How it works – based on our photographs from 1950
1 – HOISTING THE SACKS OF BARLEY INTO THE BARLEY STORE
Typically delivered via loads of 7 tons (70 x 4 bushel sacks) accurately weighed by the farmer when the sacks were filled.
2 – BARLEY DRYING ON THE ‘SWEATER’ KILN
Variable moisture content of barley delivered from the farms had to be addressed for safe long term storage.
3 – SPLITTING THE WET BARLEY ONTO THE UPPER AND LOWER FLOORS.
Following steeping and resting in the ‘couch’ the wet barley is equally divided.
4 – TRANSPORTING THE WET BARLEY ACROSS THE FLOORS USING A ‘BOBY’ BARROW
The large circumference, narrow wheeled malt barrow was highly manoeuvrable.
5 – PLOUGHING THE ‘GREEN’ MALT
The maltster’s hand drawn ‘plough’ separates and aerates the ‘green’ malt in the advanced stages of modification.
6 – TURNING THE ‘GREEN’ MALT
Using a six pronged wooden fork the ‘green’ malt is turned in order to manage the temperature in the early stages of modification.
7 – TRANSFERRING ‘GREEN’ MALT FROM THE LOWER TO THE UPPER FLOOR FOR LOADING ONTO THE KILN
In 1950 there was no elevator, just continuous shovelling.
8 – LOADING THE KILN
Both floors had to be loaded onto the kiln bed, and levelled, as quickly as possible.
9 – FIREMAN STOKING THE KILN
Drying the ‘green’ malt took up to 72 hours in a two stage process when management of the heat was key to the colour and flavour of the malt.
10 – LOADING THE KILN INTO THE MALT STORE
This was a very uncomfortable job only partially helped by the large extractor fans (kilns 3 & 4) which had succeeded the conical roofs (kilns 1 & 2).
11 – FRESH MALT STORED IN THE MALT STORE
The upper floor of the store was sub-divided into storage bays, with two storage bays per kiln for two different grades/batches of malt.
12 – DRAWING THE FINISHED MALT INTO SACKS OFF THE MALT SCREEN
The malt screen separated the dried shoots, known as malt culms, from the malt grains, which were then weighed into 4 bushel hessian sacks for delivery to the brewery.