-10 – Root Shoot Malting
🥈 Silver: Light Munich – Blue Ox Malthouse
🥉 Bronze: Mjolnir Light Munich – ND Malting & Hops
Caramel
🥇 Gold: Cara Rubie – C20 – Root Shoot Malting
🥈 Silver: Caribou Malt – C40 – Red Shed Malting
🥉 Bronze: MOD AFTDRK – C120 – Troubadour Maltings
Vienna
🥇 Gold: Super Pevec – Troubadour Maltings
🥈 Silver: Vienna – Voyager Craft Malt
🥉 Bronze: Keughen Vienna – Gallatin Valley Malt
Wheat
🥇 Gold: Wheat Pale – 3D Malt
🥈 Silver: Wheat Malt – Rabbit Hill Malt
🥉 Bronze: Wheat Malt – South Fork Malthouse
Pale Malt
🥇 Gold: Parkland Pale – Red Shed Malting
🥈 Silver: Okefenokee – Two Track Malting
🥉 Bronze: Baronesse Pale – LINC Malt
Pilsen
🥇 Gold: Pilsner Lake – Loam Malt Studio
🥈 Silver: ’23 Violetta Pils – Mitten State Malt
🥉 Bronze: Yankee Pils – Blue Ox Malthouse
Unique Malt
🥇 Gold: Finger Lakes Flaked Corn – New York Craft Malt
🥈 Silver: Golden Triticale – Blue Ox Malthouse
🥉 Bronze: Frontier Malt – Gallatin Valley Malt
🌟 2026 Best In Show
The highest honor of the competition goes to the Gold Medal malt that performs strongest across all evaluation rounds.
2026 Best In Show:
🏆 Parkland Pale – Red Shed Malting
Crafted from the CDC Churchill barley variety.
This recognition is not only a testament to analytical precision but also to flavor expression and consistency. As Matt Hamill, Maltster at Red Shed Malting, shared:
“Winning the Malt Cup means the world to us — we pour our heart and soul into this business and our products. 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 will now receive the traveling Malt Cup trophy from last year’s winners, Blue Ox Malthouse.
Why This Matters to Brewers — and Beer Fans
As someone deeply invested in beer culture and the ingredients that drive quality, I love seeing the spotlight shine on maltsters. Hops often grab the headlines. Yeast geeks get their moment. But malt? Malt is structure. Malt is depth. Malt is the backbone.
The Malt Cup serves a greater purpose beyond medals:
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It provides detailed judging notes to entrants.
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It raises quality standards across small-grain producers.
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It strengthens the credibility of the craft malt movement.
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It connects farmers, maltsters, and brewers in a measurable way.
When you enjoy a beautifully layered Vienna lager, a rich barleywine, or a crisp pilsner with depth and character, there’s a good chance a craft maltster like these is behind it.
Looking Ahead to 2027
The Guild has announced that registration for the 2027 Malt Cup will open in October. With growing global participation and increasing grain diversity, next year’s competition promises to be even more exciting.
And if this year’s results show us anything, it’s this:
Craft malt isn’t just growing. It’s thriving.
Congratulations to all the 2026 Malt Cup winners and participants. Your work continues to elevate the quality of beer — from grain to glass. 🍺
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