Our May Brewery Spotlight features Maize Valley, the first craft brewery in Stark County! Since the 1960s, Maize Valley has been family-owned and operated out of Hartville, Ohio. They didn’t always make beer, though. They started from humble beginnings, selling vegetables out of the back of a truck, and eventually expanded into a farmer’s market.
Forced to seek additional means of income in the early 2000s with a couple of years that were bad for crops, they pursued wine making and have continued to make wine ever since. Lucky for us, they recently took up brewing beer as well! It has resulted in them earning TWO Great American Beer Festival Awards, the American brewing industry’s top beer competition.
With a background in farming, it was important for Maize Valley to be as self-sustaining as possible. They grow over 50 crops on their 750-acre farm that they then use in their wine, beer, and food sold at their location.
The Malted Meeple will be featuring Peach Fork, a crisp, fruity wheat ale with bready malt. We’ve yet to have a peach beer impress me as much as this one has. The peach flavor comes off very refreshing, without being too sweet. It’s a great summer beer.
We will also have Silo Killer, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale made exclusively with Ohio-grown malt. This brew maintains a high ABV for a farmhouse ale, without being too boozy and it is highly carbonated to give it a light airy feel, similar to champagne.
Please stop by The Malted Meeple in May to try one of these Ohio made brews! A representative from Maize Valley will be visiting us Friday May 10th starting at 7:30pm to sample beers and share more about their unique business!
Lauren Edmunds loves crafting, collecting obscure antiques, and all things creepy. She enjoys trying new beer and learning about brewing, and is the beer curator and Assistant Manager for The Malted Meeple.