Since 1870 we’ve lived and breathed malting. With this passion and expertise, and by combining traditional and modern techniques, we create an impressive range of malted and non-malted products, including several unique and exclusive barley malts.
We have a wide range of malts suitable for brewing and distilling to provide you with the foundations for creating your next beer or whisky.
There is nothing more we love than talking to brewers and distillers so if you have any questions, or would like to arrange a call with a member of our team, please feel free to get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
The addition of Crystal Malts to a traditional English bitter started after World War One, and the best versions are served on cask. Our Best Bitter recipe uses Crystal 150 to provide toffee, caramel, and raisin notes balanced out by a smorgasbord of classic and modern English hops.
BATCH SIZE (LITRES):
1630
BATCH SIZE (UK BARRELS):
10
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
1043 SG
FINAL GRAVITY:
1009 SG
IBUs:
26
COLOUR (EBC/SRM):
21 / 11
BREWHOUSE EFFICIENCY:
85%
MASH TEMP:
66°C / 151°F
COLLECTION TEMP:
18°C / 64°F
FERMENTATION TEMP:
23°C / 73°F
MASH LIQUOR VOL (LITRES):
756
LIQUOR / MASH RATIO:
2.7 : 1
MASH:
60 mins
BOIL:
BEST ALE
233
85
CRYSTAL 150
21
7
AMBER
12
4
CARA
3.5
ROAST BARLEY
2
0.5
WINDSOR ALE
ADMIRAL
424
30
15
Start of boil
BRAMLING CROSS
848
7.5
Middle
ENDEAVOUR
565
20
Flame out
KEYWORTHS MID-SEASON
The higher fermentation top temperature on this beer will encourage the yeast to produce fruity esters.
Our Best Ale Malt is the workhorse of many a brewery and is at home in a variety of beer styles. The 2-row winter barley varieties that go into our Best Ale have been planted in the light, sandy soils of North Norfolk. We source the lowest nitrogen barley from our farmers.
During malting, high cast moistures and a balance of optimal germination time and temperature results in an even, well modified malt with a rich color and balanced sweet, malt flavor, which is ideally suited to ale brewing.
Find out more about our Best Ale here.
To make Light Crystal we increase the temperature further, and the endosperm darkens and flavors develop further. Think of Crystal Malts like you would make caramel at home. With Light Crystal the crystalised sugars present imparts an intense caramel flavor. Light Crystal will also impart a reddish hue to the beer. and it works very well in bitters and ruby beers.
The number after the word Crystal refers to the EBC color of the malt if you mashed at 100% of the grain bill. To get a rough conversion to Lovibond, just divide by two.
Find out more about Light Crystal 150 here.
This is the palest malt made using a roasting technique. After conventional kilning, the malt is dry and pale in color; hence, it is known as “white malt.” It is transferred to our Specialty Malt Plant and passes through the roasting column, where the flavor is transformed through the application of heat. The temperatures used through the column determine the color and flavor of the roasted malt.
Amber Malt is typified by a dry, toasted biscuit finish and can add an amber hue to the beer.
Find out about Amber Malt here.
Cara Malt is a very low colour Crystal Malt which has an almost completely glassy endosperm. It contains a greater degree of sweetness than Crystal Malt, and the harsher nutty roasted flavours are not present.
It greatly improves body, foam retention, and beer stability whilst adding a little color. It has, therefore, become very popular in the production of lagers, where it is used to assist in enhancing flavor and character. For this reason, it has also become a common constituent in low-alcohol beers.
Find out more about Cara Malt here.
Roast Barley is our darkest brewing grain, and it is made from unmalted barley. The color produced can be almost opaque, and the flavor is similar to a dark, bitter roast coffee. In stouts, a combination of Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, and Roast Barley gives excellent complexity and balance.
Remember that these dark grains will have an acidifying effect on the mash, so ensure your salts have been adjusted adequately.
Find out more about Roast Barley here.
