Pros and cons of dry malt vs syrup

[ifearnothing0]

Anybody have preferences on the 2 ?

 

[Yooper]

The liquid comes in more varieties- munich, rye, wheat, maris otter, etc.

But the dry is easier to measure and store.

As long as the LME is fresh, and not canned, it really doesn't matter as far as flavor. Fresh LME is cheaper, and comes in far more varieties. DME is fine, as long as it's kept dry.

 

[ifearnothing0]

So would I get more flavor out of a fresh LME ?

 

[Yooper]

So would I get more flavor out of a fresh LME ?

Not really, unless you were making a specialty beer and used a specialty LME. You can't steep rye, as an example, so if you wanted to make a rye extract beer, rye extract only comes in LME.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Personally I use dry malt extract for my extract brews. I have found it to be more affordable per gravity point (but not by much) and easier to store/measure/use. To me, one of the biggest advantages of dry extract is the shelf life. Liquid extract (much like liquid yeast) needs to be used when it is fresh, and does not store well. Since I cannot control the history of my extract (I.E. I do not know how old it is, or how it was stored), I feel more comfortable with dry extract. I tend to try to get the majority of my flavor complexities from my steeping grains and yeast cultures, so I am not counting on the base malt to contribute the majority of the flavor of my brews. Also, I tend to primarily brew darker styles like porter and stout, and Belgian styles (Dubbel, Tripel, Saison, and so on). This means I do not need the base malt to be the primary flavor component of my finished beers. All of this adds up to mean that dry malt extract is my choice. In all reality, it is all brewer-preference. There is not necessarily one that is "better" than the other.

 

[ifearnothing0]

Not really, unless you were making a specialty beer and used a specialty LME. You can't steep rye, as an example, so if you wanted to make a rye extract beer, rye extract only comes in LME.

What exactly do you mean by specialty beers ? Excuse my ignorance I'm only on my 10th batch or so ... I started this thread because I went to my LHBS and picked a clone of Avery's Maharaja ipa out of a book and the recipe called for some Alexanders pale malt syrup , and she substituted it with more extra light dme... I wouldn't normally worry to much about it but it was 4.5 lbs worth ... Just don't seem like this clone-recipe could possibly taste like the actually beer with only having 12 oz of specialty grains and 9 lbs of Mutons extra light dme ?

 

[ifearnothing0]

What exactly do you mean by specialty beers ? Excuse my ignorance I'm only on my 10th batch or so ... I started this thread because I went to my LHBS and picked a clone of Avery's Maharaja ipa out of a book and the recipe called for some Alexanders pale malt syrup , and she substituted it with more extra light dme... I wouldn't normally worry to much about it but it was 4.5 lbs worth ... Just don't seem like this clone-recipe could possibly taste like the actually beer with only having 12 oz of specialty grains and 9 lbs of Mutons extra light dme ?

Couldn't * possibly taste

 

[ShepFL]

Living here in the Deep South it is very humid. I find DME very sticky and messy; then I have to get my fingers in the or opening i.e. sanitary risk. I still use it but when given a choice I chose LME.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

DME per pound has more gravity points than LME. 1 LB grain = 1.75 LB LME = .66 LB DME I tend to keep a cannister of DME on the countertop to prepare starters and to add at the start of the boil if I miss my OG. Once I open a can of LME i don't feel comfortable storing it. DME, no problem. Also, its nearly impossible to get all the LME out of the jar. I tend to purchase and use LME for a recipie when I am unable to mash all the base malt.

 

[ifearnothing0]

1 thing that sucks ass about dme is that if your doing a big beer with Alot of dme and a small amour of wort in the kettle it can be a massive pain in the ass to stir all that **** up

 

[Calder]

DME per pound has more gravity points than LME. 1 LB grain = 1.75 LB LME = .66 LB DME I tend to keep a cannister of DME on the countertop to prepare starters and to add at the start of the boil if I miss my OG. Once I open a can of LME i don't feel comfortable storing it. DME, no problem. Also, its nearly impossible to get all the LME out of the jar. I tend to purchase and use LME for a recipie when I am unable to mash all the base malt.

I think your numbers are incorrect. 1 lb DME = 1.25 lbs LME. Your numbers claim 1 lb DME = 2.75 lbs LME. I'm sure it's just fat fingers, but didn't want anyone to take your numbers as correct. 1 lb grain is roughly equal to 0.75 lbs LME.

I partial mash, so don't worry about different specialty grains and whether they need steeping or mashing. For the rest of my sugars, I use the lightest LME I can get. I use LME because I find it cheaper; I buy 33 lb Briess extract for $60. Lasts about 6 brews (about 4 months), I just store in basement so it doesn't see temps above 65 F. Seems to store fine. The 33 lb hedpaks have the date on the bottom; a little difficult to find, but I look for the freshest pak in the store. The plastic packs also make good mini fermenters for experimental brews (2.5 gallons).

 

[Yooper]

What exactly do you mean by specialty beers ? Excuse my ignorance I'm only on my 10th batch or so ... I started this thread because I went to my LHBS and picked a clone of Avery's Maharaja ipa out of a book and the recipe called for some Alexanders pale malt syrup , and she substituted it with more extra light dme... I wouldn't normally worry to much about it but it was 4.5 lbs worth ... Just don't seem like this clone-recipe could possibly taste like the actually beer with only having 12 oz of specialty grains and 9 lbs of Mutons extra light dme ?

I'd prefer the extra light DME over canned LME anyday!

By "specialty", I mean things you can't find in DME- like rye malt syrup. Or Munich malt. Stuff like that.

Pale LME = light DME (or extra light) any way you slice it. Just remember that 1.25 pounds LME = 1 pound DME.

 

[unionrdr]

I use both LME & DME in my extract beers. DME doesn't get all the mailard reactions as readilly as LME does. And I like Munton's plain DME for the English flavors it imparts. I use it in partial boils for hop additions,knowing the color will be lighter compared to LME.
But the Breisse gold LME worked real well in my partial mash cascade pale. Hit the numbers in range & clear amber orange color. But I did stray from the recipe insomuch as using the grain wort for all hop additions. LME in at flame out,as per my usual process.