Briess DME

So I know its fairly common knowledge that beer made with extracts only are really plain and lacking alot, but from reading about the malt extract that Briess offers, i was wondering, are the steeping grains as necessary in conjuntion with these extracts as they are with normal ones? it seems like they use a number of different types of malt in the making of this good stuff

I just made a German Pils with only 6 lbs of Pilsner LME and a pound of Pilsener DME plus hops and it turned out great.

why use some of each? why not jus use just DME or LME?

All the extract-only beers that I made seemed a bit on the watery side when it came to mouthfeel. So even if I didn't need any other steeping grains for my recipe, I'd steep 4oz - 8oz of Carapils to help with mouthfeel and head retention.

why use some of each? why not jus use just DME or LME?

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I did that because the LME only comes in 6 lb containers and I needed a little more gravity than that. I can assure you that the beer is not watery at all. Actually the recipe came from Jamil's Brewing Classic Styles book. Normally I brew all grain, but I wanted a good beer that I can make quickly in a pinch. Only about 2 hours from firing up the burner to being cleaned up. I just heated up my boil volume, added my extract, then boiled with hops per recipe. I just kegged it up a couple weeks ago and have been pulling some off everyday as it lagers, but it tastes great already. I wouldn't add carapils to that recipe because you wouldn't be able to get it dry enough. I got it down from 1.048 to 1.009 with only the extract and German Lager Yeast. Carapils might leave you at 1.012 or so, which would be a little much for a German Pils.(At least the way I like it)

http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/Jamil/JamilsNorthernGermanPilsner.htm

Here is the all grain recipe.

so a recipe made with just 6 or 7 pounds of Briess Golden Light Extract + hops would be able to stand alone, while just regular DME wouldnt stand alone very well?

I'm more of a malty ale brewer than a dry lager brewer, so I don't have that problem.

Briess makes very high quality stuff, it's all I use. FYI, Briess uses Carapils and "Base Malt" in it's Pilsen Light.

i disagree with your opening statement of "beer made with extracts only are really plain and lacking alot." I think you'll find of lot brewers using extracts and extracts with specialty grains make quite excellent beers. You can change your flavor profiles a lot by using different yeasts, varying the kinds and amounts of hops as well as adding more sugars. I found the more LME i use, i get more carmel maulty flavors. wich tends to add a lot of mouth feel. You can add your extracts att different times too, this will change how your hops work with the wart and the depth of flavors.

Keep experimenting and trying different things. I find that the most fun part of brewing is finding what i like (and dont like) in a beer and what makes the different flavors.

Briess uses carapils in their two lightest extracts (Pilsen Light and Golden Light) to counter that to some extent.

All the extract-only beers that I made seemed a bit on the watery side when it came to mouthfeel. So even if I didn't need any other steeping grains for my recipe, I'd steep 4oz - 8oz of Carapils to help with mouthfeel and head retention.

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When I first started brewing I exclusively used Briess DME, my beers were good! Having said that, I always used steeping grains for color, flavor, mouthfeel and head retention; usually crystal malts. However, Briess' Amber contains crystal and munich, so certain malts are used for certain extracts. I've only used the amber when making stouts.

Briess is good stuff, I think Munton's is a better product for DME though. At any rate, I think extract can make great beers, I have found my extract stout to be superior. I have just brewed my first AG stout recipe converted from my extract recipe, so I honestly don't know which will be better, but the stout recipe is awesome, again, using specialty grains. I think steeping grains are necessary for many styles when brewing with extract.

I have been Brewing Extract Beers since 1992. I've always used some grain, though. Last year I brewed 13 five gallon batches of various Brown Ales, Scottish Ales, & Sweet Stout. I bottle all mine. I mostly use Briess plain Amber DME.

I love Crystal Malt, for the Flavor, color and mouth feel, that it adds.
I also frequently use Chocolate Malt.
Occasionally, I use Black Patent Malt or Roasted Barley, for various recipes.
I do not make many light colored Beers. But over the years,I have used Carapils once or twice. Oh, and there is Malto-dextrin powder, too.
I have recently tried Malted Barley that I have Toasted, lightly. It's interesting in the flavor & effect it adds.

I think you can make some Excellent Extract Home-Brews, with the addition, of a pound or so of various Grains, steeped in your water, as it warms up to boiling, and then Sparged.
I'm just sayin'.........
Works for me.

Speaking of Briess DME... if you want to make a great starter beer for your megabrew drinking friends, try what I did for my first lager:

6 lbs Briess Pilsen DME
1/2 lb 10 Crystal malt
1/4 lb Carapils

about 15-20 IBU of US Hallertau hops in boil, no aroma or flavor

Ferment @ 50 with Wyeast 2782-PC Staro Prague Lager Yeast

Lager 2-3 months @ 28 F

Carbonate to about 2.5-3 volumes of CO2.

You'll end up with something about 1.052 or so in OG, about 15-20 IBUs, and roughly 4-5 SRM. Where it gets interesting is that for whatever reason, this doesn't have the overwhelming malty flavor that a helles or a pilsner would have; it's kind of understated, and there's a little sweetness there. My friends who drink megabrew absolutely LOVE it; even though it's neither particularly bitter or malty, it's more so in both categories than the megabrews, but not enough to be judged as "weird" by the friends.