Dry vs. Liquid Malt Extract

I feel kinda dumb asking this but is there a difference between dry and liquid malt extract (I know one is dry....). Can they be used interchangeably? Is one better than the other?

Thanks

Dry is, well... dry. So, use 20% DME if the recipe calls for LME, and 20% more LME if the recipe calls for DME.

LME tends to be darker, so if you want to make a really light beer, extra-light DME is your best bet. LME tends to darken over time, so you have to be careful about how fresh it is.

When I was doing extract, I preferred DME, it was a lot easier to measure out and to handle generally. But, it's a lot more expensive. You can buy both in bulk if you are going through a good amount.

Both make good beer.

I agree with the_bird. I started out using liquid extract, but after I swtiched to dry, I noticed a difference and never went back. Now I'm all grain, but I still use the dry extract to make yeast starters.

Some people talk about extract having a "twang" generally, and it seems to be more common with LME than with DME. Can't say I've ever been able to pick it out specifically.

I've tasted it. It probably has more to do woth the age of the product. Get the freshest LME you can find.

Grain - 1 lb equals
LME - .75 lb
DME - .6 lb

homebrewer_99 said:

Grain - 1 lb equals
LME - .75 lb
DME - .6 lb

Click to expand...

Smarty pants! :fro: