Looking for some all-DME recipes

I've only started 3 batches and I'm already tired of these canned LMEs.. Does anyone have any basic recipes utilizing only DME, Hops, Corn Sugar, and Yeast?

Also I was wondering if using Corn sugar is always necessary or if the fermentable sugars in a DME take care of the job already..?

I had a Coopers recipe that had me use the canned LME, add 1lb of Corn Sugar, and also wanted about a lb of light DME...

Seemed strange because my first kit only used DMEs and I never had to add Corn Sugar..

So again, just looking for some simple Ale recipes that are all-DME.

Maybe some nice Ambers??

Thanks!

corn sugar is actually almost always undesirable.....

You can make any recipe with just DME and skipping the corn sugar. In my opinion, though, those are very boring and tasteless beers. A few steeping grains can make a world of difference!

Check out my English brown recipe, to see a simple recipe using just DME and/or LME, hops and a few grains. It's easy (no harder than just DME) and makes wonderful beer!

+1 to what YooperBrew said.
Please dont limit yourself to just using the extract, whether DME or LME. Adding specialty grains is as easy as making tea, and will give you the flexibility to make some really good easy beers.

The shop I get my "dextrose" from labels it as "corn sugar." So... that's where that idea came from...

buy a kit from one of the better mail order places. Like morebeer, Austin homebrew, northern brewer, etc... LME is great but only if it's fresh. I think Austin has an option for getting all DME in any kit. The kits are great and always include the specialty grains for adding the proper flavors that you can't get in DME or LME alone.

I dont use LME unless its from Briess. The chances of it being newer are better than with Muntons or Coopers where they are shipped over from a land far far away. You can get Briess at a few of the mail order shops like Midwest Supplies. Plus it supports midwest farmers (made in Wisconsin)

I am almost positive the OP is referring to the corn sugar for priming, not for the BK.

I agree with everyone else here and say that you definitely want to steep some specialty grains. I'm only on my 3rd batch, but I can tell you its the easiest thing in the world and shouldn't be skipped.

The main problem with using just DME, there are very few types available. That seriously limits the beer styles you can make.

nthing what everyone has said above; steeping grains are worth the (tiny, tiny) bit of trouble.

That said, to answer your question directly, the only beer I would make without steeping grains is a simple hefe.

I make a nice, crisp, quaffable beer with DME, my Minute Wheat. You can steep 4oz of Crystal 40 for a bit of color, but it's actually not necessary:

3lbs Briess Light DME
1lb Briess Wheat DME
1lb Rice Syrup Solids
0.5oz Magnum @ 12.1%AA (or 6AAU of any other hops) @ 60min
1 packet Nottingham or Safeale US-05 dry yeast

This can go from brew day to bottle in a week, then you'll be drinking it within a month. Very, very popular with my friends.

khiddy said:

I make a nice, crisp, quaffable beer with DME, my Minute Wheat. You can steep 4oz of Crystal 40 for a bit of color, but it's actually not necessary:

3lbs Briess Light DME
1lb Briess Wheat DME
1lb Rice Syrup Solids
0.5oz Magnum @ 12.1%AA (or 6AAU of any other hops) @ 60min
1 packet Nottingham or Safeale US-05 dry yeast

This can go from brew day to bottle in a week, then you'll be drinking it within a month. Very, very popular with my friends.

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Very easy, maybe I'll try this one. Kind of like a Bud Light Golden Wheat...only better!

I just kicked my third keg of Minute Wheat last night. Like I say, very crisp and popular.

I've not tried it with other yeasts (I've been using Nottingham), but I am going to try it with the Danstar Munich Wheat Beer yeast next, just to see how that plays. Since I know what the base beer tastes like with the clean-fermenting Notty, it'll be a good test of the effect of the yeast strain.

that does sound like a great recipe. im kind of shocked you use so little hops but it does have a high alpha so to each his own. ill give your recipe a try.

scottmd06 said:

I've only started 3 batches and I'm already tired of these canned LMEs.. Does anyone have any basic recipes utilizing only DME, Hops, Corn Sugar, and Yeast?

Also I was wondering if using Corn sugar is always necessary or if the fermentable sugars in a DME take care of the job already..?

I had a Coopers recipe that had me use the canned LME, add 1lb of Corn Sugar, and also wanted about a lb of light DME...

Seemed strange because my first kit only used DMEs and I never had to add Corn Sugar..

So again, just looking for some simple Ale recipes that are all-DME.

Maybe some nice Ambers??

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Check out eBrew.com's "English Brown Ale"...it was my first DME kit, and it came out magnificently...even though I screwed up the hop order!

scottmd06 said:

that does sound like a great recipe. im kind of shocked you use so little hops but it does have a high alpha so to each his own. ill give your recipe a try.

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Quick-Tip: Hefe's also rely on a higher level of carbonation to balance the malt and small amount of hops.

still havent brewed this one. maybe soon. need to clear my primary first.

I bottled this last night. 4 gallons in fermenter. If you have the stove top and a 3 gallon pot you can do this in an hour.

Steeped 7oz Victory Malt (looking for a slight malt taste and body)
4 pounds DME in a 20 minute boil
.5 oz Ella (18.1% AA) hops at 20 minutes
1.5 oz Ella hops at 5 minutes
7oz DME at flameout

OG 1.053
FG 1.011
Safale US-05
25 IBU
5.5% ABV

I used RO water, .5 tsp Calcium Chloride and .5 gypsum and .25 tsp Irish moss at start of boil

It smells great. It tastes great and has a good mouthfeel. Waiting to see how it tastes carbonated.

I am bottle conditioning it using 3 oz of white table sugar. I started using raw sugar (turbinado, Demerra, etc) on my Marzens and they have come out perfect. I swear I can taste dextrose when i prime with it unless it is 50+ IBU IPAs.

Color is golden and not cloudy at all. It should be an easy drinking and easy to repeat pale ale that can be done with different hops.

khiddy said:

I make a nice, crisp, quaffable beer with DME, my Minute Wheat. You can steep 4oz of Crystal 40 for a bit of color, but it's actually not necessary:

3lbs Briess Light DME
1lb Briess Wheat DME
1lb Rice Syrup Solids
0.5oz Magnum @ 12.1%AA (or 6AAU of any other hops) @ 60min
1 packet Nottingham or Safeale US-05 dry yeast

This can go from brew day to bottle in a week, then you'll be drinking it within a month. Very, very popular with my friends.

Click to expand...

I often brewed one something like that. I called it TUTWEISER.

4 lbs. light DME, Briess preferred here
1lb. rice solids
about 1 1/4 oz. Tettnang for about 5 HBU (60 min.)
about 1/4 oz. Tettnang for flavor (15 min.)
about 1/2 oz. Tettenang for aroma (2 min.)
1 Safale US-05

scottmd06 said:

Maybe some nice Ambers??

Thanks!

Click to expand...

This is one of my current favorites. I have usually called it Tiger Butter IPA:

5 lbs. Munton's amber DME
1 oz Nugget for about 13 HBU (60 min.)
1 oz. East Kent Goldings for flavor (15 minutes)
1 oz East Kent Goldings for aroma (2 minutes)
1 Safbrew S-33 yeast

Here's a robust porter recipe that I've been really happy with. It's converted from a partial mash recipe, but don't let that turn you off to it. It's a pretty easy recipe, and steeping some grains will add a lot of character and flavor to your beer beyond what just DME can give you. This is for a 3 gallon batch (I usually start the boil at 2.5 gallons, and top up to 3 before transferring to the fermenter).

5 lbs. plain light DME
.375 lbs. chocolate malt (30 minutes min.)
.25 lbs. black malt (30 minutes min.)
.25 lbs. brown sugar (dissolved in 1 qt boiling H20, and added after pulling steeping grains)
.75 oz. Northern Brewer (7.5% AA units, adjust accordingly)-60 minutes
Omega OYL-016 British Ale VIII or White Labs WLP002 British Ale Yeast

10-14 days in primary, no secondary, two weeks (or so) to bottle condition. Enjoy!

link to a classic recipe thread here at HBT: American Pale Ale - 15 Minute Cascade Pale Ale

Little humor as we seem to be responding to a 10 year old thread.

EVERYBODY STAND CLEAR!! I have a defibrillator

Some additional ideas (DME only, no steeping grains)

• No-Boil Recipes! New for 2019! post #1
• Pale Ale DME and Munich DME are options. See How to Brew, 4e for recipe ideas (It appears that Vienna DME is no longer available).
• Basic Brewing Radio - Hop Sampler.

With LME, there are additional specialty (rye) or style specific (porter, brown) products from various places.

With steeping grains, there are new (relative to 2010) products like caramel rye. Brewing Classic Styles (2007) is a good starting point for recipes.

BrewnWKopper Kat said:
EVERYBODY STAND CLEAR!! I have a defibrillator


, and the rest of your post reminded me of another all DME favorite of mine. At times, the beers are named "Le Faux Frog,' and the bottle labels are a shameless, slightly altered rip off of the wine label.

5 Pilsen DME
2 1/4 Strisselspalt at alpha 2.6 for the boil, 60 min. 5.9 HBU
1/4 Strisselspalt for flavor, 15 min.
1/2 Strisselspalt for aroma, 2 min
1 Nottingham ale yeast

so 1 pound of dme to 1 gal water hairs worth of noble alpha at beginning middle and finish ? cool to 80f add yeast? wait a week then bottle?

Jamesfromdogriver said:

hairs worth of noble alpha at beginning middle and finish ?

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Hard to answer that as hop additions are typically measured by weight.

see also too hoppy 2 dry.

Jamesfromdogriver said:

so 1 pound of dme to 1 gal water hairs worth of noble alpha at beginning middle and finish ? cool to 80f add yeast? wait a week then bottle?

Click to expand...

Well, 1/5 of 2 1/2 oz. is about 1/2 oz at alpha 2.6. And I'd have no way of measuring below 1/8 oz with any accuracy. So I'd just toss in a pellet or two for flavor and an 1/8 oz. for aroma.
I generally pitch at 70 F, but certainly do not pitch over 80.
I would suggest waiting more like two weeks. Depending upon the temperature, Nottingham get poke along for quite a bit.

With small amounts of ingredients (especially brewing salts), a jewelry scale works well for many people.

I have a scale

Jamesfromdogriver said:

I have a scale

Click to expand...

If you propose a recipe that includes hop additions by weight, it is likely that someone will be willing to provide feedback.

The latest Basic Brewing Podcast is about partial mash, which is a great step up for extract brewers:
https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/9/b/c/9b...23716271&hwt=72da12b9fb326b14f6239e199eb2e410

I've brewed this as an all DME recipe many times https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2...eady-topper-ipa-clone-beer-extract-recipe.pdf and it was my first attempt at an all grain recipe too. Very tasty either way.

Yooper said:

You can make any recipe with just DME and skipping the corn sugar. In my opinion, though, those are very boring and tasteless beers. A few steeping grains can make a world of difference!

Check out my English brown recipe, to see a simple recipe using just DME and/or LME, hops and a few grains. It's easy (no harder than just DME) and makes wonderful beer!

Click to expand...

This was a question I was just about to ask. Im doing all DME and it comes out ok(ish) but I like flavor. I just don't see much of a way to get more flavor out of DME.
So an additional question in this DME scheme of things as far as sugars go, I was told to use rice. I assume most do it just like any grain, mash it, strain it etc. Has anyone ever fermented directly on the grain like in a bag? That would probably bump ABV but just wondering if it may add a small bit of flavor?

Rice will not add flavor. Use more DME instead of sugar or rice. You can consider using some amber malt extract instead of light malt extract, but you really just need to start steeping some grains. It opens a whole world of possibilities.

Tennessee Brew said:

This was a question I was just about to ask. Im doing all DME and it comes out ok(ish) but I like flavor. I just don't see much of a way to get more flavor out of DME.

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What specific flavors are you looking for?

There may be some styles of DME that will provide those flavors (e.g. amber DME). Or you may need to steep character / specialty grains to get those flavors. Or you may need to do a partial / mini mash to get those flavors

So an additional question in this DME scheme of things as far as sugars go, I was told to use rice.

Click to expand...

A recipe would be helpful. There are some styles where rice is appropriate, but most styles / recipes don't include rice.

Tennessee Brew said:

This was a question I was just about to ask. Im doing all DME and it comes out ok(ish) but I like flavor. I just don't see much of a way to get more flavor out of DME.

Click to expand...

If using light dme without specialty grains you can add flavor with different hop(s) and yeast(s).