Monday 9 August 2010

Plunkett Brothers malt

Here's another advert for Plunkett Brothers maltsters. It provides a little more information. Not much, but a little.

It's a couple of years earlier than the last one, from 1888.


This tells us that candied malt was patented in 1885. Useful to know, even if it tells us little about the nature of the malt itself.

But I was surprised at just how many odd malts they were offering for sale. Two types of amber brown malt. Roasted maize - I wonder what on earth that was used for? Golden finish malt - great name, but what the hell was it?

More questions. Many more than the answers so far.

8 comments:

StuartP said...

If candied malt was patented then everything you need to know about it will be in the patent.

Oblivious said...

Would candied malt not be a roasted/dark crystal malt?

Gary Gillman said...

Interesting about roasted maize, I have never seen that before. Personally, I prefer roast malt in porter as opposed to roasted barley. It gives a more natural taste in my view, and avoids the harshness you sometimes find in porter or stout.

Roasted corn (maize) is a taste many North Americans are familiar with, kind of scorched-oily. I would think it is not suitable for beer, but maybe I am wrong. Perhaps it was an experiment Plunkett tried which did not take off, but I don't know. Corn's membrane or envelope, albeit lessened by hydrolysis would I think make it difficult to use in the mash tun or even the copper. But even if that was overcome, I wonder still about the flavour.

Gary

Ed Carson said...

Thus, one kind called "candied malt" can only be made from the finest quality of barley, and it is used by brewers to mix with pale malt in the manufacture of what are known as "mild ales." - Charles Dickens "All about Town" (1890) I'm wondering if it's what today is called crystal malt. of course, the next paragraph relates the Harwood origin of Porter

Tim Hampson said...

I wonder if candied malt was used to make beer - could it have been the basis for a soft drink? Horlicks (or similar drinks) I think used to be called candied malt drinks.

Thomas Barnes said...

Was it possible that roasted maize was actually some sort of torrified, puffed or otherwise pre-cooked product?

Ron Pattinson said...

Oblivious, there must be some significant difference. Both crystal malt and candied malt were awarded patents.

Gary Gillman said...

Thinking further on candied malt, I'd guess that either it is maltodextrin, or, a barley malt blended with candi sugar.

Gary