Why DME AND LME in same recipe? swap which for mini-mash?

[johnbrain]

Curious why some extract recipes call for both DME AND LME. Is it for clarity? Or does lme contribute some amber?

I've begun mashing about half my grain bill. If I converted a recipe I've found online or in a book, what swaps would you suggest? Keep DME and add a little color/caramel? Lme @flameout? Pick either it won't make a difference?

Thanks in advance for your insight/advice.

 

[Jrod]

You might notice some color difference depending on the brand and you should account for the water in the LME but other than that I always just used whatever was cheaper. There is an easy conversion between the two but it doesn't come to mind right away. A quick search should resolve that.

 

[johnbrain]

Just saw pilsen light lme at my lhbs 3.3# dollar less than 3 of dme. I'll punch it into my software. It's certainly easier to add to the bk, especially when we're talking about 6#.

 

[Pezman1]

Several recipes use both DME and LME to easily come up with the desired amount and character of fermentables.

For example: 6 pounds of Amber LME and 1 pound of light DME.

This can give you the color/character/taste you want at a gravity you want, that might be harder to acheive using just one kind of extract.

Pez.

 

[homebrewdad]

If you are doing a mini mash, you can remove either (or some of both). I personally dislike LME, I think it is a pain to deal with, so I'd go with DME plus my mini mash (which is what I currently do). Your mileage may vary.

 

[Proboscidea]

Curious why some extract recipes call for both DME AND LME.

I always assumed it was because LME is packaged in increments (3lb, 5lb, 8lb, whatever), and it's incredibly sloppy to measure, so recipes account for that by having you put in an entire container of LME and then top it off with DME to reach the desired OG.

Anyway, that's what I do. The problem is, depending on where you get the LME, it comes in different increments (3, 4, 5 lb vs. 3, 6, 9 lb etc.). I assumed the amount in the LME in the recipe was based on wherever the recipe creator gets his/her LME, and that amount propagates across the interwebs as the recipe is passed around.

I could be totally off-base with that ...

 

[smokinj]

Could be several reasons. I'd say alot of it is due to partial packages of dme being easier and safer to store. LME is a little cheaper by the #, but 3# of DME has the same amount of fermentables as 3.3# of LME, so they usually balance out.