Much of Caleb Michalke’s life revolves around smoke. It’s a substance, a multi-sensory ensemble, that clearly compels him in his daily work as the owner of Sugar Creek Malt in western Indiana.

It’s unlikely anyone was begging him for his array of malts cold-smoked over herbs like lavender or tarragon or hot-smoked over dozens of different woods. Some, like oak and beechwood, are pretty standard. But lemonwood? Persimmon? Tabasco barrels? Those choices are clearly driven by something deeper, something beyond a balance sheet. Call it a lonely impulse of delight, but it motivates much of Caleb’s tinkering.