Introducing Mars Malt from Gambrinus Malting Corporation.

January 13, 2025 

SPALLUMCHEEN, British Columbia—Gambrinus Malting Corporation, a business unit of the Rahr Corporation, has announced the arrival of Mars Malt, an all-new North American red malt. 

Crafted in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Mars Malt was developed for brewing rich, flavorful beers with red color. Mars is a suitable base malt and can be used at up to 100% of your grist. It can also be used to complement complex grain bills in a range of red recipes.  

Ideal for Irish Reds, Red IPAs, toasty Märzens, big Barley Wines, and brilliant Ambers, Mars delivers mild malt sweetness and extraterrestrial versatility wherever it’s put to use.

 “Gambrinus is well versed in making flavorful base and specialty malts,” says Joel Menk, RahrBSG Product Category Manager for Malt. “We felt a Red Ale Malt would be right at home amongst their other product offerings, and deliver a solution for breweries making red-hued beers.” 

A cross-functional team of maltsters, lab technicians, and tasting panels were involved throughout the development process.

Wort samples taken during the development of Mars Malt at Gambrinus Malting, Spellumcheen, British Columbia

 “In addition to the usual robust sensory and lab analytics, we paid special attention specifically to the hue this malt produces,” Menk says. “This is a significant step beyond the usual light-to-dark scale we talk about with malt via Lovibond, SRM, or EBC. We utilized a tristimulus method to measure the ‘redness’ and ensure that we hit our goals. We couldn’t be happier with the final product, which has amazing flavor and a brilliant red hue.” 

Joel Menk, RahrBSG Product Category Manager for Malt

“This was made possible, really, using the wealth of Rahr resources and their deep industry knowledge,” adds Ken Smith, Gambrinus Malting Director of Operations. “We all worked together to create a new North American malt for red beers so we could provide a strong, more economical, option to breweries in the US and Canada. R&D for the win!” 

Ken Smith, Director of Operations, Gambrinus Malting

Gambrinus Mars Malt is distributed by RahrBSG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rahr Corporation.

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