Rebecca Carballo

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee home brewers can now get their malted grains right in the city.

Proximity Malt, an online retailer and plant operator, opened its new retail location at 644 S. 5th St. in January.

“It really builds a sense of community,” said Kristi Feuling, social media and retail manager. “Having a store front builds a personal connection.”

Last summer, Proximity Malt began repurposing an old metal plating company building. Now its headquarters, production lab and retail location are all under one roof, enabling the company to take advantage of the growing popularity of home brewing and craft beer.

Feuling described the vacant site as bare and empty.

“It was beautiful and intimidating,” Feuling said.

Now, seven months later, bins of malt, the germinated cereal grains used to make beer, line the wall. What makes the shop unique is that customers can walk in, browse through the nine different malts and see into the production lab right past the checkout counter.

Proximity Malt CEO Dale West said he wanted the multifaceted facility to be located in Milwaukee because many of his staff and other team members are from the south side.

The company ships grains from its plant locations in Colorado and Delaware and then puts them through the malt process in its shop in Milwaukee.

“Home brewers that walk in are really excited that they can see the malts being produced right here,” Feuling said.

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The company is considering using local grains in the future, but Wisconsin is not a major “hub” for barley, said Abby Kanyer, research and development coordinator at Proximity Malt.

Once the firm receives its shipments of grains, it steeps them in the lab to make malt, which provides the color, flavor and texture of beer.

“As far as I know, we’re the only home brew supplier that produces our own (malts),” West said.

Proximity Malt also is experimenting with electric roasting technology, which is typically used for other products such as coffee and flour. Drum roasters are traditionally used for barley by most malt facilities.

Proximity Malt decided to use electric roasters because they tend to be more energy efficient and create less damage to the product, which makes for better final brew.

The Milwaukee lab has a roaster that is 1/16 the size of the ones in their plants. Kanyer said one appeal is that it roasts malts quicker.

“It gives us an opportunity to play with recipes and design,” Kanyer said. “We don’t know the limits with it. How dark or light can we go?”

Southeastern Wisconsin's home brewers are hearing about the new facility by word of mouth and through social media campaigns, Feuling said.

Home brewer Arthur Chavez said a malt is the “backbone” of a good beer.

Chavez hasn’t been to the Proximity Malt’s retail outlet yet but has tried the company's malts at a Homebrew Rally at Mobcraft, 505 S. 5th St.

Chavez said he could tell it was a high-quality product and plans to visit the storefront.

“I’m excited to see a new player in the malt industry,” Chavez said. “Hopefully, it will benefit us home brewers with more variety.”