Before the first pint: the story inside our malt sacks

A stack of malt sacks might not be the most glamorous photograph in the brewery, but there is a lot of flavour waiting inside them. Before a beer reaches a can, a cask or your glass, this is where much of its character begins.

This photograph from our brewery shows bags from Crisp and Simpsons, with crushed extra pale malt at the front. It is a small glimpse of the ingredients behind the beer — and a good excuse to give malt a little of the attention it deserves.

What actually is malt?

Malting prepares grain for brewing. The grain is steeped in water, allowed to begin germinating, then dried. That develops the enzymes we need when we mash: mixing crushed malt with hot water so its starch can be converted into sugars.

The sweet liquid we collect is called wort. Later, yeast ferments those sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. But malt does much more than provide something for yeast to eat. It helps build the flavour, colour and body of the finished beer.

From pale and biscuity to dark and roasty

How malt is dried or roasted makes a considerable difference. Pale malts can provide a gentle cereal or bread-like foundation. Other malts bring biscuit, toast, caramel or deeper roasted notes. The recipe is about choosing the right combination and proportions for the beer we want to brew.

That is part of what makes exploring different beer styles so rewarding. A pale ale, a best bitter and a stout can all begin with malted grain, yet arrive in the glass with very different personalities.

Hops often get the headlines, particularly in an IPA. Malt gives those hop flavours something to sit on. Getting that foundation right matters just as much as deciding which hops to add.

A Norfolk story, close to the brewery

At Wildcraft, our connection with grain extends beyond the sacks in the brewhouse. Our local barley story links the Worstead Estate with local malting and brewing here in Smallburgh. After brewing, spent grain goes to the on site Highland cattle, keeping another useful part of the process within the local farming community.

The photograph also shows that a brewery's malt store contains different ingredients for different jobs. Our local barley story sits alongside the choice of malts needed to give each recipe its own character.

Something to look for in your next beer

Next time you pour a beer, take a moment to look beyond the hops. Can you find a bread-crust note, a little biscuit, a caramel edge or a roasted finish? Those flavours can help you discover why you enjoy one style as much as another.

It is a long journey from a sack on a brewery shelf to that first sip. We think the ingredients at the beginning deserve their moment in the picture too.

Explore the Wildcraft beer range, or read the next part of the journey in our tank-to-tap brewery journal.