liquid or dry malt extract, which is better?

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GregBrews88

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Im a partial mash brewer and I was wondering if theres much of a difference between lme or dme. Do you prefer liquid or dry malt extract? why?
 
I almost always use LME but mainly because that is what is in the Northern Brewer kits. I know the few times I have used DME the big advantage has been that it is easier to get out of the container into the brew :)
 
I also use LME as well, but it's because I get a good price on it in bulk from my LHBS and I know they go through it fast so it's always fresh.
 
My vote is DME. Easier to store and lasts longer in storage. I was never able to get a light colored beer with LME but I can with DME.
 
DME - Lighter colored beers, easier to use, more variety, I believe it is said to store longer also
LME - Cheaper

I'm sure someone will post a link with a pro/con write-up here before too long
 
Look past all the "clean treade" deletions to get to this topic in the above link.
 
Dry malt extract for me. I can never be sure how fresh the ingredients are so DME has a much better shelf life. Additionally I only use a little at a time so I can easily re-seal a bag of DME, a can of LME... not so much.
 
+1 DME. Storage, Freshness, and Ease of addition into the boil are positives. I also like the ability to control color via steeping grains with good resolution which adds variety and character to the beers I brew.

When comparing costs, remember that 1 lbs LME is approx. equivalent to .8-.85 lbs of DME from a fermentalbe sugars standpoint. For example, you'd need roughly 6 lbs of LME to achieve the same O.G as 5 lbs DME.
 
I prefer LME, IMHO it's easier to use then DME. DME tends to cause boil overs more often if you are not careful. It can bee so messy if you get that powder anywhere, as soon as you open the package it starts to absorb moisture and get very tacky.
If you use fresh LME like from AHS you can get a lighter color if you do late addition extract. I have been able to get lighter colored beers then from using DME.

Now Full boil with LME is amazing, even lighter colors can be brewed and 0 twang. The head retention on my beers is so much better now as well.

It seems that there are varying degrees of opinions on this subject so your best just going with what you like doing. :mug:
 
Man, if only someone would spend a few hours researching the pros and cons of things like this. Then they could write it all up, edit it, get feedback from other brewers, and then find a mod to sticky it so that it would always be available and conspicuous for new brewers to find.

Oh wait...

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


What? Actually read the stickies? That's crazy talk!


However, I've only used LME once, and hated every minute of it. Huge fan of DME, even in partials.
 
All my brews have used both LME and DME. Is that odd?

Nah, it's probably mostly LME and smaller amounts of DME I'm guessing? Easier to use a can or 2 or LME and a smaller measured amount of DME so you don't have a small amount of LME left over.

But yeah, the difference for me is LME is definitely cheaper, and DME for me ALWAYS boils over. Well I haven't had any problems since I bought some Firmcap-S, but still.
 
Late extract addition seems like it does wonders for color. Did this with my recent (and first) hefe and it's color looked pretty spot on prior to bottling.
 
I prefer DME because you need less compared to LME and can get a lighter base color, but LME is more convenient to buy in bulk at my LHBS (it's a pain to weigh it out on brew day, too!).
 
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