What's your opinion on DME?

[Nate187]

What's your opinion on dry malt extract?

In your experience, are there any pros or cons when you use it?

It's something I haven't tried before but I am considering for the future.

Thanks all

 

[flars]

DME is good. More fermentable sugars than LME by weight. When substituting DME for LME multiply the weight of the LME by 0.80 to get an equivalent weight of fermentable sugars.

 

[Yooper]

I like it far better than liquid extract. It doesn't darken nearly as much, or start out as dark in the lightest colors, and it has a fresh taste that canned liquid extract does not have.

 

[MaxStout]

DME generally has a longer shelf life than LME, storage conditions being equal. If sealed and kept in a cool, dry place, DME will stay fresh for a couple years from manufacture. I believe LME needs to be used up within several months. I only use DME for starters, but I have some kept in a couple sealed Mason jars in the fridge. It's probably 3 years old now, but no lumps and it's still fresh (yeah, I taste a little of the wort before pitching the yeast in the starter).

 

[Jtk78]

I too prefer it over LME. It's a bit pricier, but I find I get a much better end product when used

 

[Calder]

DME is fine. Just be careful, as it gets sticky with any trace of moisture. Pouring from a bag above boiling wort, and the bag starts to get sticky.

I agree, it will degrade less over time (color) than LME, and is probably lighter. However, I prefer LME. I find it easier to use, and less messy. 90+% of extract I have used has been LME and I know how to handle it, if I'd been using mostly DME, I maybe would have a different opinion. LME suits my set up.

 

[schematix]

Makes great starters for all grain brewing. I go through a ton of it.

 

[RichBenn]

Yep, DME is good. Even though I'm all grain, I try to keep some around for adjusting starting gravity, starters, high gravity beers.

 

[RM-MN]

DME can have the same basic mix of fermentable and unfermentable sugars as LME but as mentioned above, it is more stable than LME in storage. It also costs more to make so for the same beer, the cost will be higher. LME is usually in containers to you can use up the entire amount in your beer. Some beers may need more malt extract and then it is easier to add a smaller amount of DME.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've used LME poured from one of the large 30 gallon (?) bulk barrels at my LHBS. They sell a lot of it so it was always very fresh and really liked it. Always bought the lightest syrup they had, which was Golden Light LME, from what I remember. I don't think they made or sold Pilsner LME then. I never had any inkling for the cans on the shelf, who knows how old they are.

On the other side I also used DME for batches of beer, with similar results. If anything, the DME may have tasted a little better. Since I switched to all grain brewing, I now only use DME for making yeast starters.

Key to brewing with malt extract is to only add 1/3 (or 1/2 at the most) of the extract at the beginning of the boil and the rest at flameout. Especially when doing partial boils. Much less caramelization and darkening. That is unless you're brewing a Scotch Ale or perhaps a Barleywine.

 

[Steveruch]

DME can have the same basic mix of fermentable and unfermentable sugars as LME but as mentioned above, it is more stable than LME in storage. It also costs more to make so for the same beer, the cost will be higher.

Not necessarily, it does cost more per pound, but you use less.

 

[JohnSand]

Having used both LME and DME at times, I prefer DME. It keeps better and dissolves quicker in water. LME can sink to the bottom and darken. While DME will stick to the lip of the bag in steam, LME sticks to it's entire package.
It's great to keep some handy for partial mash big batches, quick batches, or gravity adjustment.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I have only used DME in steeping grain and partial mash beers. I thought it was great and even though so many people talk about how much better their beer tastes since they went all grain, I can’t say that my AG batches are night and day compared to DME, or if even I’d be able to tell the difference between an AG Vs. DME plus steeping grain beer. The reason I went all grain was that the DME manufacturer puts caramalts and Carapils in their product and I want to be the guy who decides what malts go in my beer. Also, whatever the water chemistry at the DME factory is gets dried into the DME too and you can’t really know what that wiil taste like especially in higher concentration. Both LME and DME have those attributes though.