BAIRDS MALTS

Bairds has been supplying English brewers with pale and roasted malts for 100 years. The company originated as Hugh Baird & Sons in Glasgow, Scotland in 1823 and remained privately held until 1896. By 1960, Hugh Baird & Sons had grown to be one of the UK's largest maltsters. In 1989, Hugh Baird & Sons, along with Great Western Malting Company, was purchased by Canada Malting Company

Baird's operates malting facilities in Pencaitland, Scotland, and Witham, England. Both English and Scottish plants are situated in the heart of their barley growing regions, allowing access to the finest UK barley. In addition to supplying fine British Malts to the major breweries in the UK and around the world, Baird's has long provided first class pale and roasted malts to the UK's independent &   microbreweries and to many of the craft breweries in North America.

Bairds produces malt from traditional winter malting barley varieties such as Maris Otter, Optic, Halcyon and others.

Bairds Pale Ale Malt (2-3°L) forms the majority of the grist for a typical U.K. Pale Ale or Bitter beer. Our Pale Ale malts are made from some of the finest winter malting barley with an emphasis on single variety and low protein levels. In production, barley is fully steeped and germinated prior to kilning.   Kilning is a carefully controlled process removing moisture to a relatively low level without destroying excessive amounts of enzymes whilst imparting characteristic flavor and color. Bairds Maris Otter Pale Ale malt is made exclusively from the famous Maris Otter barley.

Bairds Vienna Malt (3-4°L) is a well modified lager malt, resulting from full steeping and germination.   The color is achieved by kilning at higher temperatures.Vienna Malt is best used in making dark lager beers such as Vienna or Märzen style.

Bairds Carastan (13-17°L and 30-40°L) malts are fully crystallized with a light caramel/toffee like flavor. Bairds Carastan malts are used to give color and flavor to pale lager beers. These malts should be used with care to avoid making the beer too dark or giving it too cloying a flavor.

Bairds Crystal (70-80°L and 135-165°L) malts have a distinctive toffee flavor similar to Carastan but more intense. The intensity of flavor increases with color and at the higher end of the color range burnt or roasted malt flavors may begin to appear. These malts are typically used to give beer the characteristic color of UK Bitters and Pale Ales.

Bairds Chocolate (450-550°L)  malt has a sharp somewhat acrid flavor and provides a rich dark color as well as roasted, burnt or astringent flavors.   It is used in the production of Porters and Stouts.

Bairds Black (500-600°L) malt is darker in color than Bairds Chocolate malt but provides the same attributes. It is used in the production of very dark beers such as stouts and porters.

Bairds Roasted Barley (500-600°L) provides a sharper drier flavor than roasted malt. It is used in the production of dry or bitter stouts and other dark beers.   With extreme care it may also be used to color and flavor lager beers but the quantities used should be very small.