Barley

    Barley kernels must be good quality because, unlike water, they cannot be improved.  There are numerous mentions of the quality of local barley in the Victoria newspapers but none can really be substantiated because Vancouver Island's cool, damp summers often produced smaller, inferior grains.  Because of this, not enough was produced to meet local demand.  However, this did not deter some brewers who wanted a cheap, local supply for their breweries.  At the 1864 Agricultural Society Dinner, Arthur Bunster told the crowd that he would pay:

"$100 for the best samples from ten acres of barley exhibited at the next agricultural show"

-Daily Colonist, Oct 1, 1864

    Brewers offered a ready market for farmers who were willing to grow barley.  Despite this incentive, local farmers did not produce enough for this competitive market.  Many brewers needed to import barley from California, Washington, and Oregon.  In 1884, the Colonist reported that 13 tons of barley malt was being imported from San Francisco each week (Evans, 1991,105).

    To protect the local market, a tax on imported barley was proposed.  Bunster argued that this duty would result in inferior beer because there was not enough grain on the island to supply all the breweries (Evans 1991, 103).  To the dismay of the local brewers, Bunster's requests were ignored and imported barley was taxed.  The government reasoned that a small tax would not be a problem for the large brewing industry.  Despite this tax, barley growing never became a major industry on Vancouver Island.

Malting

    Malting is a process in which barley is partially germinated to produce enzymes.  The enzymes convert starch in the grain to maltose and dextrin.  Maltose is eventually converted to alcohol and dextrin gives flavour to the beer (Evans 1991, 106).

    Until the 1880's, malting was done inside the brewery or malted barley was imported from San Francisco.  In 1886 the Victoria Malt House opened to process local barley for use in the breweries.  The company did not last long.  By the beginning of the 20th Century, malt was being produced by large-scale commercial growers in America and it was difficult for local companies to compete, despite import duties (Evans 1991, 106).