Both bags of malt are hard, not powder?

Hi all,
I apologize if this has been addressed elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything about it. I just got a home beer brewing kit, and everything is in good order, except both bags of the pale and amber/dark malts are hard. The contents are almost like a resin, and are not a powder. Are they supposed to be this way, or did moisture somehow get in there or something? Instructions say to measure out a certain amount when making the beer, but there's no way I can possibly do that. Do I need new bags of the malt stuff? Thanks in advance!

Yep.

Dried Malt Extract (DME) should be a very fine powder (particle size similar to flour)

It sounds like the stuff you had got a bit wet and solidified into a brick when it dried. If you can measure by weight you should still be able to use it, but your gravity will probably be off a little bit since there may be some extra water hiding in it now.

Ah ok, so it is still usable, just do it by weight eh? No need to buy more? Can someone weigh out just how heavy 1/4 cup is dry so I can translate that into something meaningful for my stuff?

Yeah, as long as it doesn't have any visible mold or any off odors it's unlikely that it has any significant infection so there's no reason not to use it.

I would break off a little piece of it to taste and make sure it's good. It should taste rather rich and sweet. If it has a sour taste to it, I'd throw it out.

Also be sure to take your time with rehydrating it. Scorching is a real possibility until you get it fully dissolved.

I don't know what kind of instructions you have, but even if the kit says no boil, this batch you will need to have all the sugar boil for at least 10 minutes to make sure anything that's on the DME is killed.

The step that involves dissolving the DME says this:
"Prepare your wort (unfermented malt) by pouring 1/2 cup of dextrose and 3/4 cup of the dry malt (light or amber) into your pot of hot water. Stir with a long handled spoon until well dissolved. Heat your wort to boiling and add 1/4 tsp table salt and the 5 heaping 1.4 teaspoons of hops pellets that were set aside. Simmer your hopped wort for one half-hour. Stir occasionally to prevent excessive foaming. Set wort aside to cool slightly."

So once I get the DME measured out, do all of that above and I'll be fine? Dissolve the DME in the hot water, then start the simmering and that for 30 minutes should be sufficient to kill anything, right? Or do I need to let it go to a real hot boil for 10 minutes, then simmer for 30?

Are you making a 1 gallon batch?

And yes, if that amount is the whole batch of beer it should be good to go.

As long as you have a rolling boil (the surface of the wort will look lumpy instead of smooth) the water is as hot as you can get it. There is no temperature difference between an agressive boil and a slow boil.

The concern that I had was that a lot of kits will tell you to boil the water but not to let it boil after you add the extract.

Comes with two 6.5oz DME bags; 1/2 bag makes 1 gal I think. I'll just split the bag in half by weight and should be fine.

When DME gets old, it will get hard like that. It should be OK, I have some that is 10 years old that I use for starters.

If its hard like that, hit it with a rolling pin or something solid, and you can break it back down to its powdered form. Kind of like sugar, a little bit of humidity can make it turn into a brick.

Just smash dat sheit. It's all good.

I just did a quick check in beersmith, and 6.5 ounces of DME, with 4.5 ounces of dextrose (which I think is rougly 3/4 of a cup) would only give you a starting gravity of 1.031 with a 1 gallon batch.

That will end up at about 3% ABV and be a really watery beer (can't comment on the bitterness without knowing what type of hops you're adding)

If you add both bags of DME it will bring you into the more normal 4.5-5% range.

I can't add both bags. One bag is for a light pilsner and the other bag is for a dark amber. 1/2 a bag makes 1 gallon. Are you saying to use one whole bag for one whole gallon?

I'm thinking with that quantity, you can use a whole bag (brick) per gallon. It'll be a "session" beer. You'll probably be able to drink the whole gallon without getting drunk.

You may pee a lot though...

I plugged 6.5 ounces of DME and 4.5 ounces of Dextrose (3/4 cup) and it says that the starting gravity will be 1.031.

Gravity that low will give you about 3% alcohol. Most normal beers that you buy are in the 4.5% to 5% range.

If you want a beer that tastes like a mild beer and has basically no intoxicating effects at all, it'll be fine.

Adding in the second DME package will give the wort a starting gravity of 1.049, which will end up being somewhere in the 4.8% ABV range.

So you're saying I should use 13oz of DME and still 4.5oz of Dextrose for 1 gallon?

All I'm saying is that the recipe that you stated will make for a really weak beer. If you want to make a very mild beer, then follow that recipe.

If you were expecting to make a more typical beer, then you'll need to deviate from the recipe you posted earlier.

It takes the same amount of time to make a five gallon batch as it does to make a one gallon batch.

If all I got was a gallon of beer for each batch that I brewed I would have quit this hobby about 300 batches ago.

If I were you I would buy the ingredients for a full five gallon batch and buy a home depot paint bucket or a home brew store plastic pail "fermenter" (which is basically a home depot bucket with pretty beer-related graphics on the side.)

But yes, if you are going to do a one gallon batch, without doubt put all 13 oz of DME and a little sugar into it.

So you're saying I should use 13oz of DME and still 4.5oz of Dextrose for 1 gallon?

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This will make a better tasting beer: more malt flavor, more body, and yes, a higher alcohol content.

I don't have 13oz of DME. I have 6.5. Can I half the dextrose and have the same effect?

Delete said:

Comes with two 6.5oz DME bags; 1/2 bag makes 1 gal I think. I'll just split the bag in half by weight and should be fine.

Click to expand...

Two 6.5 oz. bags of DME = 13 oz., right?

Let's see... divide by pi... carry that two... multiply by x... take the remainder and algebra it up a little...

Yep, that comes out to be 13 ounces all right!

Minky said:

Two 6.5 oz. bags of DME = 13 oz., right?

Click to expand...

I really hope the OP wasn't waiting for that answer...

He's been waiting for over 5 years if he was...

homebeerbrewer said:

He's been waiting for over 5 years if he was...

Click to expand...

The epitome of RDWHAHB...