Understanding Extract Recipes

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Northbank

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I see a lot of extract recipes that will list something like:

5 lbs. Pale Liquid Malt Extract

I'm not always sure how this translates into the offerings from Briess (who my LHBS stock for malt extract)

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Extracts.htm

Or I'll see a call to use a Muntons LME and not know what the equivalent is without searching. Is there a cheat sheet out there anywhere that roughly puts competing products on lines as comparable?

Honestly this has been the worst part of extract brewing for me, finding a recipe and then having to hunt for ingredients that are available locally, and then online for what isn't is really time consuming. Enough to really have me thinking about BIAB/All Grain so I can just stop... it is a similar story with hops and yeasts, but to a much lesser degree ....
 
The best thing to do is look at the Lovibond rating (°L) and get as close as possible to what the recipe is asking for. In Briess, you are probably going to want the Golden Light extract at 4°L, assuming you are trying to use it in place of the MoreBeer Pale Malt Extract, which is also 4°L.

Going by Lovibond means you can try and find a match even if the recipe you are using doesn't call for a Light extract - perhaps you find one that calls for an amber or dark and you want to make it as written instead of using light extract w/ steeping grains - matching the Lovibond rating as closely as possible will get you a very similar beer to what the recipe intends.
 
Golden light or Pale ale. Would work depending on the style (the pale ale is a tad bit maltier/toastier.)

As far as the muntons, id sub the Briess pale ale extract if thats available. In general use the light colored extract unless it says specifically otherwise. Golden light is the generic light extract. Since briess has a few light extracts, Pilsen/golden light/Pale ale, sub which ever one sounds best by the flavor description for the beer you are trying to make. Years ago there were basically only 3 extracts from each maker, light, and then a dubious amber and dark. (and sometimes wheat) So older recipes will just say "Light" or "Pale" or sometimes a maker, but back then they were all fairly similar. Now there are alot more options.
 
Thank you both. The beer I am looking at is a London Brown Ale ... that's home for me ... before I moved to KC anyway. I'd expect it to be a bit darker than I'd expect Golden Light to be BUT it has Crystal 60, chocolate and whatever 'roasted' specialty grains are :) I assume that is where the color will come from!

I'll get there.
 
You got it, those specialty grains will get the color and flavor you are looking for. Golden light is pretty light all by itself, but for me, I found with extract brewing that I enjoyed starting with a light extract and then building the flavor and color up with specialty grains as opposed to starting with a darker extract. It offers a little more control over the process. With Golden Light, you are starting off with mostly 2-row and a little bit of CaraPils - a pretty good start for a lot of different recipes. Then you build out the rest of the recipe with specialty grains, hops, and yeast to get the flavor you are shooting for.
 
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