malt powder = dry malt extract ???

I went to a Korean grocery store near DC tonight and found several things I thought would make interesting additions to a future brew (Ex: cactus honey powder).

One thing that really caught my eye was a bag labeled "malt powder" (those were the only English words on the bag). It had a similar color/texture as light DME. Anyone know if this is the same stuff? A 5# bag of malt powder costs under $6 there. If this is the same as DME, this would be huge! The cost of my beers would dramatically decrease.

From http://www.foodsubs.com/Misc.html

malt powder = malt flour Notes: You can make malt powder by allowing whole grains to sprout briefly, drying them, and then grinding them into a powder. Commercial malt powders are usually made with barley, and they're used extensively by commercial bakers. There are two main types of malt powder: diastatic and non-diastatic. Diastatic malt contains active enzymes which help break starch down into sugar. The extra sugar feeds the yeast in the dough, helping the bread to rise, and also gives the bread a browner crust. It's often used to make crusty breads. Non-diastatic malt doesn't have active enzymes, but it gives baked goods better flavor and a shinier, browner crust. It's used in everything from bagels to croissants to breakfast cereals. Don't confuse malt powder with malted milk powder, which also contains powdered milk and wheat flour and is used to make beverages. Look for malt powder in health food stores or baking supply stores.

thats what I found from googling

Thanks Rod. Guess I need to figure out if the stuff has enzymes or not.

I did a search on here earlier on here and found a guy in 2007 claiming malt powder = DME. I just wondered if others were of the same opinion.

I may just have to buy a bag and brew up something with it in the interest of science.

Regular DME and LME doesn't have enzymes in it. It's barley that's been malted, mashed, then the runnings have most or all of the water removed. Diastatic malt powder sounds like it's malted barley that's been crushed into a fine flour. It would need to be mashed because it won't have any sugar in it, only starches and enzymes. Non-diastatic sounds like it's just regular DME.

Hell, if it's only $6, buy a bag and make a batch! If you do buy a bag, there's a way to tell if it's got starches and enzymes, or only sugar. Since the only words on the package were "malt powder". Mix some up with a little hot water, say, a teaspoonful onto a white plate and then add a few drops of iodine or idophor. If it turns purple, it's got starch and it needs to be mashed. If it stays pretty much the same color, then it's just like DME and I'd treat it like that.

Good tip, Thanks! I'll try that.

I know this is an ancient thread, but it inspired me to buy some malt powder and try it out.
I bought Assi brand malt powder from my Korean grocer. Boiled in water for a few minutes, let the flour settle, then pulled some liquid off the top for iodine test.

The iodine turned very, very purple. So the stuff I found would definitely need to be mashed. Since it cost $3/pound and base grain costs half that, I don't think it'd be much use to anyone for brewing.

This is most likely MaltoDextrin. It's all over the place at my local Asian market.

What about this stuff? It's non diastatic.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/pr...-AB-Mauri-Non-Diastatic-Dry-Malt-50-Pound.htm

http://www.abmf.com/products/bakeryingredients

Clifton said:

What about this stuff? It's non diastatic.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/pr...-AB-Mauri-Non-Diastatic-Dry-Malt-50-Pound.htm

http://www.abmf.com/products/bakeryingredients

Click to expand...

Anyone know about this stuff.I can get 50 pound bags for $51.?

Diastatic breaks sugars out of starch to help the seed grow or to feed our yeast. Non-diastatic gives malt flavor but won't help make sugar available.
To check a malt powder, mash it for a half hour with a starch(corn meal) at 50⁰C. Taste the mash before and after to see if it gets sweeter. Boiling diastatic malt will leave you with non-diastatic malt, so save the boiling for after the mash when it's wort.