Advantages to buying LME in bulk?

[badun]

My oldest kid gets his driver's license today which means less money in my pocket each month (insurance, gas, new car for me ). I'm an extract brewer and it's generally cheaper for me to buy kits from AHS or Northern than to buy the ingredients outright from my LHBS. That said, I want him to stay in business. To balance my need to spend less money and also patronize his business, I was wondering if it's feasible to buy liquid malt extract in bulk. It's certainly cheaper that way, but I have no idea what the shelf life would be. Any idea how long an opened, bulk container (40 lbs) would stay fresh and how to store it?

 

[homebrewer_99]

If you're going to go bulk then I would recommend DME. It'll last over 1 year and won't darken in the process.

 

[BeerPressure]

It would be kind of a pain to measure out liquid malt extract when it comes time to brew.

 

[Ol' Grog]

Getting the LME would be a messy undertaking and you'd probably end up wasting some of it. With shipping as high as it is, I don't think you'd save that much over time to warrant the initial huge investment. DME would be a far easier route.

 

[badun]

My LHBS does sell LME in bulk, but it's sounding pretty impractical at this point.

Maybe I can talk them into selling it by the pound.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I've purchased LME in bulk and had good experiences. The 33 lb headpack containers of Munton Fison pours out no problem. I would refrigerate the unused portion. I would take the jug out of the fridge a day prior to brewing. I also pruchased 60 lb pails and was able to ladle the LME out in qt. containers. Sometimes I would pour an once of vodka on top of the stored LME to thwart of the nasties. I have also heard of people freezing LME but never have done it.

I never had any issues keeping LME fresh and usable for a few months.

 

[camiller]

If you really wanted to buy LME in bulk your best bet would be to measure it out in convenient sized ziploc bags or plastic containers and freeze it. If your typical batch calls for 8 Lbs of LME then measure out 5 packages of 8 Lbs each and your good. If you brew a bunch of wildly different things then measure out 40 packages of 1 Lb each or some mix of sizes like 10 singles and 6 fives.

But as has been mentioned, DME is far easier to store.

 

[badun]

Let me ask this then: Generically speaking, are there tangible differences between LME and DME in terms of taste and body in a beer?

 

[homebrewer_99]

DME tastes better, is lighter in color, and easier to measure.

 

[Jaeger48]

DME is easier to store, more stable, and travels better so it'll stay fresher in more extreme conditions.

I hate having to stir and stir big clumps of DME floaties in the boil which makes it more difficult when doing late extract additions when there's a wort chiller in the boil pot.

 

[homebrewer_99]

The trick is to add it 1 lb at a time and dissolve it before adding the next lb.

 

[Jaeger48]

true, but during the next 15 minutes I also have to hit hop additions- granted IBUs won't suffer that much from a few extra minutes

 

[Loup]

DME tastes better, is lighter in color, and easier to measure.

I get my LME really, really fresh and haven't noticed any difference in flavor so far. I actually prefer to use LME right now, to me, DME smells like old sweat socks before adding it to the pot.

 

[craigrigney]

I posted a very similar question. Here is the link:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/liquid-vs-dry-extract-78599/

They all were very nice and informative responsed besides the one guy who insulted me! Good luck!

 

[badun]

I posted a very similar question. Here is the link:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/liquid-vs-dry-extract-78599/

They all were very nice and informative responses besides the one guy who insulted me! Good luck!

That was pretty harsh to call you out for having moldy LME!

I opted not to buy my LME in bulk this time. I went with cans of Muntons and then added DME to get to the total weight of extract needed for the recipe. Going forward I will probably use DME unless there's a specific reason a recipe calls for LME. It's just easier to store.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

DME is made from LME. It stores much longer and you won't have a mold issue. Buying LME in bulk is looking for trouble. If you are buying in bulk buy DME. There is no reason to use LME over DME.

Forrest

 

[Nightbiker]

Let me ask this then: Generically speaking, are there tangible differences between LME and DME in terms of taste and body in a beer?

DME goes on your breakfast cereal far better than LME... (grin). I'm glad you asked about the bulk though, as I've been thinking along the same lines -wish to support my LHBS but don't wish to break the bank. Once the new brewery is finished being built (wish to do all grain as well as continue to do extract -flexibility is key -grin) I'd like to start doing 10gal batches. My stuff is getting popular enough that I'm having a little trouble keeping myself in beer (not complaining though. IF I could get 'em to start pitching in for ingredients... )

 

[chazzman]

This question is very good also because there can be a HUGE difference
in per pound cost with most suppliers (lme can cost more than 40% less,
morebeer comes to mind) and the 12 pound size does not seem too far
out of line. My only beef with morebeer is they only have ultra light
and dark in liquid, and I want amber. Does amyone know if simply combining
light and dark extracts works well to make an amber?

 

[chazzman]

OOPS! The difference I noticed in the prices at morebeer were in
the 33% range not 40%. Sorry I misspoke.

 

[Pete08]

A local Grange sells 15lbs of light, amber, or dark lme for $15.99. The LHBS sells lme in bulk for $2.65 a pound. I don't dare for his attitude so it is not worth the extra coin to support him. By contrast, both places sell dme for +/- $10.99 for 3 lbs.

 

[Jaeger48]

When in doubt I'd support Forrest, at least then you know you're getting great ingredients at a fair price.