A Virtual Tour Of Our Roasted Malt Production At French & Jupps

Once harvested, typically in mid-July, the barley arrives at our maltings in Stanstead Abbotts, a mere 30 miles from where our grain is grown. Here, it is tested by our lab team for quality before being accepted, after which it undergoes a crucial cleaning process, ensuring only the finest grains proceed to the next stage.

The dressed and carefully stored barley is then steeped in water. This controlled hydration awakens the grain, initiating the natural process of germination – the key to unlocking its malting potential. Here, you can see the barley beginning to steep as it absorbs moisture.

Next, in the case of our Crystal Malts (or caramel malts, as they are known by some), the steeped barley is transferred to our germination drums. Here, over two to three days, the barley begins to ‘poke through,’ as our maltsters say. This is where the modification process takes place to ensure the necessary enzymes are developed so that the starches within the grain can convert to sugars during the roasting process.

With respect to our kilned or roasted ‘patent’ malts, we place our grain into our kiln to halt germination. This allows us to develop specific flavours and colours for our most heavily roasted varieties, while also reducing levels of non-fermentable sugars. The precise temperature and duration of this process are critical, defining the unique character of each malt variety.

During the roasting process, our maltsters carefully monitor the progress of our handcrafted roasted malts, using all five senses to check and monitor progress by eye, taste, smell, and texture, while also listening for the crack of our crystal malts as the roasting drum opens, guaranteeing the perfect levels of crystallisation, specifically within each batch of our crystal malts.

Before we accepted this grain, which has now been fully converted into roasted malt, it was first tested here in our lab. Now, we see it returned to the lab for testing of moisture, nitrogen, and colour, in addition to blind taste testing, which we conduct weekly to ensure optimal colour and its full flavour potential. This is critical to the quality and consistency of our handcrafted malts.

Once approved by our lab, we then finally package, palletise, or ship by container to brewers across the UK, Ireland, Europe, and America, concluding our journey at French & Jupps but marking the beginning of the process for champion brewers the world over, who for centuries have demanded the finest handcrafted malt from French & Jupps Maltings.