Nicholas Halse Patents a Smoke-Free Malt Kiln

On July 23, 1635, King Charles I of England granted Sir Nicholas Halse of Cornwall a patent for a new type of kiln that could dry malt and hops without contact with smoke. The patent language described a device for drying malt and hops with sea coal, turf, or other fuel “without touching of smoake,” making it possible to separate drying heat from smoke flavor. The invention marked an important step away from traditional direct-fired malt kilns. Smoke-free malt later became dominant, while older smoked-malt traditions survived only in a few places such as Bamberg.