Daniel Wheeler & the Dark Art of Roasted Malts

|Tito Orellana
Daniel Wheeler & the Dark Art of Roasted Malts

Before 1817, drinking a dark beer would've been something quite similar to licking a piece of charcoal. Malt around those days was dried directly over open fires, providing those dark ales with a lovely side of woodsmoke and ash. It was risky for brewers to roast grain for the deeper flavour - there was a good chance of ending up with a pile of charred, unfermentable grain.

Enter Daniel Wheeler, the man who changed the dark ale game. In 1817, Wheeler patented a system based on what was currently being used in the coffee industry: the revolving drum roaster. By throwing malt into a rotating metal cylinder over indirect heat, he created the "Black Patent Malt". This wasn't just a new ingredient; it was an engineering marvel that allowed for a uniform, deep roast without ever being exposed to direct fire. For the first time ever, brewers could achieve those intense chocolate and coffee notes without the "chimney" character.

This wasn't just a win in terms of flavour, it also meant huge financial savings for the brewers, who would spend big amounts of money on darker malts that didn't allow for practical fermentation and were at a higher risk of imparting rough notes to the final product. With drum roasted malts, only a small amount of the darker malts was necessary while other high-yield malts could do the heavy lifting for the final beer. The whole industry changed overnight, and brewers quickly pivoted to these new roasty dark malts for their brews.

Today, Wheeler’s legacy is part of most tap lists around the world. So when you crack open some of the dark brews included in our latest Ale Odyssey box, like the depth of flavour in Kasteel's Barista, or the nuanced nutty notes in Garage Project 'Dr Pete’s', you’re tasting part of the legacy of Daniel Wheeler. Now let's toast to the roast!