Crystal 20
Riverbend Crystal 20 is a true crystal malt made from 2-row barley by a proprietary kilning process that mimics the stages of roasting without the intense heat. The sugars crystallize inside the husk, which is what separates a real crystal malt from a lightly roasted one.
At 15 to 25 SRM this is the lightest of Riverbend's crystal range. Light caramel and toffee with hints of pumpernickel and black tea underneath, more nuance than the flat sweetness of a commodity crystal malt. It adds body and color without weighing the beer down.
Using Crystal 20
- Riverbend publishes 5 to 15% of the grist.
- At 3 to 6% it adds a touch of color and body to a pale ale or multi-grain lager.
- At 10 to 15% the caramel character becomes pronounced, which suits an English-style pub ale.
- No enzymes. Crystal malts contribute unfermentable sugars and need a base malt to convert the rest of the grist.
Styles: Multi-grain lager, English pub ale, pale ale, amber ale
Specifications
| Grain | 2-row barley, crystallized |
|---|---|
| Color | 15 to 25 SRM |
| Max usage rate | 5 to 15% of grist |
| Extract (FG, dry basis) | Over 76% |
| Diastatic power | None, requires a base malt |
| Bag size | 50 lb |
About Riverbend Malt House
Brent Manning and Brian Simpson founded Riverbend in Asheville in 2010, the first craft malt house east of the Mississippi. It is now the first Certified Regenified malt house in the world. Grain comes from family-owned farms inside roughly a 500-mile radius of Asheville, across North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida. They still hand-rake grain on a traditional malting floor alongside modern germination-kiln vessels, and in 2025 they supplied more than 300 breweries and distilleries.