Crisp Maltings Visit

On a very cold January evening a group of us made our way to Crisp Maltings at Great Ryburgh near Fakenham. We wrapped up warm for a tour of the maltings which lasted about an hour and was very interesting.

Most of the barley required for the site is sourced from the surrounding area (Norfolk and Suffolk), which is renowned for consistently producing top quality malting barley mainly due to it’s unique maritime climate, which subtly enhances the quality of malting barley, a quality found nowhere else in the world.

Our group toured the site looking at traditional floor malting facilities as well as Saladin plant and the most modern stainless steel production plants comprising huge kilns. Originally one of the largest floor malting sites in Europe, the Great Ryburgh site, through a program of expansion and modernisation, has become one of the largest and most efficient malting plants in the U.K. producing 115,000 tonnes of finished malt per annum. The site also maintains a 10 tonne (steeped barley) pilot plant which provides a useful extension to the laboratory based research facilities and can double as a smaller scale production plant for special products.

We were told that all surfaces in contact with the grain in the modern process are of stainless steel construction. Automated systems provide high pressure washing of vessel floors, walls and ceilings as well as the insides of conveyors after each product transfer. To increase steep plant hygiene standards, barley to steep passes through a washing screw.

During the tour we were most amazed by the traditional floor maltings still used this day and requiring every tonne of malt to be made and turned by hand in the traditional manner. Barley Malt made in this manner is still in demand and exported around the world

At the end of tour we were made very welcome in the On-Site social club where our hosts very kindly laid on a buffet and a cask of Woodfordes Great Eastern was available at the bar.
West Norfolk CAMRA would like to thank all the Crisp Maltings staff for their splendid hospitality that evening and a most enjoyable tour of the Maltings

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