The Beeston Malting
Company (a division of Moray Firth Maltings p.l.c. of Arbroath, Scotland)
is a blend of unhurried tradition and commitment to personal precision.
It is one of the few malt producers that preserves the old-fashioned system
of floor malting. Consequently, neither mechanical loaders nor forklifts
are allowed on site. All grain handling is performed by Beeston workers,
who gently move, turn, and sweep the grains from steeping to kilning.
All of Beeston's malts are made from low-nitrogen
crops grown in the temperate climate of the British Isles. According
to the company, the combination of quality raw ingredients with slow
floor germination and gentle turning help to produce some of the mellowest
specialty malts on the market.
Beeston has a reputation for producing custom malts,
and the very nature of its methods enable it to accommodate custom orders
in any quantity. Large ale breweries and small-scale breweries alike
are served by on-site crushing and bagging facilities capable of delivering
consignments of any size, from a 25-tonne bulk load to a single 25-kg
sack. Beeston's facilities are supported by a distribution system that
regularly crosses the globe to deliver malt to customers as far away
as New Zealand. Imported to North America by Consolidated Beverages
(Medina, Washington).
Amber malt: Made from two-row ale malt. The
ale malt is roasted for about an hour, with the temperatures rising
to 356 °F (180 °C), depending on the color required. The resulting
product has a warm, pleasant, biscuit flavor with coffee undertones
and a ruby-red hue. Odor of mash: biscuits or coffee.
Best Halcyon pale ale malt: Floor malted
by Beeston. Made from two-row winter Maris Otter crossed with Sargant
barley. Grains are fully modified. Tends to give a sharp wort.
Best Maris Otter pale ale malt: Floor malted
by Beeston. Made from fully modified two-row winter Maris Otter. This
malt has a wide optimum temperature and pH range, making it very forgiving
in the brewery and popular with small-scale brewers.
Best Pipkin pale ale malt: Floor malted by
Beeston. A cross between fully modified two-row winter Maris Otter and
Warboys varieties. Creates a mellow wort.
Black malt: Produced by roasting white two-row
malt at a higher temperature than that used to produce chocolate malt.
The resulting product lends a sharp, acrid flavor and a black color
to sweet stouts, porters, and other dark beers.
Brown malt: Made from green two-row malt.
The malt is dried for about two hours until temperatures reach 212 °F
(100 °C). It is then cured for about 20 minutes as temperatures
rise to about 356 °F (180 °C), depending on the color required.
The resulting malt imparts a very bitter, burnt flavor to beer. Odor
of mash: mild coffee.
Chariot Pilsner: Chariot is the leading two-row
spring UK barley variety. It produces a high-quality European-style
Pilsener malt when fully modified and can be used as a base for lager
or wheat beer.
Chocolate malt: Made from a two-row lager
malt. Temperatures rise to a maximum of 482 °F (250 °C) for
up to two hours, depending on the color required. This malt provides
color and special flavors to stouts, porters, and darker beers such
as winter warmers. Odor of mash: coffee.
Golden Promise: Floor malted by Beeston.
Considered the traditional Scottish malt, Golden Promise is made from
fully modified two-row grain grown in Scotland and floor malted for
an extra touch of quality and tradition. Produces a mellow wort equally
suited to the production of both ales and lagers, particularly pale
and Scottish ales.
Pale chocolate malt: Manufactured from a
two-row lager malt. Temperatures rise to a maximum of 482 °F (250
°C) for up to two hours, depending on the color required. This malt
provides color and special flavors to stouts, porters, and darker beers
such as winter warmers. Odor of mash: mild coffee.
Roasted barley: Manufactured from two-row
barley roasted at high temperatures similar to those of black malt.
Gives a distinctive flavor to dark beers; particularly well suited to
dry stouts. Odor of mash: coffee.
Wheat malt: Wheat malt differs from barley
malt in that there is a much faster uptake of water during steeping,
which produces a malt with a higher extract. The protein levels of wheat
malt, also, are generally higher than those of barley malt, which gives
the beer a fuller mouthfeel and enhanced head stability. Suitable for
Weizen and other wheat beers.
Beeston Crystal Malts Beeston's caramalt and crystal
malts are all produced from green two-row malt using the following method:
The surface moisture is dried off at about 122 °F (50 °C) for
approximately five minutes. The malt is then stewed at approximately
149-167 °F (65-75 °C) for about 40 minutes to stimulate the
conversion of starches to sugars (crystallization). Drying and curing
then takes place at about 176 °F (80 °C) for another 40 minutes,
depending on the color required. The final drying and curing temperature
varies among products; curing is typically done at about 275 °F
(135 °C) for approximately two hours, depending on the color required.
The darker the colors, the more intense the flavor.
Caramalt: Contributes a light caramel or
biscuit flavor to beer. Caramalt, having a relatively low color, tends
to impart quite a light flavor, but it contributes body and a slight
red hue to the finished beer. Great for dark lagers and ales. Odor of
mash: caramel or biscuits.
Crystal malt: Suitable for pale ales, IPAs,
and barleywines. Odor of mash: mild caramel.
Dark crystal malt: Dark crystal contributes
a burnt toffee flavor to pale ales, IPAs, and barleywines.
Pale crystal malt: Suitable for pale ales,
IPAs, and barleywines. Odor of mash: mild caramel.
