LME, DME, Both?

[Peptobylsma]

Hi everyone. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about homebrewing and decided I’m ready to give it a shot. For my first batch, I am using Charlie Pap’s beginner ale recipe from The Joy of Homebrewing that calls for:

5-6 pounds hop-flavored malt extract or “beer kit”

Or

3-4 pounds hop-flavored malt extract plus 1-2 pounds plain unhopped light dried malt extract

I was looking on Northern Brewer at the Muntons Wheat Hopped Kit, which comes in a 4 lb can. The website also notes that the kit requires an additional 2 lbs of DME to reach the intended SG. I’m pretty confident that this is just the second part of the above recipe, but I’m curious to know whether you could (or if you would even want to) just buy two cans of a LME and forego the DME. Basically, could I just buy two cans of the Muntons Wheat Hopped Kit, measure 6 pounds, and get to the same endpoint, but obviously with different flavors, or do you pretty much always want DME to go in with LME? I guess I’m confused because on other websites, not each kit has that note about needing extra DME to get to the SG, and wasn’t sure if there was a set “standard” per se.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Yooper]

You can exchanged DME for LME, or vice versa. The thing is that DME is a litte more concentrated, so you'd need a little bit more LME to make up for it. If I remember correctly, 1.25 pound LME = 1 pound DME.

I would pick DME myself, if it was me. LME, especially from a can, can get dark and taste more like, well, canned extract. DME will remain lighter in color, is easier to measure, and is usually much fresher tasting due to the way it's packaged and not condensed like LME is.

In addition, you can make the beer taste more like beer and less like extract if you follow a couple of newer techniques (Charlie's book is awesome, but it's very old!). Use approximately 1 pound of extract per gallon of water in the boil at the beginning, and then add the rest of it at "flame out"- when you turn off the heat, and stir well. You'll get better hops utilization, a less darkened color, and a less extract-y tasting beer in the end.

 

[Peptobylsma]

You can exchanged DME for LME, or vice versa. The thing is that DME is a litte more concentrated, so you'd need a little bit more LME to make up for it. If I remember correctly, 1.25 pound LME = 1 pound DME.

I would pick DME myself, if it was me. LME, especially from a can, can get dark and taste more like, well, canned extract. DME will remain lighter in color, is easier to measure, and is usually much fresher tasting due to the way it's packaged and not condensed like LME is.

In addition, you can make the beer taste more like beer and less like extract if you follow a couple of newer techniques (Charlie's book is awesome, but it's very old!). Use approximately 1 pound of extract per gallon of water in the boil at the beginning, and then add the rest of it at "flame out"- when you turn off the heat, and stir well. You'll get better hops utilization, a less darkened color, and a less extract-y tasting beer in the end.

Great! Thanks so much for the reply. I’ll keep lurking around here for newer techniques. =]

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I am using Charlie Pap’s beginner ale recipe from The Joy of Homebrewing

Are you looking at the "Easy Brew 101: Ingredients" section (sorry, my eBook copy doesn't have page numbers)? If so, it appears that the recipe is using hopped extract. Many (I can't claim all) brands of DME/LME are not hopped.

I’m curious to know whether you could (or if you would even want to) just buy two cans of a LME and forego the DME. Basically, could I just buy two cans of the Muntons Wheat Hopped Kit, measure 6 pounds, and get to the same endpoint, but obviously with different flavors, or do you pretty much always want DME to go in with LME?

The DME would not be hopped, so you if you used two cans of hopped extract, you would end up with a beer that has some additional bitterness.

I’ll keep lurking around here for newer techniques.

How To Brew, 4e, chapter 1 is one of a number of good starting points.

 

[Peptobylsma]

Are you looking at the "Easy Brew 101: Ingredients" section (sorry, my eBook copy doesn't have page numbers)? If so, it appears that the recipe is using hopped extract. Many (I can't claim all) brands of DME/LME are not hopped.



The DME would not be hopped, so you if you used two cans of hopped extract, you would end up with a beer that has some additional bitterness.


How To Brew, 4e, chapter 1 is one of a number of good starting points.

This is what I’m referencing. It does call for hopped extract.

 

[Yooper]

This is what I’m referencing. It does call for hopped extract.

Ah, then you'll want to use the hopped LME and the proper amount of unhopped DME. I didn't realize that book's updates didn't have it use hops and regular extract.

 

[JR_Brewer]

Quick point of order. I've noticed a lot of people misuse the term "kit." A "kit" refers to a prepackaged set of ingredients (grains/extract, hops, yeast, etc) you need to brew a specific recipe. A kit can use extract (DME and/or LME), pre-hopped LME (like the type you reference), all-grain, or a combination of these. "Kit" does not necessarily mean extract, and definitely not vice versa.

Ok, to answer your question, you'll find a lot of debate over DME vs LME. I prefer DME, I've always found LME has the dreaded "extract twang," an off-flavor common to LME. Also, you're looking at using the pre-hopped variety of LME. Most brewers here like the non-hopped varieties so they have more control over the types of hops used and the timing of hop additions. However, for a first brew, using pre-hopped extract is an easy way to try out the hobby.

Cheers and happy brewing.

 

[ncbrewer]

This is what I’m referencing. It does call for hopped extract.

The image is very small on my screen, but it looks like it gives you a choice of all hopped LME or part hopped LME and part unhoped DME. These would end up with different bitterness levels. So I think Papazian is saying either method, and either bitterness level, will be ok.