Different types of Extract

[Sovon]

Hey there everyone, I new to the home brewing hobby and was just wondering what the difference is between the different types of extract, such as the “Dark, medium and light”. It is the taste, the darker the extract the heavier the taste or is the wort coloring once that is process is complete?

 

[JoshWithrow]

I'm new to this, too, but I've made a few single malt/single hop brews (even really light on hops) just so I can taste the differences. And I'm still an extract brewer.

The light malt is 1) light in color, and alittle sweeter/cleaner in flavor. There are no caramel notes.

On the flipside, the dark extract is much richer in color, and has a VERY caramelized flavor.

The scale moves between the two incrementally, but the caramel (burnt) notes are more prominent the darker the malt. Likewise, the color is, too. The color is a byproduct of the toasting process used on the grains that imbue this flavor and color, and sometimes, end up becoming extract.