What's the difference?

[SMOKEU]

Between kits such as these Muntons | Home Beer Making and hopped malt extract such as these Muntons | World Class Malt | Home

 

[JLem]

It looks like the former are essentially dehydrated wort - just add water and yeast and away you go. The latter are just malt extract, which I guess technically are dehydrated wort, especially the hopped varieties, but the former are intended to emulate a particular style whereas the latter are not. I wonder too if the former have late hop additions, giving you the flavor and aroma profiles to go with each beer style.

 

[david_42]

Kits have yeast. Canned hopped extract doesn't. Since the yeast is probably Munton's, there should be a $2 difference.

 

[SMOKEU]

Is the only difference that one has a packet of yeast and a fancy label and the other one doesn't?

 

[JLem]

Is the only difference that one has a packet of yeast and a fancy label and the other one doesn't?

I've never used these, but it seems more than that to me. The "Connoisseurs Range" are designed to specific beer styles - you can get a pilsner kit or a stout kit or an IPA kit. The other is just liquid malt extract - a variety of colors, but not a complete beer style. You would use the malt extract as part of a recipe for creating a pilsner or a stout or an IPA. Maybe think of it like this - the first are like boxed cake mixes, the second are just the flour you would use to make a cake from scratch.

 

[WVBeerBaron]

the first are like boxed cake mixes, the second are just the flour you would use to make a cake from scratch.

nice analogy JLem... you're better using malt syrup (flour) and adding your own hops to taste than using cans of hopped malt (boxed cake). you can select your own hops for the appropriate style or your palate instead of using the already hopped malt (boxed cake or Munton home beer making)