dme vs lme

[PleasantValleyHops]

ok, so ive pretty much used lme since i started brewing.. mainly due to cost and has worked great for me and thats what i learned on.. but more and more i hear people saying dme is a lot better of a product all around, my beer taste great to me and to many other who taste it so thats not my issue.. my question is there any place to buy bulk dme thats not completly outragous or lme so cheap hard to pass up. currently im paying about $2.50 a lb for lme buying it in 33 lbs jugs at my local shop.. and the dme there is almost double from what ive seen.. can anyone help me out with this. thanks for reading

 

[Rev2010]

Labelpeelers.com has 50lb bags of DME for $119.45 which equates to $2.39 a pound.


Rev.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

thanks

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

now my question is why is dme so much better or is it not really as long as your brewing often enough?

 

[Rev2010]

There are tons of pro's and con threads about LME vs. DME. From what I've read the basic major breakdown is:

DME:

Longer storage life
Less chance of color darkening as it doesn't caramelize as easy in a boil

LME:

Cheaper
More variety options

Of course there are others, it helps to whisk DME in slowly to prevent clumping, and with LME being so thick some is left behind in the jug so to get it out you can pour hot water in it as a rinse. There are more as I said, just do a search here. But those two each seem to be the main one's from what I recall.

I've used both LME and DME and so far prefer DME but would not hesitate at all to go with LME and as mentioned, the extra varieties are also a reason to use LME.

*EDIT - Here's one of the breakdown posts:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/#post1206306


Rev.

 

[PanzerBanana]

I like DME for the convenience. It floats so you don't have to worry too much about scorching when you brew. I never bought it in bulk and it was only $1 more than liquid. I think. My local shop has it on sale a lot.

 

[JRems]

I think dme is around $3 a pound from austin homebrewsupply. I usually use it exclusively. If I need a special malt not available dry I'll mix half dme half lme. You also have to figure into the price that dme is around 20 % more concentrated. So your 33lb jug would equate to around 26 pounds of dme. So for your 33 lb jug it would be $82.50 and for 26 pounds of dme at $3 a pound would be $78.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

thanks everyone for their input.. still on the fence for next bulk purchase.. 33 lbs of lme only lasted 3 weeks+- for me so not too bad.. guess i need to figure it out considering having 7 lbs of hops and 20+ lbs of grain and 14 or so different yeast packs on the way to my house right now..

 

[lumpher]

who do you use for hops? i got 7 lbs of different hops, shipped to my door, for $82, from hopsdirect.com. on the rare occasions i use extract, i use dry, as many people can taste a nasty twang with lme brews, me included

 

[Clef051]

I use dme now. It's much easier to work with.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

who do you use for hops? i got 7 lbs of different hops, shipped to my door, for $82, from hopsdirect.com. on the rare occasions i use extract, i use dry, as many people can taste a nasty twang with lme brews, me included

i used farmhousebrewsupply.com thats almost exactly what the hops were in the order. i got prob ten different hops ranging from 8 oz each to a lb.. local shop around here is outragous at $3 an oz and as much as i would love to support him i cant get bent over on it either..