Aaron Goss: Carolina Malt House (Cleveland, NC)

When it comes to beer, we talk a lot about hops, but what about barley? Aaron Goss of Carolina Malt House in Cleveland, NC was a hobby beermaker who started to malt his own barley for fun while obtaining his law degree and MBA from Wake Forest University. After he learned that almost all of the beer consumed in the Carolinas is made from barley grown thousands of miles away, this native of Rowan County, in the middle of the Carolinas' grain belt thought, "Why not here?" What has resulted in a few short years is the Southeast's largest malt house, serving brewers nine varieties of malts (and counting), all made from barley grown within 10 miles of the facility, not because locally grown food is trendy, but because Aaron is sure his neighbors are some of the most dedicated farmers in the world. Much of the machinery for the malt house was fabricated locally, the facility operates on green principles, and with its quickly expanding production, it's bringing fresh flavor to the glasses of local beer drinkers all over the Southeast.