The original brown – not to be confused with black – malt had enough enzymatic power to convert sugars. The malt was used in a very high percentage in the grist bill of Porters. This is not the case with modern brown malt. To understand this we have to go back in time.
In the past everything in a malthouse was done by hand labour. Kilns were heated by fire. The green malt (as it’s known after germination) was spread out in a thin layer. Halfway in the process it was briefly exposed to a higher temperature.
This made the grain popped or blown. The malt was not caramelized, but some conversion and saccharification must have happened. This process probably was difficult and expensive.
Straw or hardwood was used for the boost in temperature. The former was better, as it did’t provide a smoky taste. Porters made with hardwood were kept on casks. During storage the smoky flavours somewhat disappeared.
Brown Porter
Brown Porter is kilned on a roaster – not roasted – at lower product temperature to avoid burnt flavours, while keeping chocolate, coffee and caramel. At The Swaen we still use green malt (no ready base malt) in a very dynamic environment. Every kernel is moving continuously in the roaster.