Whilst it may seem to be too early to say that summer is drawing to an end, now we are in September it simply can’t be denied. Early summer saw some amazing weather (certainly in most parts of the country) and there is no doubt that brewers will be treating themselves to a few more celebratory beers when the summer “season” ends. Then a short break before it’s time to start again ready for the Christmas rush.
The same goes for those farmers who are watching the fields, monitoring the crops, assessing the quality and yield hoping for good weather to finish the harvest, explains Joanna Perry, marketing and creative manager at Muntons.
Maltsters like us are also watching the crop and buying to our specifications as the harvest progresses – right now it’s the spring barley harvest although in northern areas because of the weather we are a couple of weeks behind last year.
It is too soon to advise what to expect, we will provide more detail in December, when the results for the entire harvest will be in but it’s fair to say, so far so good. This is England however and you know our weather – anything can happen.
Farming is tough, there are a number of things that can affect crops and thus impact not just the cost of production but also the quality of the end product. A long spell of cold weather, including cold nights or heavy rains, influences the timing of sowing the barley seeds.
Conditions do need to be right to encourage growth. Whilst Scotland is generally much colder, we are already seeing the impact of that delay as growth didn’t happen until much later due to the colder growing conditions, so given the shorter “growth” time there may well be an impact on yield.
A heat wave strikes and the nation basks themselves and beer gardens fill. In the meantime the growing grains, which are still small, are ripening quickly. But conditions must be right to get the very best quality; the right amount of rainfall, sunshine and warmth.
Harvest is well underway in Scotland but there is an element of anticipation as the majority of Scottish Barley is contracted to distillers, so poor yield can limit availability for the domestic requirement.
What brewers are interested in is quality and price. Is the malt going to match their requirements and is it going to be at a price that they are happy to pay? As highlighted earlier, there are a number of factors that can affect quality and thus price – most, if not all, are down to mother-nature and the market place itself.
Muntons offer full traceability, a good support service, technical advice and even pilot brewing facilities.
With new malting varieties coming along every few years there is always an opportunity to try these and see which variety will work for you. We have heard of breweries getting exceptionally good results from both Venture and Propino.
2015 sees the 50th anniversary of Maris Otter, a firm favourite for brewers looking to use a true heritage variety. This year will see fifty new beers being launched at the Maris Otter Festival (17-19th September 2015).
