Harvest Review

This years harvest has been one of the earliest in the last 20 years. The Combine harvesters were out in the fields towards the end of June. This is all down to what most of us would describe as a fabulous summer. The sun came out in the third week of February and has almost stayed out ever since.

But, sadly, hardly any rain has punctuated this glorious weather, and that is always going to impact crops in the ground, particularly on the lighter soils. First off, of course, was the winter barley, which being ahead of the warm weather curve, has delivered yields akin to the 5 year average. This includes everyone’s favourite, Maris Otter. So no drama there, except some samples are displaying a grain nitrogen content that is a bit higher than the preferred 1.50%. We need to carefully pick our way through these offerings.

The Spring barleys, on the other hand, are displaying all the hallmarks of a hot dry summer. Lower yields, higher grain nitrogen content – some in excess of 2.0% – but big bold grains, absolutely bulging with starch. This is the legacy of all that sunshine. As long as we can pick out the lower nitrogen barleys, these ought to deliver exceptional extracts/spirit yield.

The grain has all come off the fields very dry, and sometimes very hot. But as long as farmers have successfully cooled it down in store, it will all be very safe for long term storage. Because some of it is definitely facing just that. Demand for malt is down, carry-over stocks of barley are high, and so there is little pressure from buyers to wade into the new crop harvest. At the same time, overall grain prices are depressed, so farmers will not exactly be queuing up to sell either. When you combine all these things together, it could be said for the Brewing and Distilling Industry, the challenge ahead is less about the 2025 harvest, and rather more about whether there will be one in 2026!

HERITAGE OPEN DAYS

Heritage Open Days is a fantastic festival celebrating England’s history and culture. Each September thousands of volunteers organise events to experience local history, see hidden places and try new experiences. All for free.

We are delighted to be taking part again and are offering 3 x expertly led tours which will showcase the architecture and the fascinating history of our maltings, as well as explain the artful process of making traditional floor malt.

There will be tours on Thursday 18th September at 11am and 2pm, and Friday 19th September at 11am.

If you’d like to book a place on one of the tours, please contact Warminster Town Council on:
01985 214847  or events@warminster-tc.gov.uk

TEAS IN THE GARDEN

We have been blessed with sunshine for our recent Teas in the Garden, and we’re hoping the weather will be kind again for our last one this year.

If you’ve somehow missed these lovely little afternoons, don’t worry – there’s still time. The last one, weather permitting, will be Wednesday 3rd September 2-4pm at a cost of £9 per person.

You can come and enjoy our beautiful gardens and a proper cream tea.

All the funds raised go to Alzheimer’s Support, The Old Silk Works Day Club, which is our nominated charity this year.

It’s all about doing what we can to share our presence in the community. We are, after all, a significant part of Warminster’s history. And it’s about giving back. But really, it’s about tea, cake and good company.

We’d love to see you there!

MALTINGS GOLD COMEBACK

An Evening of Celebrations

Our Maltings Celebration, June 11th.

There will also be mini tours of the maltings process held between 7.00 and 8.00pm, with three knowledgeable guides taking small groups of 10–12 people around.

At the same time, guests will be welcome to explore our new Maltings Museum upstairs under the new and beautifully restored kiln roofs.

At 8.00pm, we’ll gather everyone back in the Reception marquee for our “Music and Words” presentation – a bid to tell the 170-year story of Warminster Maltings. Then from 9.00pm onwards, the Hog roast will still be going in the Garden marquee, while in the Reception marquee, local band “The Covertronics” will take to the stage to keep the party going!

That’s the plan, anyway – and we can’t wait!

“Night at the Museum”

We have always referred to our collection of malting artefacts as “our museum”, but of course, with a lack of space to exhibit them, only selected items have ever been on display, tucked into some corner without any real context. Until now!

The new ‘rooms’, which we have created under the restored roofs of kilns 3 and 4, give us the space we have always wanted. We can now display all the furniture, equipment and tools that we have accumulated over the years within easily accessed spaces. It is so gratifying, because a lot of our collection has been bequeathed to us, not just for safe keeping, but in the hopes we will be able to share it with the wider public. Now we can.

“We did not realise just how much stuff we had.”

Our display will aim to record the days when everybody knew of a working maltings close by. At one time, there were 36 of them in Warminster alone. Now, all that remains right across the country, apart from us, and two others, are the landmarks that hark back – “The Malt House”, “Malt Lane” or “The Maltings”, but with no other visible clue of the industry that prevailed there for centuries. Our museum will be part of our legacy, a record of a former thriving industry that once employed tens of thousands of maltsters, nationwide. All of them, once, contributed to the story of beer.

Another Great Achievement

Leam Moulder, for the last 6 years my very capable “right hand man”, is now appointed a director of Warminster Maltings Ltd. Congratulations Leam!

Since then, I have tried to pass on my business experience to him, and for his part, he set about and obtained his General Certificate in Malting (Merit) 2 years ago. So, together, with the enthusiastic support of the whole team, we have progressively made the business what it is today.

I am not getting any younger, so I am very happy to pass on more responsibility to Leam. I can assure you he is almost as passionate as me about Warminster Maltings, so all of us can regard him as a “very safe pair of hands”.

Robin Appel & Lisa Conduit