Is there a list somewhere that states the properties of different DMEs and LMEs?

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NitrouStang96

NitrouStang96

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What are the differences in Light, Extra Light, Amber, Wheat, etc? Is there a reference guide? Does Light describe the color or the body/flavor or both?

I got to thinking about this because I felt like picking up 6lb of Light or Extra Light DME and 2oz of Cascade and just seeing what happens, but I figured I'd ask here first so I can make a more educated decision.
 
It will differ depenant on the manufacturer.

In most cases you should be able to get a data sheet or at least information from the supplier website.

The light refers to color.
 
There is not much difference between Light and Extra Light DME, some manufacturers call is extra light, others call it light. Amber and Dark DME are darker because the manufacturer also mashed some chocolate malt in with the barley. Wheat DME is used for making Wheat beers.

Personally, I like to use all Extra Light DME and steep specialty grains to get any color or flavor characteristics that I want.
 
orfy said:
It will differ depenant on the manufacturer.
Click to expand...

On a related note, which manufacturers produce the highest quality DME? The prices vary a bit between suppliers, but I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a higher quality extract. Or is the quality difference so minimal that cheaper is better?
 
Jumbo82 said:
On a related note, which manufacturers produce the highest quality DME? The prices vary a bit between suppliers, but I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a higher quality extract. Or is the quality difference so minimal that cheaper is better?
Click to expand...

Depends on the style you're trying to brew. Munton or John Bull is choice for english pale ales because of the malts used are british malts. Alexanders or Breiss are good for american ales because they use american 2-row. Alexanders Pale LME is the lightest extract available (4˚L), by the way. Coopers extracts are good all-around...Dutch extracts will be higher in unfermentable sugars so that there's more residual sweetness left. Really it depends on the application.

However, storage conditions can ruin malt extract, so if you're at the LHBS and going to buy some lme that's on the shelf with a nice layer of dust on the top, I probably would get something else.
 
mrkristofo said:
Depends on the style you're trying to brew. Munton or John Bull is choice for english pale ales because of the malts used are british malts. Alexanders or Breiss are good for american ales because they use american 2-row. Alexanders Pale LME is the lightest extract available (4˚L), by the way. Coopers extracts are good all-around...Dutch extracts will be higher in unfermentable sugars so that there's more residual sweetness left. Really it depends on the application.

However, storage conditions can ruin malt extract, so if you're at the LHBS and going to buy some lme that's on the shelf with a nice layer of dust on the top, I probably would get something else.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when I'm ordering for my next recipe. I ordered some light, amber, and dark 5 lb bags of DME from AHS over the weekend, as well as some LME (and a mead kit..), so I'll be good for at least the next few weeks
 
Keep in mind that for most styles that you brew, simple light dme/lme will suffice. You can get the color/flavors by using specialty grains.

In fact, the only time I use something other than lme is in my darwinian stout. Everything else is lme + grains.
 
mrkristofo said:
Keep in mind that for most styles that you brew, simple light dme/lme will suffice. You can get the color/flavors by using specialty grains.

In fact, the only time I use something other than lme is in my darwinian stout. Everything else is lme + grains.
Click to expand...

Lately I've been on a stout kick, I'm going to brew up an oatmeal stout this weekend and then another stout the following week. I have roasted barely, chocolate malt, and some other specialty grains to steep, but I thought some dark dme/lme would help as well. Maybe I'll use the light extact on one of the stouts for comparison.
 
Jumbo82 said:
Lately I've been on a stout kick, I'm going to brew up an oatmeal stout this weekend and then another stout the following week. I have roasted barely, chocolate malt, and some other specialty grains to steep, but I thought some dark dme/lme would help as well. Maybe I'll use the light extact on one of the stouts for comparison.
Click to expand...

I might point you towards my Darwinian...I think it's damn f'n good...and I'd love to see what someone else thinks.
 
Thanks for the awesome help, guys!

I'll now have to research specialty grains so I can figure out what I'm going to do. I'm going to just throw some stuff together and make my own custom batch instead of using my LHBS's recipes. I'd like to go with extra light dme, and something about the description of cascade hops sounds appealing. All that's left to figure out is what specialty grains I'm going to use.
 

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