Mecca Grade Estate Malts

[deadwolfbones]

I used the Skagit Obsidian in a "landbier" lager recently and it was a very tasty beer. Not sure what exactly it contributed but I couldn't find any fault with it.

 

[4min33]

@AzOr I have a bag of the Vanora right now. It is a bit richer. It also has a much higher diastolic power. The Lamonta has enough enzyme in it to dry out an ale. If you get a chance, go visit Mecca. I was there in a June and got to try some of their house beers, and got a tour from Seth who is an awesome guy. It’s a great road trip.

Yes, my wife and I visited on a Thursday in June and besides being hard to find (no signs just a little address post) Seth was out back with his ear protection on and couldn't hear the bell announcing our arrival. Called some of the phone numbers on the web and he returned a call and finally realized he had some customers. Great visit even still though we were the only folks to come by-- tasted good beers, toured the brewery and viewed the crazy mechanized malt machine in action. Took home 100 lbs. Very impressed and the malt is great. A must visit if you're in the area (Thurs Fri or Sat. only).

 

[sweetcell]

HEADS-UP: Mecca is shutting down, so get some while you can

Seth Klann, the owner/farmer/maltster/etc. behind Mecca Grade is getting out of the game. he's selling his farm in central Oregon, including all the malting equipment, with no guarantees that the new owner will continue malting. if you've been wanting to try their stuff, don't hold off much longer... they're not planting this year, so once their current inventory is gone, it's gone. i ordered and received 6 and a half bags last week. online orders: https://mecca-grade-estate-malt.square.site/
(EDIT: pro-tip - if you want to order both whole sacs and some grains by the pound, you might want to separate them into two orders. when i tried adding both sacs and pounds to the same order, shipping cost got real stupid - adding a single pound to my sacs made shipping go up by almost $100!)

from denny conn: "This is terrible news. I know how Seth loves that farm. This has much more to do with the drought than the beer business I would guess.
EDIT: just had a long talk with Seth. When the pandemic hit, they were running at full capacity and about to add another malting machine. Then orders dropped off dramatically. The guy running the malt house took another job. They had opened a brewery and tasting room in the meantime. Seth was growing barley, malting, and brewing for the taproom. He had no time left to go out and sell, and no energy to keep going. He's hoping for investors to keep the place running, although there is no guarantee of that. He and Sally are hoping to move to the southwest."

 

[Horseflesh]

That's sad news. I never got to try the product but it had a great reputation and a great story.

$5.5M? I'll pitch in a hundred bucks, let's do this.

 

[Beerstein]

This is horrible news. Many people are trying to leave Oregon because of water rights, taxes, etc.

 

[sweetcell]

That's sad news. I never got to try the product but it had a great reputation and a great story.

it's not too late! even with shipping, the cost of a bag of Mecca malt is only a little bit more expensive then getting sacs from my LHBS. i'm happy to pay an extra 10-20% for high-quality ingredients. you don't need to order a whole sac, they also sell by-the-pound.

$5.5M? I'll pitch in a hundred bucks, let's do this.

then we'll need to hire folks to run the place, we'll all get into a argument about what to call it... but sure, here's my benjamin to the good cause

 

[Civilian]

When I saw the announcement I went down the rabbit hole on how much yeild per acre for malt how much it sells for etc. Went through all the pictures then realized at 52 i'm too old for something like that.

Would be fun though. I did print out a couple of their recipes for future brews, the bock looks amazing.

 

[sweetcell]

The reports of Mecca's death had been greatly exaggerated... but now they aren't??

mecca did not close down at the end of the 2023 season. i ordered from them in 2024, and it was stamped 2024, so clearly some operations continued.

but now they're saying that they really are closing shop. only 2 more days to order - and get 35% off!!! an email from mecca:

Wow! Thank YOU!

Thank you for the outpouring of love and support over the past week as we announced our closure. Please be patient with our turnaround time of shipping online orders. We have received an OVERWHELMING amount of orders over the past week and are doing our best to process and pack them. Remember, the LAST DAY for online homebrew orders is July 31st. Remember to use code: GOODBYE at check out for 35% off your entire order. Commercial pallet orders will continue as we work through selling the rest of our inventory. For any questions, please email Katie, at: [email protected]

Order here: https://mecca-grade-estate-malt.square.site/

(edit: information previously posted here)