PDA

View Full Version : Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Malt in WW I



Blog Tracker
08-08-2019, 08:04
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2019/08/malt-in-ww-i.html)


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ONJGT7L9NQ/XThKoprn6eI/AAAAAAAAgxs/7Yxk1ulRmQoD_OUnnotH1lsRMhfKAQrqwCLcBGAs/s400/Howcrofts_Cream_of_Malt_Stout_1958.JPG (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ONJGT7L9NQ/XThKoprn6eI/AAAAAAAAgxs/7Yxk1ulRmQoD_OUnnotH1lsRMhfKAQrqwCLcBGAs/s1600/Howcrofts_Cream_of_Malt_Stout_1958.JPG)
Though malting was always performed in the UK, before the war barley was imported from every corner of the globe. The most important sources were California, Chile and the Middle East.

Brewers, especially those using a large proportion of adjuncts, liked malt made from Californian six-row barley because of its high diastatic power. In a typical grist, between a quarter and a third of the pale malt was made from foreign six-row barley, the rest being UK 2-row.

Most beers were brewed from a pale malt base with no coloured malts at all. The only exceptions to this were Porter and Stout, which could contain brown, black and Amber malt, and Mild Ale, which often contained crystal malt. The use of crystal malt in Pale Ales was pretty much unknown before WW I.

Supplies of foreign barley gradually dried up during the war, forcing brewers to use all malt from UK barley. Fortunately, as the availability of adjuncts was also reduced, this didn’t have as much impact as it might have.

I’ve seen wild claims that the roasting of malt was forbidden during WW I. This is totally untrue. Not only were there no restrictions on roasting in the Food Control Manual, brewers continued to use brown malt, black malt and roasted barley right through the war years.

There was a big increase in the price of mat during the war. Not surprising, really, given that it was in short supply.

When war broke out, pale malt cost around 40s. a quarter. By 1920, it was around triple that price. What’s also fascinating is that the specialist types of pale malt – PA malt, SA malt (Strong Ale) malt and mild malt all disappeared for a while towards the end of the war. It looks like maltsters were trimming their range of products just as brewers did.



Price of malt used by Barclay Perkins 1914 - 1917 (in shillings per quarter)



1914
1915
1916
1917



Mar
Oct
Jun
Oct
Jan
Apr
Oct
Jan
Apr


English pale malt
41.67
39.5
40.1
51.8
61
63.2
63.67
70.5
79


English PA malt
42
42.5
42
41.5
67
67
70
79
83.25


American pale malt
39
38.67
41.88
42.38
50
52.67
61.63
64
64


Indian pale malt
35.5


50
53.5

67.25
67.38



Spanish pale malt




53.5

59.5
69
75.5


English mild malt
39
40
41
41
60
60
60
60
60


English SA malt
42.5
43
43
43
67


90



Crystal malt
31
31.5
32.5
46
46
46

58



Amber malt
37.5
38.5
39.75
44
48
48
70
70
67


Brown malt



30




63


Roasted malt











Source:


Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives.







Price of malt used by Barclay Perkins 1917 - 1920 (in shillings per quarter)



1917
1918
1919
1920



Oct
Jan
Apr
Oct
Jan
Apr
Oct
Jan
Apr


English pale malt
81
85.5
89.3
91.83
95.25
97.4
93.65
90.25
127


English PA malt
84.25
89





132
132


American pale malt
64
64
80.75
101.2
108
108
99.5
92
117.5


English mild malt








132


English SA malt







132
132


Crystal malt

75
85
86
89
89
87.5
85.5
125.5


Amber malt
67
86
89
95
98
98
96
94
132


Brown malt
60
60
62
66
68
68
87.5




Roasted malt



80
84
84
84




Source:


Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives



In February 1917 the government enacted a total ban on the malting of barley and the selling of malt. Which must have had huge financial impact on the industry.

After the war’s end, brewers were delighted to have Californian barley again to malt and again used a mixture of UK two-row and US six-row pale malt in their grists.

Presumably in attempt to compensate for the drop in gravity, crystal malt occasionally started to feature in Pale Ale grists. Though this was the exception rather than the rule.


The above is once again taken from my book on WW I, Armistice!

Buy this wonderful book (http://www.lulu.com/shop/ronald-pattinson/armistice/paperback/product-23859948.html).






https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-cqnWEKK0g/W-77Xyh1-8I/AAAAAAAAfms/ssPn8WUMPMsu6OZITAryewfaNKpAyZ53wCLcBGAs/s400/Armistice_front_words_thumb.jpg (http://www.lulu.com/shop/ronald-pattinson/armistice/paperback/product-23859948.html)



More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2019/08/malt-in-ww-i.html)