DME vs. LME

I was wondering what characteristics does each have to offer to beer. Im not talking about ratios or pro's and con's of how easy or a pain each is. Im talking about the pure science of each , are they equal in producing quality beer and taste. What are the differences that each will bring to the final product. I know this might just turn out to be opinion only related but There has to be differences in each DME vs LME

Honestly it really is mostly about ease of use. DME is much easier to portion out than LME is. The only real quality difference that you get is that DME has a longer shelf life than LME which is prone to going stale if it sits for too long. The only other real difference is when brewing an extract batch you would use 20% less DME than you would brewing the same recipe with LME.

As far as I know, its going to boil down to personal preference. I'm unaware of any actual science proving one is "better" than the other.

I use both, but believe LME to have a fresher taste. Then again, that's just me..
Pez.

i think color of beer sometimes is a deciding factor. DME could be used for lighter beers like pilsners, wheats maybe.. this way the color would not be alterd much.. if that bothered you. also DME is useful because its easier to make starters with. i agree the scientific explaination would be best left for a chemist maybe.

Look up the brewing network's brew strong podcast if you aren't familiar with it yet. There is and episode where they talk about how both DME and LME are made. It's either in the episode on kit beers or session beers. Sorry I can't remember or have a link. Interesting stuff. I second what has been said about the freshness of LME being important. I primarily use LME and order from Northern Brewer because they seem to have good turn around and fresh ingredients.

tonyc318 said:

Look up the brewing network's brew strong podcast if you aren't familiar with it yet. There is and episode where they talk about how both DME and LME are made. It's either in the episode on kit beers or session beers. Sorry I can't remember or have a link. Interesting stuff. I second what has been said about the freshness of LME being important. I primarily use LME and order from Northern Brewer because they seem to have good turn around and fresh ingredients.

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I am a recent convert. I used to dislike LME. It was only available in cans, age unknown, grains unknown. Almost always stale. Since I've been ordering the stuff from NB, I've flipped. Very fresh, high quality, and known grain bill. When ordered in 6# jugs by the case (split with friends or refrigerate what you wont use to keep freshness), its a little over $2/#. Add most of it late in the boil to avoid overcooking and scortching of the sugars which can impart that "extract" taste.

My opinion (I am a chemist) is there would be a difference. Whatever conditions used to remove the last bit of water from DME will also likely remove other volatiles, e.g. Flavor compounds. I think both LME and DME are processed under vacuum ( so they are not heated to remove water) but to get that bit further dry in DME will remove other stuff as well. Can a brewer tell? Well the freshness and convenience has been discussed ad naseum... Again just my opinion, but I think there would be more volatiles that you'd want to keep in a darker extract, hence maybe for light base extract they are the same but for darker the LME (if fresh) has more flavor.

In opinion, fresh LME produces better-tasting beer. I think the graininess comes through much more.

Last fall I unknowingly did a blind taste test on this very matter. I had an Oktoberfest party, and brewed two batches of my modified PM version of BierMuncher's OktoberFAST ale. For the first batch I used Briess Pilsen DME that I bought from my LHBS to make up the remaining base malt. In the second batch I ordered Briess Pilsen LME (I don't remember why I switched).

Same recipe, same brewing equipment, same water source, same process. The only difference was the extract used.

After the DME keg was kicked I put the LME batch in. Without asking anyone, I got a couple of comments about how the LME batch tasted better.

Take it for what it's worth.

I'm more for DME, personally. The thought of LME sitting in plastic or a can for extended periods of time bugs me a bit, especially knowing that most canned products are lined with BPA (not certain if LME cans are the same, but the uncertainty is enough to keep me away).

I also think DME gives you more freedom to formulate your own reliable recipes as DMEs will be more consistent between brands than LMEs would.

Sorry for not having anything scientific to back any of this. Just my 2 cents.

I also prefer DME as I have used both, but I keep reading how LME needs to be fresh. I like to store several batches ahead in food grade buckets and order my DME from DMEmart.com. Briess 12# shipped priority mail for $45. I usually order 24# at a time. You can mix and match in 3# bags. Seems to be the best price I can find. I have ordered a few times and my stuff is usually here in 3 days.

After going through a 50lb sack of briess golden dme, I can say for sure, I wish I'd have kept using my locals LME that he keeps on co2. It cost me more money, I had to keep it stored, and it's an f'ing mess when anything with moisture even looks at it. Measuring it out was a pain as it stuck to everything. Pouring lme from its container was and is much easier for me. The only upside I saw with dme was that because I had it on hand, impromptu brew days were a breeze, and it's great to keep for starters.

If you can get good fresh lme, that's what I'd do. YMMV

So here's a related question: How fresh is fresh? How long does it take LME to become unfresh? My FLBS sells LME out of gigantic barrels. I can't imagine they turn those things over too quickly. How long would the stuff have to sit there unsold before it becomes noticeably off?

At the same store, LME is a little less than half the cost of DME, so the freshness difference seems like it'd have to be pretty big to make a difference.

P.S. First post here. Hello HBT! Got five gallons of amber bubbling away in a carboy not 10 feet from me as I type this...

DME for overall ease of use.

LME for most of my early extract brews for one reason, it's cheaper. Tastes the same as DME in most cases. I had the "extract twang" on my very first brew. Could have been a few different reasons, but I strongly suspect it was just a really old can of LME.

Buy your LME from a brew shop that turns over its extract very fast. I'm thinking along the likes of AHS, Northern Brewer, or Midwest Supplies. Then store them cool, and try to use them up within 2-3 months of purchase. Never open a bottle and then use a portion. Use it all.