For example, back in the day Bass would have been brewed from Plumage Archer, Spratt Archer, Earl and more latterly Proctor barley malt. All these malts would have been made by hand, on floors, and the combination of variety and process would have delivered far more flavour than the commercial malts of today.

Plumage Archer, and Proctor’s offspring, Maris Otter continue to be hand-made. This means if a Craft Brewer chooses to recreate a Heritage Ale that once graced the pubs of their location, it could be far more authentic, and far more successful, than any attempt by the likes of Budweiser to cash in on Britain’s brewing heritage.

…Require Heritage Malts!

It’s that time of year again when brewers, who can spare the time, attend Barley walks. A Barley walk in Cambridgeshire last week was devoted to Maris Otter.

Attendees were reminded why this over-60 year old icon of the Brewing Industry, in the eyes of many, continues to reign supreme:

Modern barley varieties no longer compete and, sadly, plant breeders do not appear focused on doing so!

Tom Kerridge, the celebrity chef, has agreed to lead an industry-wide campaign to cut VAT for hospitality down to 10%. In the UK, you pay one of the highest VAT rates in Europe. 20% extra in VAT for your pint, meal out or stay away. In France, Spain and Italy, it’s 10%. In Germany? 7%.

For all of those who depend on the stability and success of our pubs, this campaign is for everyone affected, from farmers right through to the customers, and all participants in between.

The campaign is set to launch to consumers on the 1st of July but the petition, which seeks to get 1m signatures, is already live and has, at the time of writing, 60k signatures.

We, at Warminster Maltings, will be supporting this campaign and urging you to quickly do the same.

Let’s all do our bit to protect hospitality and the communities it serves.