Blue Ox Malthouse has opened a new ecommerce outlet for homebrewers called the Blue Ox Merch House, which is pretty fun. The Lisbon Falls, Maine. maltster now sells 5-lb bags of its core malts online, expanding its direct-to-consumer offerings and making small-batch ordering easier than ever. The shop launched on Black Friday with 10 malt varieties. The lineup includes Yankee Pilsner, Vyenna, Dark Munich, Caramel 60, Roasted Barley, Chit, Wheat, Chocolate Rye, Special Moxie, and Maplewood Smoked. Orders ship directly from the malthouse through its online storefront. Homebrewers can explore the full selection at blueoxmalthouse.com/merch-house. Blue Ox continues to sell its full portfolio to professional brewers, distillers, and bakers through its main site. From this press release:
“Blue Ox Malthouse was founded on the principle of supporting farmers and our food system at large,” says Senior Account Manager Joe Rinaldo. “By offering our award winning products to a wider audience, we further that mission and hope to connect to more of our community beyond professional brewers and distillers.”
A new channel for a growing maltster
This homebrew shop reflects Blue Ox’s expansion into broader direct sales. The company built its reputation supplying professional brewers and distillers with floor-malted grain sourced from Northeast farms. Adding an online homebrew channel opens access to a new group of makers who often want small volumes and fast delivery. The company now offers both branded merchandise and small batch malt online, allowing homebrewers to work with ingredients previously available only to commercial producers.
Inside Blue Ox’s expanding footprint
Blue Ox launched in 2013 as Maine’s first modern malthouse. It began as a small-scale floor-malting operation with a mission to support regional agriculture. Over the past decade, it has grown into the largest dedicated floor maltster in North America. The company remains one of the few maltsters in the world operating entirely with traditional floor-malting methods. See photo above. Its recent expansion added significant capacity and created room for more specialty products. The company now produces a wider range of roasted malts and collaborates regularly with regional breweries on custom projects.
Brewers guild highlights malt education at Blue Ox
This fall, the Maine Brewers Guild’s Technical Committee held its From Kiln to Kettle education day at Blue Ox. Brewers toured the facility, learned about malt production, and practiced interpreting certificates of analysis. The event blended hands-on training with conversations about recipe development, grain selection, and quality control. Participants spent time on the malting floors, evaluated samples, and gained context on how agricultural decisions and malt process variables influence the final beer. The guild continues to invest in these technical sessions to strengthen understanding of core ingredients and build tighter supply-chain relationships.
Blue Ox’s strong year includes major Malt Cup honors
Blue Ox earned major recognition in 2025 at the Malt Cup Awards. Judges awarded the maltster Best of Show and two gold medals. Its floor-malted Light Munich topped every entry in the competition. Caramel 60 also won gold in its category. These medals bring the company’s three-year Malt Cup total to six. The Malt Cup draws global submissions and uses multi-round blind judging. Winning categories in this event signals consistent product quality across style-specific evaluations. Blue Ox’s success follows its recent capacity expansion and the rollout of several new roasted malts.
A regional malthouse built on farm connections
Blue Ox continues to source grain from family farms across the Northeast. Its team works closely with growers on barley, wheat, rye, oats, and triticale. This regional approach supports a resilient supply chain and offers brewers traceable ingredients with distinct local character. The company’s recent milestones — a new online homebrew shop, strong performance at the Malt Cup, and increased engagement with the guilds and brewers — show a malthouse still growing its influence. With expanded capacity and a deeper portfolio, Blue Ox enters 2026 with momentum and new ways for brewers of all scales to explore its malt.
