DME vs LME
 

People keep telling me that dried malt extract and liquid malt extract are the same (when not hopped), does everyone agree with this? I mean the additional volume in the liquid alone must have some affect, right?

Most people that use it in a brew are doing partial boils, so it doesn't matter. The different color extracts should be the same between liquid and dry, for what you get for flavors. You'll get more gravity points per pound from dry.

Personally, I only use DME (the only extract I'll buy) for making yeast starters. :rockin:

I use DME for starters.
When I was extract brewing I liked DME because it was easy to store well.

Some don't like DME due to how reacts when you get it near steam (from the hot water). In the amounts I use, it's a non-issue. When I used it in brews (all that time back) I didn't let it get to me. Granted, I used DME in all of four batches. :ban:

LME can be a pain to work with, unless you warm it up before hand. It's a thick syrup otherwise.

For my starters, I get the very lightest DME I can find/buy. I also tend to get it in 3# bags since it's more cost effective that way. I simply store it in a clear, sealed, container (with a clamping lid and gasket). That way, I'll see how much I have left and not need to worry about running out.

I just decided 30 minutes ago that this is the last brew I make with LME. It darkens as it ages, takes forever to pour, is much more perishable, and loves to scorch the bottom of my kettle no matter how much I stir and even if I turn off the heat.

I'm going to work with DME from now on. Add it before the boil because it gets all weird with steam and crystallizes.

LME is more practical financially

I don't see it... Ran the numbers, to get the same gravity contribution from both 'type's of extract (picked amber LME and DME here) you need to use 1.22x the DME in LME. That makes the LME actually cost more than using DME.

That depends on how you buy your LME. At my LHBS, a pound of DME will run you about $6. A pound of LME from the bulk container costs less than $3. So LME can be far less expensive, even if you account for the fact that you use more in five gallons of beer. Of course you don't know how old that LME is, but on a cost basis, LME is the better deal

I was going off a 3# bag of DME and 3.3# can of LME... Going from a huge bulk container to single pound container is not a like comparison. It's like comparing getting grain from the LHBS in a 1# bag compared with the per pound pricing you see when buying a full sack as part of a group grain buy. Turns out, you actually need 1.26x LME to get the same gravity numbers from LME.

BTW, I went off prices from Rebel Brewer, where a 3.3# can of LME is $11.95 and a pound of DME is $3.69/#. That means the LME is #3.62/#. With the higher amount of LME needed, you'll end up spending more to get the same gravity addition to a batch.

BTW, I know LHBS' will offer different extracts, and grains, at different prices. If they don't purchase enough of one, or the other, the costs will be higher for you. Still, with the per pound pricing from Rebel being withing 7 cents of each other it makes you rethink things.

Yeah I can get 3.3lbs of LME for $8.50 at best, or 1lb of DME for $6.50...for myself LME makes the most sense if I was to purchase it for creating a beer. But it's a PITA for making starters with due to having to save it and stuff, way more trouble to keep sanitary, can't just throw it on a shelf.