tomwirsing

Recipes 

I'm about to make my first brew and have a question before buying ingredients. When at the Homebrew Suppyly Store I see malt extract syrup and malt extract powder.

When my recipe is calling for X pounds of malt extract is it refering to syrup or powder?

Yooper

Recipes 

Both are given in pounds. I prefer the dry malt extract (DME) but there are also recipes that use liquid (LME). I'd only buy the liquid if it's very, very fresh (if the store has a high turnover) or if it was a specialty item like liquid pilsner malt that you couldn't get in dry malt.

If you have a recipe, we could give you some pointers on what to get.

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Yooper

Recipes 

Oh, by the way- welcome to HBT!

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

GroovePuppy

Recipes 

In a blatant attempt at thread hijacking, before shopping for batch#2 ingredients I noticed comments on here about old DME being less than desirable. I think the recommendation was if you're buying it and not using it right away it should be refrigerated. Anywho, to continue my verbal assault on the LHBS they said even if it's clumped due to sitting around it's fine, doesn't make any difference. Is everything I'm told at the LHBS a lie?

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Primary - I'm on a break dammit!!!!
Secondary - sold it!
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Yet Another Keezer Build

Malticulous

Recipes 

DME stays fresh longer and is about 20% stronger.

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What's brewing

Grinder12000

Recipes 

To answer your question. It REALLY depends on the recipe and it SHOULD tell you.

If not post the recipe here - it's PROBABLY LME (liquid)

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Grinders Island Brewery - Pipeline (Batch #)

Secondary Kentucky Common(83)
Primary #1 Scottish Ale 70(84)
Primary #2 The Black Pearl Porter(85)

Yooper

Recipes 

Old DME does clump, but it will stick work. Old LME is worse- it turns rancid, or it gets "Twangy".

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

david_42

Recipes 

Grinder is correct, the recipe should tell you. If it doesn't you can play with the numbers in The Beer Recipator 2.2 until the starting gravity matches the recipe. Personally, if the recipe doesn't say which, I'd be looking for another recipe.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

Grinder12000

Recipes 

+1 on that one! It's not like there is a lack if recipes.

__________________
Grinders Island Brewery - Pipeline (Batch #)

Secondary Kentucky Common(83)
Primary #1 Scottish Ale 70(84)
Primary #2 The Black Pearl Porter(85)

Pivzavod

Recipes 

As a new who just brewed my 2nd batch I suggest you do a kit recipe first instead of trying to make your own. You are new and you are prone to making mistakes. Start as simple as you can get and buy a kit from a respectable online or LHBS source.

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Old school or the new, doesnt mean a thing if your heart's not true!

Primary: 04/29 Pomegranate Nectarine Apfelwein, 05/23 Petite Saison
Secondary:
Kegs drinking: AHS Midnight Wheaten Stout 03/18 - 04/14 - 04/28,
Kegs conditioning: 01/29 - 04/29 Cranberry Apfelwein, 04/29-05/23 Petite Saison
RIP: 11/07-11/28-01/29-05/04-11/17 Flanders Brown Ale