LME vs DME... either/or or Both

[Drscott266]

Just wondering if anyone could shed some light as to why some kits only have dry extract, while others have both dry and liquid? Is there a reason to use one over the other, or is using both the best bet? Also, is it fair to convert any portion of LME to 80% of its weight in DME? Thanks for the help.

 

[cheezydemon]

Usually a kit will use what is cheapest or readilly available to them. Interchange at will. Some Lme's are hopped, that will make a difference.

I prefer DME myself, it is easier to use and store.

 

[eriktlupus]

lme is more difficult to store and won't store for more than 6 mo without darkening in the container

dme is more covenient for storage and is more color stable but does tend to cake in high humidity. also dissolve dme in cool water before adding to your wort

 

[Gedvondur]

dme is more covenient for storage and is more color stable but does tend to cake in high humidity. also dissolve dme in cool water before adding to your wort

Interesting idea, but why would you do that? The cold water would knock you much more significantly off of boil creating a longer recovery time. Not criticizing, just curious.

We just dump multiple lbs of DME into the boil pot (off the flame) and stir for a minute or two. The DME doesn't behave like flour, it does all dissolve in the hot wort. Looks horrible for the first minute or two, but dissolves right out. Faster than you would think too.

For my part, I like DME. LME, setting aside the storage issues, is a bit of a bear to work with. It's like syrup or honey. We have always had to soak the cans/jugs in hot water to loosen them up a bit. We also have a hard time getting all of the LME out of a jug. With a can you can apply a spatula, but the jugs of LME made it hard.

We buy bulk Briess DME and keep it in 5 gallon resealable plastic paint buckets from the Home Despot.



Gedvondur

 

[sloppy]

I get the impression there's more variety to select from, with LME. I just used some Munich LME, for example, and have never even heard of Munich DME. It might just be my LHBS, though. They just have piles of bags of generic(?) unbranded DME separated by color, whereas their LME selection is lots of pretty cans from different places, some pretty specialized (e.g. this LME is for Grand Cru, this one is all from Munich malt, this one is from German pilsner malt, this one is 50% wheat, this one is 40% wheat, etc).

 

[TexLaw]

For extract brews, I use DME when I can. Like the others said, it stores better, so it's more predictable for color, aroma, and flavor. However, if I ever needed somethiing special that's only in LME, I go with that and use DME for the balance.


TL

 

[lpdean]

Not trying to hijack the thread but.....does anyone see a taste difference between the two?

I am still new but have a couple of brews with each under my belt. The ones using DME turned out great. The ones using LME, not bad but not so great.

The LME beers I have made have the exact same smell and aftertaste. Not sure how to describe it....it's kind of a burnt smell and aftertaste. These LME beers also used the same yeast (Nottingham - dry). So I am not sure which to attribute the smell and flavor too. The beer is definatley drinkable but not near as good as the ones using DME and White Labs yeast.

Just trying to play detective and see where I may have made a mistake. Any help is greatly appreciated. And again, sorry if I hijacked.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

The LME beers I have made have the exact same smell and aftertaste. Not sure how to describe it....it's kind of a burnt smell and aftertaste. These LME beers also used the same yeast (Nottingham - dry). So I am not sure which to attribute the smell and flavor too.

I've got to think you're scorching the LME on the bottom of the pot. Are you removing the pot from the burner when you add the extract? You've also got to REALLY stir it in vigorously, LME is very viscous and it's more than happy to settle to the bottom and burn.

I've used a lot of LME (and Nottingham for that matter) and not experienced any sort of burnt smell or taste.

 

[cd2448]

DME is easier to split out into precise amounts, so many recipes will call for 3.3 lbs of LME plus X lbs of DME, as the LME comes in set quantities and is hard to handle and measure out.

 

[rabidgerbil]

I use what ever is available at my LHBS that fits what I am looking for.

On the note of LME being a pain in the butt, I always get the LHBS to put my extract into their larger container, then I take some of my steeping water, put it into the container, and begin thinning the LME out before sticking it into the pot. This helps to keep it from dropping to the bottom and scorching. I also give the container one more good rinse with liquid from my boil pot, to get as much of it out as possible. So far this has worked well for me. For those that cook, kind of like tempering eggs before you add them into a hot dish.

 

[feedthebear]

I've used both with success. Freshness is the key with both. LME darkens and develops a twang over time. DME absorbs moisture and goes stale over time.

Some unscrupulous LBHS cut their LMEs with sucrose, which will also give you a twang or cidery flavor. I always buy Muntons or Coopers to avoid this risk. I like Coopers a little better.

 

[TexLaw]

The LME beers I have made have the exact same smell and aftertaste. Not sure how to describe it....it's kind of a burnt smell and aftertaste.

I agree that you may be scorching your extract, but that points out another difference between LME and DME. With LME, you really have to scrape the bottom and all the edges of the kettle to make sure you don't have any dense syrup hanging around there. I found the traditional, long spoon wasn't good enough for that, so I use a long spatula that can cover every bit of the bottom of my kettle.

With DME, it's not as much of an issue. You still need to get it all dissolved properly, but it easier to do. Of course, vapor that condenses on the bag often results in DME sticking to the bag. You wind up with something that resembles old cotton candy.


TL

 

[Deofol]

LME is generally cheaper than DME.

 

[rabidgerbil]

LME is generally cheaper than DME.

LME is also 20% water, so it SHOULD be cheaper, since you will need something like 24% more of it to get the same amount of fermentables.

 

[Deofol]

Even accounting for the 20%, bulk LME is still cheaper.

Just using prices of an online retailer;

DME $5.95lb
LME $2.39lb

That's a pretty significant difference.

 

[Soulive]

I think HBS's sell kits with both just to expose new brewers to both types of extract. When you're starting off you have to try all the options before you can form your opinion. My opinion was formed a while ago and I prefered DME...

 

[Scimmia]

Even accounting for the 20%, bulk LME is still cheaper.

Just using prices of an online retailer;

DME $5.95lb
LME $2.39lb

That's a pretty significant difference.

Geez, I'm not shopping where you shop.

Austin: LME $2.49/lb
DME $3.99/lb

Midwest: LME $2.58/lb
DME $3.50/lb

Williams: LME $2.56/lb
DME $3.63/lb

All trying to compare the same brand/package size where possible. Yes, DME is more, but nowhere near what you make it sound like.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Even accounting for the 20%, bulk LME is still cheaper.

Just using prices of an online retailer;

DME $5.95lb
LME $2.39lb

That's a pretty significant difference.

While I agree that LME is cheaper, I haven't seen quite that big of a price difference. For instance, MoreBeer sells extra light LME for $2.20lb, while their equivalent DME is $3.75lb. Still, it's a significant difference.

For extract based recipes where I'm shopping for the ingredients (as opposed to just using what I've got inventoried) I prefer bulk LME...it's cheap, tastes fine and I find it easy to add to the boil. It's quite fresh at my LHBS, and it's a breeze to bring my own container and pour what I need (by weight) from the barrel.

For instances where I have to measure out a specific, smaller portion from my stored provisions, obviously DME is much easier to deal with.

Now that I'm doing mostly AG, I plan to just keep 10lbs or so of DME around, for when I fall short of the desired OG.

 

[Soulive]

Now that I'm doing mostly AG, I plan to just keep 10lbs or so of DME around, for when I fall short of the desired OG.

Same thing here. Much easier to measure and handle than LME. Hopefully I won't be too far below my target OGs though...