Brewing from kit - Dry malt addition

[ozpt]

Hello guys,

I have a question about the addition of dry malt or sugar to the beer kits of extract malt.
If i dont add any dry malt or sugar to my recipe, how much diference will it make?
I made a muntons bock beer kit like this: poured the malt extract, added the water, jumped on step add dry malt or sugar and to finish added the yeast (the yeast was not the one from the kit it was a Saflager w-34/70).
And i am not doing the 23litres that the recipe says, just 20L.

Thanks in advance

 

[BigJack]

Well, your kit will be weaker, thinner, and seem too hoppy. Other than that, you'll be fine.

 

[ozpt]

Well, your kit will be weaker, thinner, and seem too hoppy. Other than that, you'll be fine.

Thank you for your reply

Can someone explain why do we add the dry malt or sugar to the kits?

 

[scottballz]

This should answer your question.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/liquid-malt-extract-v-s-dry-malt-extract-127514/

 

[ozpt]

tks

 

[jrgtr42]

tks

The reason is that the can of extract is only part of the full amount required for the whole recipe.
If a cooking recipe was to ask for chicken and chicken stock, if you skip on or the other, it won't come out right, no?
Most kits will have either 2 cans of LME or some LME and some DME. There is essentially no difference between the two, except a slightly higher amount of dried beer in the DME (there is still some water in the LME)

 

[BigJack]

Forgive the bluntness of my first response in this thread.

Let me sum up-

Muntons, like Coopers, sell "kit and a kilo" kits- in other words, kits that are designed to be a kilogram-ish short of the needed fermentables for a 5-6 gallon batch. Because they have all the bittering hops in the can, failure to add more ferrmebtables leads to a more bitter brew - and not necessarily in a pleasant IPA kind of way because we're talking tons of bitterness with limited hop flavor and aroma.

The canned kits need more sugars for sure- and you could add table sugar, brown sugar, or corn sugar if you like- but adding dry or liquid malt extract will greatly improve the final product as it will add flavor and body to the beer in addition to getting the alcohol level where it needs to be.

Depending on the style of beer you are brewing, an ounce of hops boiled in the malt extract and water for five minutes also might help freshen up the flavors a bit.

 

[unionrdr]

Cooper's cans aren't all that bitter when less fermentables are added ime. The OS cans anyway have middle of the road bittering to me. But def need some flavor hops. The international series & Thomas Cooper's cans are more well rounded however.

 

[ozpt]

tks guys for the information.
On my next batch i will try some experiments like putting 50% brown sugar + 50% DME. And one with only Brown sugar, since i have already one bottled with only DME.

 

[jrgtr42]

tks guys for the information.
On my next batch i will try some experiments like putting 50% brown sugar + 50% DME. And one with only Brown sugar, since i have already one bottled with only DME.

Can I ask why you're looking to do these experiments?
The thing about using the sugar rather than DME is that the sugar will ferment completely away, adding alcohol and 'dryness' but not adding anything to the flavor of the beer.
DME is basically dehydrated beer (pre-fermentation) so there is a lot of flavor and body additions you get with it. DME is almost exactly the same as LME, just dry rather than wet.

 

[ozpt]

Can I ask why you're looking to do these experiments?
The thing about using the sugar rather than DME is that the sugar will ferment completely away, adding alcohol and 'dryness' but not adding anything to the flavor of the beer.
DME is basically dehydrated beer (pre-fermentation) so there is a lot of flavor and body additions you get with it. DME is almost exactly the same as LME, just dry rather than wet.

I just started brewing, this is my second batch, and it is on primary.
Curiosity .... just want to see the diference.

 

[RIC0]

Also most everyone will add too kits not take away. Take away is bad...mkay

 

[ozpt]

Also most everyone will add too kits not take away. Take away is bad...mkay

Hi,

Forgot to mention that i didnt add the DME because at my local brew shop, they told me not to, and said that the yeast that i got would do better beer than adding the DME.

 

[unionrdr]

The cans by themselves can turn out a lil weak. That's why many can kits add sugar,brew enhancers,or plain light DME. Gives a more well rounded beer.