At their Hadley, Massachusetts, malt house called Valley Malt, Andrea and Christian Stanley malt between 5 and 6 tons of grain per week, between their 4-ton malting system and the floor malting operation, for breweries and distilleries in New England and beyond. They also farm about 100 acres of grain and other crops, such as black beans and popcorn, in Hadley and Northampton, Massachusetts, on their Slow Tractor Farm.
As maltsters, they serve as an inherent link between farmers and brewers, and now for the third year running, they are bringing farmers, brewers, and maltsters together for an immersive weekend of learning, brain-picking, and discussion at the Farmer Brewer Winter Weekend, taking place January 17 and 18, 2015, in Amherst, Massachusetts.
The conference is about trying to bring farmers and brewers together, as well as anyone who’s interested in “what’s going on in grain-to-glass,” explains Andrea Stanley. This year’s stacked line-up of speakers includes malting and grain scientists and professionals, farmers, and brewers, but all share a broader perspective on brewing, farming, and malting, says Stanley. “I don’t think any of the people that are there are operating in a bubble. They’re the people who see it in a holistic point of view; they connect the dots.”