Porter Extract Question

[deharris]

My buddy and I are brewing a Porter this weekend. The recipe, like many for dark beers, requires light liquid malt extract with dark specialty grains to give it its characteristic black/brown color and roasty flavor. My question is this:

At my LHBS I can get light liquid malt extract, but its expensive, or I can get the same amount of Northwestern "Gold" for half the price. I'll just turn it black using the specialty grains anyway, so I doubt color is an issue. But will this affect my beer's taste in any significant way? How so? Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Phan71]

I've used the Northwestern a few times now, and it seems to get the job done. I've been using it because it's cheaper, but it's supposedly fresher that the other liquid extracts out there. (It doesn't have to travel as far, accounting for both the lower price and the freshness.)

I say go for it!

 

[TheJadedDog]

It should only be a question of the color so I would say you should be fine making the replacement.

One thing I would recommend from personal experience is to switch to DME rather than LME. I have found this to reduce some of the extract twang or aftertaste that can be caused by LME.