Question about DME

[NOISEpollution]

I've always used LME for all of my recipes but for the hefeweizen I'm about to brew I'm using DME to get a lower SRM. My question is how does using DME differ from using LME? Any tips? It'll be a partial mash with pilsner and wheat malt.

 

[birvine]

Use less (look up the exact conversion). When you put it in, be careful that steam does not rise into the bag or you can get clumpy dme.

Otherwise, apparently the same.

B

 

[jester5120]

Use less (look up the exact conversion). When you put it in, be careful that steam does not rise into the bag or you can get clumpy dme.

Otherwise, apparently the same.

B

I agree. it's more concentrated than lme. when i use it i add it when there is no heat on (either before or after the boil) to avoid steam coming up and melting the stuff

 

[unionrdr]

I think the DME doesn't darken as easily myself. But combining both DME & LME gives me more flavor/aroma complexities. Using half the DME in the boil for hop additions,then late extract additions on the remaining DME & all the LME gives lighter colors & cleaner flavors.

 

[birvine]

I think the DME doesn't darken as easily myself. But combining both DME & LME gives me more flavor/aroma complexities. Using half the DME in the boil for hop additions,then late extract additions on the remaining DME & all the LME gives lighter colors & cleaner flavors.

Oops, sorry - I forgot that one.

B

 

[Brewnoob1]

I just brewed a batch last night using DME. I won't lie, I hate the stuff. I don't make more messes than I do with that stuff. Other than the mess I make, it's fine....I just hate cleaning up after myself

 

[Chefencore]

Basically, the difference is the water content. You will need less dme than you would lme. If you are trying to lower srm, add the dme toward the end of the boil.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm surprised my brain is working as good as it is today. Was feelin a little funky this morning. The only thing about DME that bugs me is it's being hydroscopic. That steam makes a mess of it in a heartbeat. But using half the total DME in the boil & the rest of it at flame out with all the LME flat out works. I also get very clear beers.

 

[NOISEpollution]

But using half the total DME in the boil & the rest of it at flame out with all the LME flat out works. I also get very clear beers.

Could I add half of the DME at flameout with no LME? The recipe uses 5 lbs of DME and 1.25 lbs of pilsner and 1.26 lbs of wheat. The homebrew shop is far so I don't want to go out there to pick up LME.

 

[Brewnoob1]

Yeah, you can use just DME. That's what I just did last night in my brew.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,doing that with all DME will work just fine. I use both,so I save half the DME & all the LME for the end so they don't caramelize being in there all together.

 

[Chefencore]

Here's the conversion factor:
1# grain = .67#dme = .75#lme
To convert between the two:
LME * .89 = DME
DME * 1.1 = LME
Substitute as you need.
Some people choose one or the other due to preference, some just like whole numbers. And by that I mean, sometimes when building a recipe it calls for 3lbs of lme but that is 2.67lbs dme.

 

[aidan]

I just brewed a batch last night using DME. I won't lie, I hate the stuff. I don't make more messes than I do with that stuff. Other than the mess I make, it's fine....I just hate cleaning up after myself

It gets real sticky when the steam hits it. What I find works best is pour it out into a bowl, I use a stainless steel bowl, then mix it in to the boil pot a little at a time to avoid major clumping (dont worry about small clumps, they will dissolve easily). Some will stick to the bowl but just immerse the bowl in the liquid in the boil pot and the hot liquid will dissolve it completely off and no more clean up problems or wasted DME!

 

[KevinW]

I've always used LME for all of my recipes but for the hefeweizen I'm about to brew I'm using DME to get a lower SRM. My question is how does using DME differ from using LME? Any tips? It'll be a partial mash with pilsner and wheat malt.

Have you tried extra light LME/DME?

Assuming you want to lower your SRM anyway!

 

[Rev2010]

I just brewed a batch last night using DME. I won't lie, I hate the stuff. I don't make more messes than I do with that stuff. Other than the mess I make, it's fine....I just hate cleaning up after myself

I'd been brewing with extract since I started back in January. I've made a ton of batches (I go real crazy when I get into things) and have made tons of excellent and quite impressive beers. I recently moved to AG and I have to say I am so happy to not have to deal with that darn sticky powder that still manages to go airborne and get surfaces sticky no matter how slow and contained you pour it!!! That and not having to shut off the heat and whisk it in to prevent clumps and make sure it's evenly mixed is a relief. Oh, and also not having nearly as much boil over risk.

To comment on the bag steaming up - stop pouring it from the bag guys! It's the worst way to do it. I pour my full DME volume into Rubbermaid 1 gallon ice tea pitchers I bought from K-Mart then just pour from there. Works so much better and there's no clogging up from the steam (keep the pitcher lid off of course). I used to use a bowl which worked well but required many more refills and threw up more airborne powder. The one downside is the extra cleanup - another thing I'm glad to leave behind with AG. I have far more things to clean when using DME.


Rev.

 

[Unibrow]

I'm not sure if it's psychological, but I think the DME always gives a cleaner flavor than LME. I just notice that beers with LME have a slight twang, but that twang could be for a variety of reasons. Yes, the DME can clump up but it you whisk it in quickly, it's not a problem.

 

[unionrdr]

Since I started adding only half the DME in the boil,& the other half with the LME at flame out,the flavors are def cleaner & more...shall I say,organic tasting. I've never used DME by itself,but I could easy enough. I just like the added aroma & flavor complexities I get from using both.
I don't mind the bag steaming up a little. But finding something to put the measured half of the bag of DME into that won't poof all over is a pain. Small price to pay,I guess.

 

[jonmohno]

Instead of the bag carfully put your dme into a round metal bowl, then stir while dumping and you can even rinse your bowl,with the wort or little water.Ive use the breiss organic dme ,and northern brewers Lme/organic dme. I cant say really what the differences are ,i just know i like to use them but have recently been doing all grain. I cant say that ive made bad beers with either.Ive made all extract and partials some all extract were better than the partials, ive done full boils and late/flamout extract. Cant say really if there is a difference. If you are doing a partial boil thats where carmelzation can happen when you use the full amount with less water.
I have to stir my lme at first often so it doesnt stick to the bottem though.Seems like there is a bigger hotbreak with dme sometimes too.I like the differneces of both. there are benefits between each other. I think i may preferr dme slightly more though.

 

[weirdboy]

I like to mix in the DME when the water is cold, then bring it up to a boil. Much less messy that way.

Even cold, mix in the DME a little bit at a time and stir the bejeezus out of it. It clumps like crazy. I like to use a whisk to stir the DME in, personally.

 

[jonmohno]

+1 thats what i like about dme also. You dont have to pull the boil like for lme stir then reboil.No wasted time.Although i just ended up adding my lme right before it starts to boil stirring the jahosaphats out of it, which worked(screw that bring to boil then take off heat add lme/ stir,put back on heat bring back up to a boil crap.

 

[Rev2010]

+1 thats what i like about dme also. You dont have to pull the boil like for lme stir then reboil.No wasted time.Although i just ended up adding my lme right before it starts to boil stirring the jahosaphats out of it, which worked(screw that bring to boil then take off heat add lme/ stir,put back on heat bring back up to a boil crap.

Well the thing is you can't add it while at a boil or it will instantly boil over. But if you add it earlier on some mention getting a slightly darker color since it's "cooked" longer. I don't see that personally, I've always done it the way you do, I add it when getting close to a boil but not yet boiling. However, I eventually switched to boiling then turning off the flame and adding it just because I found it's quicker to get to a boil again. Works either way really, I don't see much of a difference.


Rev.

 

[Unibrow]

+1 thats what i like about dme also. You dont have to pull the boil like for lme stir then reboil

I understand that LME can get scorched on the bottom of the pot if you add it when the flame is on full blast - but how can you scorch DME? It stays at the surface whenever I'm adding it...then I quickly whisk it into the liquid.

Can the DME get "scorched" at all? Doesn't make sense visually to me...

 

[Brewnoob1]

I'd been brewing with extract since I started back in January. I've made a ton of batches (I go real crazy when I get into things) and have made tons of excellent and quite impressive beers. I recently moved to AG and I have to say I am so happy to not have to deal with that darn sticky powder that still manages to go airborne and get surfaces sticky no matter how slow and contained you pour it!!! That and not having to shut off the heat and whisk it in to prevent clumps and make sure it's evenly mixed is a relief. Oh, and also not having nearly as much boil over risk.

To comment on the bag steaming up - stop pouring it from the bag guys! It's the worst way to do it. I pour my full DME volume into Rubbermaid 1 gallon ice tea pitchers I bought from K-Mart then just pour from there. Works so much better and there's no clogging up from the steam (keep the pitcher lid off of course). I used to use a bowl which worked well but required many more refills and threw up more airborne powder. The one downside is the extra cleanup - another thing I'm glad to leave behind with AG. I have far more things to clean when using DME.


Rev.

My 2 boil overs ever happened with DME. 1 was 2 nights ago. I just added it, everything looked fine, I turned around to grab my home brew for a sip because of how parched I had become lol, turned back around after a total of about 5 seconds, and SIZZLE, SNAP, CRACKLE, POP, my wife is in the other room and starts laughing at my chosen verbiage for the situation. Oh well, it makes good beer, just hate using it.

 

[Yooper]

I understand that LME can get scorched on the bottom of the pot if you add it when the flame is on full blast - but how can you scorch DME? It stays at the surface whenever I'm adding it...then I quickly whisk it into the liquid.

Can the DME get "scorched" at all? Doesn't make sense visually to me...

Oh, it clumps up like crazy if you don't whisk it well as it goes it. Those little clumps will fall to the bottom or stick on the sides, and scorch!

I really prefer DME over LME, and would use it whenever I have a choice. Sometimes, you need LME though- like if you want Munich malt extract or rye extract.

DME is sticky and messy but you can learn to work around that. For example, NEVER pour from the bag into the pot, even if you're using the whole bag. You'll get steam rising up and globbing up the opening of the bag into a sticky mess. When you're heating the brewing liquid, pour the DME you need into a big dry tupperware bowl. Add it from the boil, whisking as you do, and you'll be amazed at how easy it is!

 

[unionrdr]

Yhe only time we got mad hot break with DME was when my wife was adding 1lb of plain wheat DME to the boil with a pound of reg plain light DME. Mad hot break just like with steeping grains. Lasted about 3 minutes as well. We took turns stirring it down with the paddle.
But other times,when just using reg barley DME,we get no more than about 1/2" of hot break.