liquid vs dry extract?

forgive me if this has been asked before,I did a search and found nothing.

I see some kits offered in a choice of either liquid or dry extract.Is there any advantage to using one or the other?(Just wondering why they give a choice)

given a choice which would you pick and why?

Personal preference.

LME: Easy to mix into hot water. Hard to get out of container. Sinks to bottom of pot and can possibly scorch.

DME: Hard to mix into hot water (clumps up, floats in wort). Easy to get out of container.

I agree with the personal preference point of view.

I've read posts on here that claim that DME gives a better flavor, but the guy at my local shop says they're both about the same. Only difference he pointed out is that most canned LME is hopped, and DME isn't.

Also, both sources agree that a rough conversion would be that .6 pounds of DME equals 1 pound of LME and 1.4 pounds of LME equals 1 pound of DME. So, adjust your recipe accordingly.

I've made a couple of batches with just LME, have one fermenting that's a combination of LME and DME, and I'm planning on a batch with just DME in a few weeks, so I guess I'd be more qualified to comment in a couple of months....

Whichever you choose, I've determined from my research that you should remove your pot from the heat source while adding any extract, and from experience, I've found that you can heat small amounts of water in the microwave and pour them into the can or jug to make it easier to pour the last bit of LME into the pot. It works much better than trying to heat up the whole can of LME like some recipes suggest.

Hope this helps.

I like DME better; it's easy to handle and weigh out precisely and store. I don't like all the heating of the LME. I sit at my brewpot for the most part, so stiring a few clumps doesn't bother me.. it all goes away.

However, man don't sneeze around DME.. It gets all over everything! It seems like it floats by itself.....

LME can mold and go bad rather quickly. DME can be stored for a long time and still be good.

yeah. i guess it would last longer dry. i usually use it before it has a chance to go bad. as for the lme being hard to get out, after i pour most of it in, i just dunk the jug it came in into the brew pot. the warm liquid gets the thick extract flowing pretty good. the wort is gonna be sterilized when you boil anyway.

I just asked this a few weeks ago please see :

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/lme-dme-215417/

Now let me point out my learnings ;-)

I like LME over DME and the reason why is I like to jack up my OGs. So what I have found is take the bulk of your recipe and use LME. You can dunk and dip the container, swirl hot wort in it and get pretty much every little drop out. However I now buy an extra pound or two of DME to up my gravity so I dont waste any LME I dont use. Now with that being said if you're doing a 6 gallon boil save 1/2 gallon of water (cold) to dissolve your DME in and then pour it in to your wort. Pouring DME from the bag into the wort will have some steam and make it clump up. Also, its easier to dissolve the the DME in cold water with a kitchen whisk than it is in the pot with hot water.

I -HATE- working with LME. Its sticky and hard to work with. But this goes down to the personal preference thing. I prefer to work with the powdered sugar consistency of DME, while some people may prefer they syrup LME. I hate syrups, and I don't mind powdered sugars at all, I find them easier to clean up, so I go with DME. Also, I have read (and in my experience), that DME will get you closer to the true color your beer should be than LME. Example, I made a wheat with LME, and its brown. Made another one with DME and it's gold. I know there are a lot of other factors, but in the end, my preference is DME, but I wouldn't ever try to change anybody's mind that prefers LME. Try a batch with each, you should try things different ways to find the best way that works for you.

I think I am sold on DME, I can store and weigh it easily.

That said, I have only brewed one batch with DME, had used it for starters and nothing more. That batch hasn't been bottled yet, so I can't really give final merit but the wort tasted damn good.

The only reason I used DME is because it was my own recipe, all I had brewed before was kits that came with LME in milk jugs. I don't find either more of a PITA than the other both are part of brewing, enjoy the process IMO. LME, you stir while pouring, DME you stir more after. I preheat and dunk the jug of LME in my wort to get it all out, DME I just dump a bowl into the pot and stir.

To each his own, but I doubt I would make a recipe with LME.

DME for me..that LME stuff gets everywhere. plus most are hopped and i like adding the hops i want to add not the hops they want to add. plus LHBS sells it but you either have to bring your own container or buy one. No thanks. DME it is.

My LHBS sells bulk un-hopped LME, and puts it in a container for a buck. Bring back the container each time and save a buck. Now if only I could remember to bring a container with me to the shop........

DME gets on my nerves because it wants to instantly bond to everything. Seems like that stuff sticks to every surface in a 10 ft radius whenever I open the bag.