tenchu_11

Recipes 

I've heard that DME makes brighter beer. Every time I made a light ale it always has some reddish tone to it not too heavy it just wasn't bright. Some one told me DME tends to make a lighter colored beer

Germelli1

Recipes 

I use them both and don't really have a preference.

In your case, try measuring out the DME you need and dumping it into a couple of bowls. That way you can add them will minimal clumping and it wont clog the opening to the bags shut.

I use DME whenever I can because it is easier to store and keeps a bit longer. I use LME whenever a recipe calls for pale malt.

__________________
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broadbill

Recipes 

Just to clarify....yes, you can use DME in recipes that call for LME (and vice versa). But you do need to adjust for the water that is present in LME. LME is 80% malt/20% water, DME is 100% malt.

If converting from LME to DME: add 20% less DME.
If converting from DME to LME: add 20% more LME

Hope this helps

bcstuff

Recipes 

If you are converting DME to LME and you add 20% more, will you be short 4% Malt?
i.e. LME malt = 80% x 20% more = 96% malt

Should it be add 25% if converting from DME to LME?
i.e. LME malt = 80% x 25% more = 100% malt (with 5% more water)

Or is it so close that I'm just being a nit picky a$$.

jon328

Recipes 

IIRC, I went to my LBHS with a recipe in hand and it called for 5.5 lbs of DME. They told me that 6.6 lbs of LME was equal to the 5.5 lbs of DME.

Robsbrew

Recipes 

Ive only used LME once and for some reason I just like DME. I definatly take the kettle off the fir to avoid boil over and scorching. It does take a few minutes to get the sticky clumps out fo the wort but it works great!

My LHBS, www.redstickhomebrew.com, is really good about only providing the freshest ingredients so I dont really think its ever been an issue of freshness.

broadbill

Recipes 

I'm not following you.

The reason you have to add more LME if converting from DME is because LME contains some water (typically 20% by weight).

A pound of LME (16 oz) consists of: 12.8oz of malt and 3.2 oz of water.

A pound of DME consists of 16oz of malt, no water.

So if you are replacing DME with LME you have to add 20% more LME to get an equivalent amount of malt, as measured on a dry-weight basis.

bcstuff

Recipes 

Scenario:

I need 1 pound of DME for a recipe which is 16 oz, but I am using LME.

LME is 12.8 oz malt per pound (ignore the water).

So I need 3.2 oz more of malt to equal 16 oz right.

12.8 oz x 20% = 2.56 oz .... so 20% more would only be 15.36 oz of malt.

to get to the proper amount you need 25% more LME.

12.8 oz x 25% = 3.2 oz + the original 12.8 oz = 16 oz of malt.

Or another way to look at it is

1.25 pounds of LME at 12.8 oz of malt per pound.

1.25 pounds x 12.8 oz/pound = 16 oz

.25 more of 1 is 25% more.

Like I said before, I hope I'm not being a nit picky a$$.

McGarnigle

Recipes 

You have to increase LME 25% to equal the same amount of DME, but then you only have to decrease DME by 20% to get back to where you started. So you lose 5%. You do this 20 times and you have no extract left.

broadbill

Recipes 

Nope, you aren't being nit-picky....I just did the math for myself (a different way that you did because I did it all on a dry-weight basis) and you are right on the money with the 25%

That is what I get for blindly accepting the wankers on this forum who said it was 20% Yes, you have to add 20% more...but that is on a dry-weight basis. The problem comes when you add an additional amount of LME its a mix of 80% solids/20% water. You you also have to account for the water in the addition also...you can only get so close though.

Sorry bout that.