Malt extract, who and why?

[cbotrice]

I am going to be switching from kits to building up from recipes soon and was looking at a couple of sites (from the list down below on the forums) and was wondering how much different the different purveyors of malt extracts are? Is there a significant difference in one makers light to anothers and so on and so on? Also, syrup vs dried, as I will be following recipes I will follow what they call for, but is there a huge difference in output quality in using dried vs liquid malt extract? I know these are huge questions open to much debate, but I am a little confused just looking at this stuff on line for right now. MPW

 

[user 574]

I only used liquid for my 1st ever batch and thought it a pain in the arse. Theres urban legend out there that liquid may not have as long as a shelf life. Dry is easier to use and seems to be the more common malt used around here for extract brewing. Has a long shelf life as well; easier to use (said that twice ). No pre-added hops like some liq do I guess giving you more control.

As to differences amongts mfg; dunno. I've alwayse used Muntons as thats what my HBS sells...

 

[homebrewer_99]

Canned syrup tends to start dark and gets darker the more you boil it. You would also use less DME versus syrup in your recipes. I think the ratio is .8 lb DME per pound of syrup.

I've been using DME for years and usually start off with a 1/2 or 1 lb of grains with success.

Depending on your style preference, I recommend starting with the lightest malt you can get (extra light) if you are shooting for pilsners, etc., and wheat for weizens, natually.

I've purchased light and ambers before, but prefer to start with extra light.

I had about 40 lbs of DME when I moved to Germany in '99 and it was still good in '04 when I moved back.

No clumps or hardness of any kind. Of course I had it stored in a basement and in a primary with the lid on.

 

[tnlandsailor]

I think DME is the way to go. I've wondered for a long time about the quality of liquid malt, but that's just my own suspicions. There is a difference between DME from different companies. You want the most fermentable one you can find. If you want a high finishing gravity, you will want to add your own ingredients to accomplish this. The only malt I can think of that tend to have higher than normal amounts of unfermentables are the Dutch type like Llaglander (sp?). Munton's is very common and a good choice. Take homebrewer_99's advice and go for the extra light. Extract beer is going to be darker anyway, so you might as well start out as light as you can. Use crystal and other specialty grains for color, not the DME.

Prosit!

 

[cbotrice]

Thanks guys, it will make it easier to store if I use dme, which is a good thing. I will take the lighter tones advice to heart as well. MPW

 

[homebrewer_99]

I actually buy the 55 lb boxes from midwestsupplies.com.

My local HBS (from work not my house) sells 3# bags of malt for 12.50. That's $4.16/LB.

I've made some large $ purchases from MWS the price per LB came to $2.48! That saves me $1.68 per LB while also paying for shipping!

I currently have 4 boxes of malt in my basement right now (not all full mind you) and need to order some more wheat and extra light DME sometime next week before I head off to Germany. (This way they'll be at my house when I get home.)

Happy Brewing!