new brewer question?

[xpoc454]

When I go to the brew shop I always see the cans of specifically named, hoppped extract.
Here is an example at midwest
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=3829

Im not quite clear with these though.
I currently use Brewers best kits and my friends do the entire spectrum where they start with grains.

What do you do with this can and others lie it?
What else do you need to make the 5 gallons of beer and what does this can come with it?

I assume you still need to purchase more malt extract, yeast, armotic hops?
Do they come with instructions on them, I havent looked close to one yet cause they seem pretty expensive at times?

thanks

 

[Orfy]

That's a big question!

I'm sure some of the guys on here can come upwith a few benefitial links for you.

 

[Darth Konvel]

Looks like a can of LME (Liquid Malt Extract) to me. Depending on the type of beer, you'll want to pick up other ingredients.

I recommend starting here for more information: How to Brew - Malt Extract and Beer Kits

 

[Truble]

Well, I just started out, and my first brew contains both DME (dry malt extract) and LME (liquid malt extract). I believe what you are asking about is a "hopped" LME, which means that it contains the hops already in the malt extract. I used the non-hopped kind. My mix was 4LB of Pale Malt LME and 2LB of Amber DME.


In any event, it is another type of malt extract.

 

[Walker]

The extract linked was a Pilsner extract, meaning that it was made primarily from pilsner base malt rather than something suited for an ale. This is really meant for making a pilsner (lager).

In short:

extract is concentrated, unfermented beer (wort).
it comes in various flavors (dictated by the grains used to make it.)
it comes in various colors (probably some specialty grains to darken it.)
it can come in hopped or unhopped varieties (the latter meaning you need to add hops during the boil.)
it needs to be boiled with water, cooled, put into a fermenter.
yeast needs to be added.

This is pretty basic stuff. Some reading will clear a lot of questions up.

general rule for light bodied beer: 1 lb of liquid extract for each gallon of beer you are making

general rule for fuller bodied beer: 1.5 lb of liquid extract for each gallon of beer you are making

-walker

 

[xpoc454]

The extract linked was a Pilsner extract, meaning that it was made primarily from pilsner base malt rather than something suited for an ale. This is really meant for making a pilsner (lager).

In short:

extract is concentrated, unfermented beer (wort).
it comes in various flavors (dictated by the grains used to make it.)
it comes in various colors (probably some specialty grains to darken it.)
it can come in hopped or unhopped varieties (the latter meaning you need to add hops during the boil.)
it needs to be boiled with water, cooled, put into a fermenter.
yeast needs to be added.

This is pretty basic stuff. Some reading will clear a lot of questions up.

general rule for light bodied beer: 1 lb of liquid extract for each gallon of beer you are making

general rule for fuller bodied beer: 1.5 lb of liquid extract for each gallon of beer you are making

-walker

This answered my question. I have done a few brewers best kits (about 8 now) So this question comes from a guy who gets all the stuff in one box.
I know what liquid malt extract is, its just that every time in I'm in the shop,

I see the cans with the very specific sounding and descriptive names.
There are usually so many cans of the liquid extractrs and so few bags of dry malt extract.
For some reason it was making me think maybe some of the cans were for specific beers. Kinda like a stepping stone from doing kits to full blown grains.

The extract ratio you mentioned for brewing still throws me. I am still not clear why anyone would use liquid malt extract for any beer.

What are the benefits if any over dry malt extract? (I have a discussion on this in the extract brewing forum currently)

ANy idea what the ratio is for DME per gallon for light and heavier beers in general?

thanks for the info

 

[Darth Konvel]

For the all extract brewer, the cans of liquid extract offer more variety. For those that steep/mini-mash grains, there isn't any special advantage, as you can get similar results with the right grains and DME.

 

[Walker]

I know what liquid malt extract is, its just that every time in I'm in the shop, I see the cans with the very specific sounding and descriptive names. There are usually so many cans of the liquid extractrs and so few bags of dry malt extract. For some reason it was making me think maybe some of the cans were for specific beers.

That's pretty much correct. The 'special' extracts might contain certain specialty grains specific for a given style of beer. The Pilsner is one example. I have also seen "Stout" extract, which is (my guess) generic ale extract with some dark roasted grains in it to make it black and roasty tasting.

The extract ratio you mentioned for brewing still throws me. I am still not clear why anyone would use liquid malt extract for any beer.

Why not? Liquid extract is exactly the same thing as dry extract, except the the dry has had the water removed completely. The grains used are processed and the sweet liquid is drawn off. It can be reduced in water content and turned into LME, or FURTHER processed to remove ALL water and made into DME.

What are the benefits if any over dry malt extract?

Liquid is typically cheaper than dry because of the extra processing that the dry needs. Also because of the extra processing needed for DME, there are typically a lot more varieties of liquid available because you get it easily from mashing grains and don't have to remove all the water.

the down side is that LME will oxidize over time and become darker. To make a light colored beer, it's best to get the lightest DME you can find. It typially will be generic malted barley and won't be specially blended for any style of beer, so you would need to add specialty grains to this wort to kick the flavor in the pants a bit.

ANy idea what the ratio is for DME per gallon for light and heavier beers in general?

2.75 lbs of DME == 3.3 lbs of LME.... so for DME, so use about 85% of those LME amounts I quoted. rounding off to nice numbers:

0.85 lbs of DME per gallon of beer for light body.
1.25 lbs of DME per gallon of beer for fuller body.

-walker

 

[xpoc454]

I thinking I am getting the hang of it now.
Looks like my next step is to go from kits to all-extract setups.
Im not ready to go into anything more complext yet.

 

[Dragonfly]

Walker - wouldn't those ratios change from brand to brand? Or is that just a close guideline that pretty much works for all of them? I use Munton's DME but occasionally find myself using other brands of LME.

 

[Darth Konvel]

Those numbers are just a rule of thumb. Most extracts are roughly the same, although some, like Laagland, require adjustments.