Patent For A Pneumatic Dryer

In 1842, Patrick Stead, a Scottish maltster, patented an early pneumatic method of malting. Brewing-science sources describe his system as using steam and hot air to control germination and kilning, while Brewery History identifies Stead as the first Victorian innovator in pneumatic malting. Stead’s system was not a lasting commercial success, but it was an early step toward the industrialization of malting. Later pneumatic malting systems used forced air and mechanical handling to reduce the manual labor of traditional floor malting, helping turn malt production from a craft process into a more industrial one.