Pauls Malt, Ltd.,
began its life as a producer of brewers' malt, distillers' malt, and specialty
malt in the early 1800s in Suffolk, England. Throughout the 19th century,
Pauls' fleet of sailing barges delivered malt from England's remote east
coast to the docks of London, then the largest -- and undoubtedly thirstiest
-- city in the world. Today, Pauls maintains the last survivor of the
fleet, the sailing barge Ena, as a reminder of the traditions that sustained
the company into the 21st century.
Pauls is now the largest malt supplier in the UK,
with an annual capacity in excess of 26 million bushels and shipments
to more than 50 countries. The company has twice received the Queen's
Award of Export Achievement, first in 1983 and again in 1993.
Aided by a complement of nine malting plants throughout
England and Scotland, Pauls processes more than one-third of England's
prized winter barley crop, the ingredient essential to the production
of authentic English ales. Each facility is designed and sized differently,
enabling Pauls to tailor production to the optimum batch size and malting
method for each customer.
In addition, Pauls owns and operates a new technical
support and training center at its Bury St. Edmunds Maltings facility,
which is a major center for malt quality control management and development.
The new center continues the tradition of expertise upheld for the past
30 years by Pauls' thrice yearly malting courses. One session is restricted
to employees of Pauls Malt, and although the other two primarily aim
to help brewers and distillers with their professional examinations,
over the years various clients, suppliers, and related industry personnel
have also attended.
Pauls products are distributed in North America
under exclusive agreement with Premier Malt Products, Inc.
Pauls' line of two-row malts are made primarily from special maritime
winter malting barley varieties grown in the UK. Distilling malts (not
listed) are also available. Amber malt:
Unlike crystal or caramalt malts, Pauls amber malt is kilned pale ale
malt, usually derived from winter malting barley. A high modification
level is obtained by roasting the barley in revolving cylinders under
carefully controlled temperatures, with a maximum temperature range
of 212-302 °F (100-150 °C). Enzyme levels are very low, and
extracts are lower than conventional brewing malts. Amber malt is used
in the United States and Japan as a small proportion of the grist (1Ž2%)
in the preparation of beers requiring some substantial depth of color.
In certain English beers, larger quantities are used.
Best mild ale: Mild ale malts are often made
from two-row winter malting barleys. Standard mild ale malt typically
has nitrogen levels below 1.65% (10.3% protein), and best mild ale malt
has levels below 1.6% (10% protein). The grain is steeped to 45% moisture
and germinated cool to produce a well-modified malt. Kilning starts
at 140 °F (60 °C) and rises to 212-221 °F (100-105 °C)
to encourage color formation. The kilning process produces a wort with
a higher dextrin content than that of pale ale malt, resulting in a
sweet beer regardless of whether it is mild ale or the bottled version,
brown ale. Suitable for infusion mashing using top-fermenting yeast.
Odor of mash: normal. Degree of clarity: clear. Rate of filtration:
normal.
Black malt: The starting material for black
malt is the same as that for the low-modified, Pilsen-style chocolate
malt. The main process difference between black malt and chocolate malt
is roasting time. Both malts are roasted in revolving roasting drums
at temperatures of up to 446 °F (230 °C). Enzymes are destroyed
in the roasting process, resulting in an extract level that is markedly
lower than that of conventional malt. It is essential that charring
does not take place because this would result in excessive loss in extract
and color. Black malt is used in stouts to improve color and to deliver
a more astringent flavor than that imparted by other colored malts.
Caramalt: Caramalt is a highly modified malt
produced in much the same way as crystal malt, except that the final
roasting stage is extended and conducted at lower temperatures for a
longer period to achieve a lower color, higher extract, and higher moisture
profile. Unlike the modification process for crystal malt, the caramalt
endosperm does not liquefy but remains "floury." Consequently, this
malt is typically used in lagers, where sweetness is less important
than enhanced color and "dry" flavor.
Chocolate malt: Prepared from a low-modified
Pilsen lager-type of malt, this specialty malt is roasted in a revolving
roasting drum at temperatures of up to 437 °F (225 °C) until
the enzymes are completely destroyed and dark, roasted products are
formed. Roasting time is critical to the degree of color formed. The
endosperm should be dark brown and should be uniformly friable and not
shiny. The malt should not be scorched. Chocolate malt is used in dark
ales and stouts to improve color and to provide a dry biscuity flavor.
Dark crystal: Dark crystal is roasted at
the same temperature as medium crystal, but for slightly longer to produce
a darker target color. The process results in a highly modified crystalline
endosperm. Like medium crystal, the product is used to enhance the body,
color, and flavor of ales and lagers; usually used for darker beers.
Crystal malts are high in reductones and have the beneficial effect
of enhancing shelf life by inhibiting the development of off-flavors.
Lager/Pilsen malt: This malt is made from
UK Institute of Brewing-approved two-row malting barley varieties with
a nitrogen range of 1.60-1.65% (10.0-10.05% protein). The barley is
steeped to 44-45% moisture. If the nitrogen modification required is
low to average, then germination temperatures of 64-68 °F (18-20
°C) are used. Kilning is carried out at comparatively low temperatures
with an initial air-on temperature of 122 °F (50 °C), which
rises to 176-185 °F (80-85 °C) at the end of the cycle. Excessive
nitrogen modification or high kilning temperatures would result in excessive
melanoidin formation and consequently high colors. This malt is suitable
for the preparation of bottom-fermenting lager/Pilsener beers using
decoction or temperature-programmed mashes, which allow for longer enzymatic
activity (particularly proteolytic activity in the early stages) and
hence overcome the lower protein modification required for low color
formation. Odor of mash: normal. Degree of cla! rity: clear. Rate of
filtration: normal.
Light crystal: This is the lightest colored
product of the company's series of crystal malts. All of the crystal
malts are prepared from fully germinated but unkilned barley, or "green
malt." This green malt forms the feedstock for a two-stage roasting
process, which consists of a stewing period followed by high-temperature
curing. By carefully controlling the two stages, it is possible to generate
a range of differently colored products, including light, medium, and
dark crystals, all of which share the highly modified crystalline endosperm
charactistic of this process. Used to add both color and sweet flavor
notes.
Medium crystal: Prepared from fully modified
green malt of medium to high nitrogen content, this medium crystal malt
is initially warmed in an unventilated roasting drum until it reaches
a temperature of 140-176 °F (60-80 °C). During this process,
the contents of the endosperm liquefy and the starch is saccharified
by the action of amylases. The temperature is then raised to dry the
product and to produce the required color. The length of the final roasting
period is critical in controlling the amount of color formed. The final
product has a highly modified crystalline endosperm that will deliver
a sweet caramel flavor, body, and color to ales and lagers.
Munich malt: Dark colored malts of the Munich
type are typically made from two-row spring barley containing up to
12% protein. The barley is fully steeped to a moisture content of 45%
or more to encourage full modification. Large quantities of low molecular
weight carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds are produced
during steeping. These carbohydrates and compounds subsequently interact
to form melanoidins. The malt is then kilned with an air-on temperature
no higher than 104 °F (40 °C), which leads to "stewing." Germination
continues at an accelerated rate with enhanced enzymic activity. After
several hours of stewing, the temperature is raised to 122 °F (50
°C) and ultimately to 176-185 °F (80-85 °C) to achieve a
color of around 14-21 °EBC. The final product is used in the production
of bottom-fermented decoction-mash dark-colored lagers such as those
for which the city of Munich is famous. Odor of mash: normal. Degree
of clarity: clear. Rate of filtration: normal.
Pale ale malt: Frequently made from two-row
UK winter malting barley of 1.55% total nitrogen (9.7 % protein), the
company's pale ale malt is slightly higher in protein than the company's
best pale. The grain is steeped to 45% moisture and germinated for four
to five days under cool conditions to produce well-modified malt that
is then kilned to produce the desired degree of color. Initially, relatively
cool air at 140 °F (60 °C) is used; the curing temperature progressively
rises to 203-212 °F (95-100 °C) to encourage color formation.
This malt is traditionally used in infusion mashing systems using top-fermenting
yeast to produce amber-colored pale ale, bitter, and export-style beers.
In such beers, all of the beer color is usually derived from the malt,
and in small traditional breweries no adjuncts are used. Odor of mash:
normal. Degree of clarity: clear. Rate of filtration: normal.
Roasted barley: The starting material for
roasted barley is good-quality UK malting barley of even size. The process
is similar to that used to make black malt; the grain is heated in a
revolving roasting drum to temperatures of up to 446 °F (230 °C).
Charring is avoided to prevent loss of color. The roasting process totally
destroys the internal grain structure; in this sense the product is
fully modified. Beer produced using roasted barley in the grist has
a dry flavor and a lighter color head than beers made with chocolate
or black malt.
