Edition 24: Friends of Warminster Maltings

by The Maltstar | Sep 10, 2019 | Malt-stars News

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Warminster Malt has, once again, just scooped the ultimate British brewing accolade by being the malt of choice for this year’s Supreme Champion Beer of Britain, as judged at the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia on Tuesday 6th August. Surrey Hills Brewery, of Dorking, a long-standing customer of Warminster Maltings, took the prize with it’s Best Bitter “Shere Drop”. This beer is described as “a clear golden ale with an outstanding taste of toasted grains, and fairly restrained hop. Lightly bitter.”

Ross Hunter of Surrey Hills Brewery with his trophy at Olympia (right)

But this result was better still, and something of a double celebration, because the barley variety that produced this particular malt is the world famous variety Maris Otter, owned and managed by Robin Appel Ltd, sister company of Warminster Maltings Ltd.

This is not the first time Warminster Maltings has triumphed at the Great British Beer Festival, they have been the malt of choice for the Supreme Champion Beer of Britain twice before, in 2004 when the Hampshire based Triple FFF Brewery won with their beer “Alton’s Pride”, also made from malt made with Maris Otter barley, and again in 2011, when the Mighty Oak Brewery, from Maldon in Essex, won with a beer named “Oscar Wilde”.

We are all absolutely delighted to have pulled off ‘the double’ once again. It all serves to underline the outstanding quality of the malt still produced in Warminster, in Britain’s oldest working Maltings. The plan now is to get some “Shere Drop” home, to be served at The Organ Inn, Warminster, at their Beer Festival on the 6th and 7th September, when the townspeople can all taste and toast the success of the all-conquering Warminster Malt!

(P.S. ‘Maltings Gold’ will also be at the Organ Inn beer festival).

…AND WE LOOK LIKE THE CHAMPIONS!

I am now talking about the 2019/20 Warminster Town Football Team, sponsored by the Maltings (‘Maltings Gold’) whose new football strip is a step away from the ‘traditional’ into something much more contemporary, even worthy of the Premier League.

WTFC’s new strip

Our ‘Maltings Gold’ logo has been enlarged, and is now also emblazoned on the “away kit” – that is worn when the team have to divest themselves of the Red and Black, in favour of their opponents similar strip – and the Reserve Team shirts.

The first team has also recruited some new players who have chosen to step down from higher up the football league, in order to come and play for Warminster Town. This is all very exciting, and highlights a determination by the manager, his assistants, and the team, to go for an outright win of the league this year. In fact commentators have already tipped Warminster Town as the favourites to win the “Tool Station” Western League.

And I must not finish without complimenting the club on the football pitch itself – what a superb piece of grass that is! It’s thick, lush, and totally weed free, and mown north to south, as well as east to west, it looks every bit as good as Wembley turf.

I have to say, I am so impressed by everything I see at Weymouth Street, we have decided to ‘up our game’ as well. We have installed x 2 new ‘Maltings Gold’ hoardings, on the far side of the pitch, opposite the clubhouse, and brought one of the former hoardings across to the entrance. So there is even less doubt about it, the football club, the Maltings, this new season, we are all quite definitely going for Gold!

NO TEAS IN THE GARDEN

For the second time this summer, in August, the rain got in the way again, and I am afraid, come rain or shine, there will be no tea party in September either. Pat Whitty who makes all the scones and cakes herself, will be just out of hospital following a serious knee operation, and I will also be away (raising money for Prostate Cancer). So ‘Teas in the Garden’ this year has not enjoyed the outcome we had hoped for.

However, as I write, the “Tea Team”, that is Pat, Judy, Jerry (the foreman), and me, are all up for continuing again next year. So fingers crossed, and with a bit more climate change, the weather will be more on our side next summer.

Robin Appel

Edition 23: Friends of Warminster Maltings

by The Maltstar | Jul 16, 2019 | Malt-stars News

MALTSTERS ASSOCIATION

The photograph is of the Executive Committee of the Maltsters Association of Great Britain (MAGB), a body on which I am privileged to serve. We meet just four times a year, and, for the first time, I hosted their summer meeting at Warminster, on June 6th. Those in the photograph (apart from me) represent more than 85% of the UK’s total malt production – 1.8 million tonnes annually, valued at more than £1bn. – so I was particularly anxious to impress. Suffice to say, the sun shone all day, the Maltings and the garden looked resplendent for the occasion.

The MAGB was originally formed in 1827, labelled the Association of Maltsters of the United Kingdom. It came about following the implementation of the latest round of punitive rules and regulations governing the Malt Tax, when the industry finally decided that it was absolutely necessary to unite in order to stand up to the over zealous legislation from the Commissioners of Excise. Very quickly its membership exceeded 1800 practising Maltsters. Today, however, the MAGB comprises a membership of just 11 companies, with a total work force of well short of a thousand.

In 1827, with so many maltsters, and so many people engaged in malting, everybody knew what malt was. Today, not anymore. Sadly, generally speaking, we are an industry of the Shadowlands!

FARMERS AND BREWERS CO-OPERATION

On the 20th June, our MD drove across to West Sussex to host a meeting of farmers and brewers anxious to promote the ‘local produce’ label. Edward Tupper started growing Maris Otter barley for us on his farm near Petworth, West Sussex, just 2 years ago, and Miles Jenner, managing director of long established brewers Harvey’s of Lewes, has always said if you can produce my favourite barley variety local to the brewery, then count me in.

So, an inspection of Edward Tupper’s second crop of Maris Otter barley by Harvey’s brewery staff was called for. This enabled the farmers and brewers to engage in an open and frank discussion about all the challenges each faces – for example: falling beer consumption (brewers) and impending withdrawal of financial support (farmers).

It was agreed the meeting was enormously valuable, and that there should be two more – the next one at Warminster Maltings, and the final one at Harvey’s brewery. All sides strongly felt that we need to work much more closely together in future, in order to see our way through what is currently a very uncertain future.

CELEBRATION

Unfortunately, our first summer tea party in June was well and truly rained off, but at our second attempt on Wednesday July 10th, the sun shone for us all afternoon, and we did manage to entertain 26 tea partygoers.

This photograph is that of one of our guests who posted this image on Instagram. If you have never been to one of our ‘Teas in the Garden’, what more does it take to tempt you along?

IN COMMEMORATION

Finally, we have at last been able to erect our permanent memorial to our faithful, much missed and irreplaceable cat “Ginge”. This sits in the garden, above where he is buried, and close to one of his favourite vantage points.

I would not be at all surprised, if in due course, on a perfectly still and moonlit night, from here “Ginge” just might walk again!

Robin Appel

Edition 22: Friends of Warminster Maltings

by The Maltstar | May 20, 2019 | Malt-stars News

Edition 22 – 9th May 2019

Snakes and Maltsters

A surprise visitor to the maltings on 14th March was a Corn Snake, discovered in one of our malt stores. This North American native is renowned for being very docile, reluctant to bite, and easy to care
for, and so a commonly kept pet snake. It must have escaped, but where from? A local residence, or was it hiding in a recent delivery?

Staff member Mark Young was swift to react and catch the interloper safely, before taking it to our local Veterinary Surgery in the hopes they might be able to identify the owner. But, very quickly, the story went viral, and every local newspaper and radio station was ringing up, to report on our find. However, we should update you on the outcome of this story.

Unfortunately, there is no final outcome so far, but “Sid” is now in a better place than our Malt Store. “He” is now in the care of ‘Just Snakes Rescue’ at Bradford on Avon. We are advised “Sid” has settled well, and just started eating again, and the Rescue Centre are waiting for “him” to shed “his” skin, put on a little weight, before trying to find a new permanent home.

Warminster Malt in the USA

In early April, we “crossed the pond” to attend the biggest Craft Brewing Convention in the world, in Denver, Colorado. Over 3 days, in the order of 16,000 delegates attended, mostly from North America and Canada, but also from all over the world.

Hosted by our American agent, whose trade stand was serving (free to delegates) a traditional ‘porter’ brewed from Warminster Malt. This proved to be an irresistible attraction to visiting brewers, particularly at 11.00 o’clock in the morning!

The Craft Brewing sector is still enjoying positive growth across the US (4-5%), with strong support for traditional British beer styles, IPA (India Pale Ale) in particular, with an extraordinary enthusiasm for authentic raw materials. We are talking about English, so called ‘Maritime Malts’, and if these malts can also be made in the traditional way, i.e. ‘floor made’, as at Warminster, so much the better. US brewers recognise that this all costs more money, but, it seems, they are more than happy to
pay. They take a particular pride in their products, are very keen to accentuate flavour, and not just from the hops! Would that some of their UK counterparts were similarly focused!

Warminster Malt Behind the Headlines

The highly influential ‘The Grocer’ magazine, reporting on the William Reed food shows at the NEC in Birmingham in early April, described no shortage of “ambition and innovation” amongst the new food and drink products on show. But, according to ‘The Grocer’, one product in particular stood out as having real potential to take on the big players in its category.

London’s ‘Small Beer Brew Co’ (SBBC) showcased its new range of low alcohol beers (1 – 3% ABV). Apparently, their stubby bottles and minimal but cute branding caught everyone’s attention and ‘The Grocer’ remarked, “the beers are delicious, in stark contrast – in taste and aesthetic – to much of the lower alcohol fare on the market”. Are we surprised? No, of course not, SBBC’s beers are all made from Warminster Malt!

Then on April 10th, ‘Country Life’ published an article entitled “There’s English whisky in the jar”. This piece, written by Rupert Ponsonby, sought to highlight that “amazingly, England now has more distilleries than Scotland, according to HMRC, with 166 distilleries compared with 160 in the burnished north”.

A dozen or so only of England’s distilleries were brought to readers attention, for their whisky in particular, including ‘Bimber’, ‘Cotswold’, ‘Dartmoor’ and ‘Isle of White’ Distilleries. All of these begin their magical process with Warminster Malt.

There you have it, two reports that illustrate the high profile our customers are able to command. Since Malt is their most important ingredient, it all suggests we must be doing something right!

Warminster Malt Alongside the Football

The fortunes of Warminster Town (sponsored by Warminster Maltings) have been very much on the ‘up’ since Christmas, and in their last 13 matches (since February 16th) they have only been beaten once. On Saturday 27th April, they finished the season with a flourish: in their last match of the 2018/19 campaign, at home, in a vigorous and hard fought contest (I was there!) they beat Chippenham Park 3-1. This promoted them to sixth place (out of 20) in the league. Not only that, they now qualify to compete in the hallowed FA Cup! When they get drawn against Manchester United we will let you know!

Back to this last season, it was a very fine conclusion, and a complete turn-around from the previous one. When we took on this sponsorship, Warminster Town had only narrowly avoided relegation from the Toolstation Western League, and were struggling to average 90 spectators at a home match. For all that, we were full of great expectations, and besides, Nathan Ball, the teams’ “very safe” goal keeper, had joined the Maltings staff. So, not only has the team climbed up to the top end of the league, the ‘home gate’ has risen to an average of 124 spectators, peaking at 237 on Easter Monday.

Of course, we would like to think it’s partly about our beer “Maltings Gold” which is not only emblazoned on the players shirts, but also is selling well across the clubhouse bar. And perhaps we can, because Warminster Town’s formidable performance has earned them something of a reputation across the league, and they are now known as “The Malt Men”, the team everyone else is now desperate to beat!

This new nickname for the team is an unexpected but very satisfactory consequence of our sponsorship deal, which continues for another two years. Now, Warminster Town are not just advertising our beer, but they are giving oxygen to our role as Maltsters!

Malt, forever the overlooked, if not unrecognised, vital ingredient of beer: maybe “The Malt Men”, as they thrash their way around the West Country, maybe they could be the stimulation of a wider appreciation of the real heart and soul of a good glass of proper ‘amber nectar’!

Finally, on Friday evening, May 3rd, I was invited back to the Weymouth Street clubhouse to present the annual awards to the players: the under 16’s, 16-18 year olds, the Reserves, and the First Team itself. The club was packed, and vibrating with an air of triumph. In my brief address, when I referred to “The Malt Men” a great roar went up.

But the man who deserves the most congratulation for the success of the club is the chairman, Pete Russell. He works tirelessly for it, maintains control and gets things done, all by volunteers. Pete views it as a Community Project, and it is an outstanding example, with a capital “C”. The under 16’s all aspire to playing for the First Team another day, and all their parents were there to support them.

So in conclusion, Warminster Maltings are now not just glad to be supporting Warminster Town F.C., but very proud to be supporting them. May they go from strength to strength.

Cream Teas in the Garden

We will continue to serve our popular ‘Cream Teas in the Maltings Garden’ this summer. Just to remind you, every second Wednesday afternoon, 2.00 – 4.00pm, June to September.

The dates are:
June 12th
July 10th
August 14th
September 11th

I will look forward to seeing some of you there.

Robin Appel

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