Excerpt:

Now California is poised to get its first micro-maltster. Admiral Maltings is expected to open at Alameda Point on the old Naval Air Station in late May.

Admiral Maltings was founded by Ron Silberstein, who also owns ThirstyBear Organic Brewery; Dave McLean, owner of the Magnolia Brewing Company; and Curtis Davenport, who will oversee the day-to-day operations of the facility. Both Davenport and Silberstein are graduates of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre’s Malt Academy, the only course of its type in North America.

Admiral Maltings will be one of the few companies employing the ancient practice of floor-malting: Small batches of grain are steeped in water, allowed to germinate in a thin layer and gently turned, then dried and cured in a shallow loaded kiln. The idea is to combine traditional methods with modern technology and sustainably grown, locally sourced grain, with “a focus,” the founders say, “on process, terroir and grain variety.”