Muntons

It takes a lot of practice, but the Muntons people have been at it for almost 80 years. In that time, they’ve become experts at sourcing Britain’s finest brewing barleys and creating a superbly consistent end product out of an ever changing raw material. Over the course of 10 or so billions of pounds of malt, they’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Now producing malt at three different locations in England, Muntons has grown many times over since its founding in 1921. Growth has always been accompanied by stability, however, which is an enviable situation for any company. The Munton-Baker family began trading in malt and grain in the late 1800’s. Since 1934, when the firm of Muntona combined with Charles Wells Ltd and produced its first extract, the Wells family have been active owners of both what’s now called Muntons plc, as well as the renowned Charles Wells Brewery. With the help of able management and employees, who collectively own more than 10% of the company, the Wells have charted a steady course through good times and bad, relying on the simple business practice of the constant production of a quality product at a fair price to weather any storm.

Muntons runs state-of-the-art facilities equipped with computerized process controls which constantly monitor every phase of operation, from the delivery and testing of incoming barley, through cleaning, steeping, malting, kilning, extraction and packaging. In fact, their system is so precise that any item, (including ones right off your shelf), can, if necessary, be traced all the way back to the truck on which the barley was delivered, and from there to the field in which it was grown.

In the United States, legalization of home beermaking made a difference not just in legal status, but also in quality. Under the remnants of prohibition, beer was brewed in the home largely with bakery grade ingredients, baking yeasts, and a dearth of proper technique. Legalization permitted firms such as Muntons to export superb quality brewery grade malts and extracts into the US market, and permitted the free flow of information about brewing for the first time. The result was a vast improvement in the quality of home-brewed products, and a growing perception of homebrew as the epitome, not the pits, of the brewer’s art. However, any system is only as good as the people who run it. Muntons staff are highly trained and experienced at enforcing a stringent quality assurance regimen during every phase of production, holding their products to the highest levels of quality and consistency.

From these beginnings as a pioneer in the US market, Muntons has grown to be the dominant brand in the US, and the standard of quality against which all other malts must be measured. Unique among the world suppliers to the US homebrew industry, Muntons noticed that the US market was different from many other world markets it served. By comparison with many other big homebrew countries, such as Canada and Britain, tax on fermented products is relatively low, and we remain awash in low-priced wine and beer, some of which is even pretty drinkable! We brew therefore, as hobby rather than as necessity, and emphasize quality over price. (Not that we don’t love a bargain!)

Given the above, the US market was a natural for Muntons, and their philosophy of quality products at a fair price. This mastery of technology blends well with the mystery of malt, producing that most desirable of earthly goals: a great beer every time.

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It takes a lot of practice, but the Muntons people have been at it for almost 80 years. In that time, they’ve become experts at sourcing Britain’s finest brewing barleys and creating a superbly consistent end product out of an ever changing raw material. Over the course of 10 or so billions of pounds of malt, they’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Now producing malt at three different locations in England, Muntons has grown many times over since its founding in 1921. Growth has always been accompanied by stability, however, which is an enviable situation for any company. The Munton-Baker family began trading in malt and grain in the late 1800’s. Since 1934, when the firm of Muntona combined with Charles Wells Ltd and produced its first extract, the Wells family have been active owners of both what’s now called Muntons plc, as well as the renowned Charles Wells Brewery. With the help of able management and employees, who collectively own more than 10% of the company, the Wells have charted a steady course through good times and bad, relying on the simple business practice of the constant production of a quality product at a fair price to weather any storm.

Muntons runs state-of-the-art facilities equipped with computerized process controls which constantly monitor every phase of operation, from the delivery and testing of incoming barley, through cleaning, steeping, malting, kilning, extraction and packaging. In fact, their system is so precise that any item, (including ones right off your shelf), can, if necessary, be traced all the way back to the truck on which the barley was delivered, and from there to the field in which it was grown.

In the United States, legalization of home beermaking made a difference not just in legal status, but also in quality. Under the remnants of prohibition, beer was brewed in the home largely with bakery grade ingredients, baking yeasts, and a dearth of proper technique. Legalization permitted firms such as Muntons to export superb quality brewery grade malts and extracts into the US market, and permitted the free flow of information about brewing for the first time. The result was a vast improvement in the quality of home-brewed products, and a growing perception of homebrew as the epitome, not the pits, of the brewer’s art. However, any system is only as good as the people who run it. Muntons staff are highly trained and experienced at enforcing a stringent quality assurance regimen during every phase of production, holding their products to the highest levels of quality and consistency.

From these beginnings as a pioneer in the US market, Muntons has grown to be the dominant brand in the US, and the standard of quality against which all other malts must be measured. Unique among the world suppliers to the US homebrew industry, Muntons noticed that the US market was different from many other world markets it served. By comparison with many other big homebrew countries, such as Canada and Britain, tax on fermented products is relatively low, and we remain awash in low-priced wine and beer, some of which is even pretty drinkable! We brew therefore, as hobby rather than as necessity, and emphasize quality over price. (Not that we don’t love a bargain!)

Given the above, the US market was a natural for Muntons, and their philosophy of quality products at a fair price. This mastery of technology blends well with the mystery of malt, producing that most desirable of earthly goals: a great beer every time.

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