Oregon grain

As our name suggests, our goal at Oregon Grain Growers Brand Distillery is to highlight the incredible grain heritage of Eastern Oregon, and the people that have made it possible, by producing world-class spirits and nourishment.

There are few places in the Pacific Northwest where grain growers have been as important to the local culture and economy as in Pendleton, Oregon in the heart of Umatilla County.

The Map below shows an aerial view of our region and the many farms that surround Pendleton. Most of the region is farmland and can be divided into 2 primary categories of dryland (lighter colored sections below) and irrigated farms (darker greens below).

The map above shows the area in where we are contracting our grain to be grown for the products we distill. As you can see the area is diverse. To the west lies the Columbia River and irrigated crop circles. To the east lies dry land up to the base of the blue mountains. It is this diversity that allows for a multitude of grains to be grown. Umatilla county produces the most wheat in Oregon state. Our distillery is at ground zero when it comes to this grain producing region which is a good thing. Not to mention being near some of the best watermelon, pepper, and onion farms west of the Mississippi.

In Umatilla County, Wheat reigns supreme as the most produced crop. Wheat can be broken down into many categories and subclasses based on when the seed is planted, the shape of the flower, the color of the berry, and the toughness of the berry.

winter wheat

Winter wheat is a type of cereal grain that is planted from September to December in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter wheat sprouts before freezing occurs, then becomes dormant until the soil warms in the spring. Winter wheat needs a few weeks of cold before being able to flower, however persistent snow cover might be disadvantageous. It is ready to be harvested by early July.

Soft White Winter

As the most commonly grown wheat in Umatilla County, soft white winter wheat is defined by its soft husk, light-color, and low protein content. Flour from soft white winter wheat is often used for pie crusts, pastry, and other lightly flavored products. At Oregon Grain Growers, Soft White Winter Wheat is our primary grain for our Cabbage Hill Wheat Whiskey and is an important supporting grain for our bourbon.  A subclass of Soft White Winter Wheat is the Club variety that provides a slight increase in protein.

Hard Red Winter

Hard Red Winter Wheat is our base grain for our Ouragon Vodka. The high protein content provides a source of important minerals for our house whiskey yeast to create a more vigorous fermentation. However, since Vodka is defined as a “neutral” spirit, once our Ouragon is distilled through our column still we charcoal filter the spirit to remove flavor and create a more neutral spirit. This grain is also a small component for our bourbon providing a great source of earthy flavor and complexity.

Spring Varieties

Hard Red Spring wheat is not often planted in Oregon because of the unpredictable spring rains that can make planting difficult. These types of wheat are found more often in North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana where spring weather is more predictable. These varieties are also higher in protein and are used more commonly in artisan wheat foods like bread, rolls, croissants, and bagels.

Barley, the beer grain

Oregon is well-known as a mecca for craft beer aficionados looking to sate their hop addiction. Lucky for us, barley is also commonly found in fields throughout Eastern Oregon though generally at a higher elevation. Most Barley in the market has undergone the additional malting process where the berries are soaked with water and allowed to germinate. Once germination has started and a small sprout has grown, the grain is kiln dried and roasted depending on the variety of malted barley being produced. Malted Barley is key to transforming grain starches into fermentable sugars as amylase enzymes breakdown complex carbohydrates into fermentable glucose sugars. We add a small amount of malted barley to each of our batches during the mashing process to convert our raw grains into glucose that our yeast can convert into alcohol.

Other Grains

With so many farms in our region, we often see farmers try new strains of wheat as well as many other types of Corn, Triticale, Sorghum, and Rye. Corn is a hot commodity in the distilling world and it is incredibly exciting when we get the opportunity to make corn whiskies and bourbon from local ingredients. Corn is most commonly know for its yellow color, however we see some farmers in the region producing white corn and red corn (AKA Bloody Butcher). These are more heritage style corn varieties and produce a significant amount of flavor and character in our final spirits. Our Acme Corn Whiskey is 80% corn and our Bourbon is at least 51%. We are incredibly excited to try out the beautiful “Bloody Butcher” corn variety grown for us by our friends at Bracher Farms. This heritage variety is slightly higher in protein content and should create an interesting bourbon when we pull it out of the barrels.

Another fun grain we have had the pleasure of experimenting with is Triticale. As a hybrid between Wheat and Rye, Triticale was easy to process into a beautifully complex spirit. Spicy and smooth, this grain emphasized aspects from is wheat and rye characteristics to create a delicious beverage. Sorghum is the next grain on our production list to experiment distilling. Commonly used in baking and beverages to create gluten-free products, we are interested in seeing what flavors this grain creates when distilled.

Sources:

Northern Grain Growers Association, 2020

Oregon Wheat Growers League, 2020

Washington State Crop Improvement Association, 2020