Malt in WW I

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.