A Brew After a Long Drought

1933 – The nation was reeling from the Great Depression, but it was also celebrating the adoption of the 21st Amendment that would repeal prohibition. After 13 “dry” years Americans were excited to freely and legally drink alcohol once again, and Arnold Blitz and William Einzig led the way with a group of Northwest brewers and formed Great Western Malting.

Since 1935, the Great Western Malting Company (GWM) has been the preeminent malt production facility of the Pacific Northwest. The Port of Vancouver was quickly identified as an ideal location to construct the malting facility. The port had easy access to transportation via the Columbia River and railroads from its central location between barley farmers in Eastern Washington and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. GWM could prepare high-quality malt and distribute it both nationally and internationally at a low cost. Water, called the “blood of the malt house,” was readily available from the port and it passed all quality inspections.

The combination of regional and local ingredients, quality water, and access to river and rail led to GWM’s immediate success. By 1939, the company provided nearly all Pacific Northwest breweries, and most large-scale breweries in the Western United States, with malt. It conducted one of the largest volumes of business within Vancouver at that time.

Today, Great Western Malting continues its success, after almost 80 years as a Port of Vancouver tenant.

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