Couple of noob questions

[Teufelhunde]

I brewed my fourth 5 gallons this morning, and I have come up with a couple of questions.

1) What is the practical difference between liquid malt extract and dry malt extract. One of the kits I brewed used exclusively dry whereas the others used exclusively liquid or both. I'm not talking about the obvious differences like one being a gooey sticky substance and the other being powder, but rather why use one over the other? Is there any appreciable difference in taste from one to the other, etc.

2) Should you stir your wort during the boil? I continue to stir mine every couple of minutes, figuring it can't hurt, but is it necessary to continue to stir once all the extract is absorbed and the boil is stabilized?

TIA for the input

Lon

 

[RPh_Guy]

Is there any appreciable difference in taste from one to the other, etc.

LME has a shorter shelf life -- it oxidizes and then contributes what's known as "extract twang"
DME is more difficult to handle since the powder goes everywhere.

Should you stir your wort during the boil?

Add the malt extract with about 10-15 minutes remaining in the boil. Turn off the heat before adding it. Stir it thoroughly until dissolved and then turn the heat on again.
Otherwise stirring isn't really necessary. Heat convection will keep the wort moving enough.

Cheers

 

[ike8228]

This is a great question, I am curious for the exact answer as well aside from the obvious.

The second part of your question, yes you should constantly stir when adding your extract at least the liquid. It is heavier than the water and will sink to the bottom. If you have a flame going it could carmelize and burn to the bottom. Don’t just stir, be sure to slide/scrap along the bottom in zig zag and circles and all kinds of directions to make sure. You don’t want the beer to taste burnt, or do you you?

I recommend soaking your cans, jugs, bags, etc of liquid extract in warm/hot water first to soften it up. It makes it match easier to get out (all of it) and mixes easier/faster.

 

[Dustin_J]

Pound-for-pound, DME also has higher extract (i.e., "sugar") than LME too as it's more concentrated. Just something to keep in mind if swapping between the two in a given recipe.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

What is the practical difference between liquid malt extract and dry malt extract.

• http://blog.brewingwithbriess.com/secrets-to-keeping-your-liquid-extracts-fresh/ has a graph that shows changes in color as LME is stored at various temperatures. If not stored "properly", it can go stale quickly.
• There's more information the presentations "Wort and Malt Extract Color Development" and "Applications of Malt Extract in Brewing" at http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Malting101/Technical_Presentations.htm
• I have read (The Everything Homebrewing Book, Simple Homebrewing, occasional topics in forums other than HBT), but haven't been able to confirm, that fresh LME is better than fresh DME. I can't get LME fresh, so I don't use it.

 

[AzOr]

I got fed up brewing with lme. The taste would vary from batch to batch.
I later found out that it was probably due to oxidation. The inconsistency led me to all-grain. I always had better luck w dme.

Often brew stores purchase those huge blue barrels of lme so they often push that instead of dme.

 

[Tallgrass]

Add the malt extract with about 10-15 minutes remaining in the boil.

Cheers

You need some fermentable in there at 60min for proper hop utilization correct?
When I do all LME I just do half in the beginning the other half towards the end of boil.
LME seems to caramelize and darken more over the 60 minute boil compared to DME.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You need some fermentable in there at 60min for proper hop utilization correct?

That's a myth, as anyone who's made hop tea can attest.

 

[Tallgrass]

That's a myth, as anyone who's made hop tea can attest.

Interesting. Thanks. I'll give it a go the next time I do an extract.

 

[Teufelhunde]

You need some fermentable in there at 60min for proper hop utilization correct?
When I do all LME I just do half in the beginning the other half towards the end of boil.
LME seems to caramelize and darken more over the 60 minute boil compared to DME.

I am doing only recipe kits at this time (and likely will never do anything else (don't want this hobby to become WORK....LOL), and they have always specified to put at least some of the LME/DME in at the beginning of the boil, usually all of it......

YMMV

 

[tellyho]

LME has a shorter shelf life -- it oxidizes and then contributes what's known as "extract twang"
DME is more difficult to handle since the powder goes everywhere.


Add the malt extract with about 10-15 minutes remaining in the boil. Turn off the heat before adding it. Stir it thoroughly until dissolved and then turn the heat on again.
Otherwise stirring isn't really necessary. Heat convection will keep the wort moving enough.

Cheers

I had no idea people added extract at the end! Why boil, then? Just use hop shot and compress your boil to 15 minutes!

 

[Tallgrass]

I had no idea people added extract at the end! Why boil, then? Just use hop shot and compress your boil to 15 minutes!

I've done just that also adding pellet hops at 10, 5 and 0. Tasted good to me. You would have to do the conventional recipe also to see what if any difference there was.

 

[bleme]

I had no idea people added extract at the end! Why boil, then? Just use hop shot and compress your boil to 15 minutes!

I've also done no-boil. Just whirlpooled at 180F for 20 minutes.

 

[GnenieGone]

I've done no heat hefes. Add DME to RO water and a few chemicals. Boil an ounce of hops for a couple minutes on the side and add. Pitch yeast. One member I sent to in an HB trade said it was "exquisite". He **** his pants when I told how it was brewed! Ha!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Interesting. Thanks. I'll give it a go the next time I do an extract.

Full disclosure:
Some old timers have had mixed results because boiling in water actual increases hop utilization. It seems to work better with smaller volumes of water, e.g. partial boil. It seems most brewers have had good success with it though.

I routinely make hop teas for my beers in a very small volume (less than a liter) and get really excellent flavor from them.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Why boil, then? Just use hop shot and compress your boil to 15 minutes!

15 minute "Pale Ale"
* https://beerandwinejournal.com/15-minute-pale-ale/
* https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/15-minute-cascade-pale-ale.210253/
* https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/15-minute-boil.61335/
* https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/6loai2/anybody_have_any_luck_with_an_all_extract_wort/

"0" minute boil: Basic Brewing (radio/video) "Hop Sampler"
A periodic topic on the Basic Brewing Radio/Video podcast.

"no-boil" (generally hop steep at 180F for 20-30-ish minutes):
* https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/blasphemy-no-boil-neipa.660389/
* https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/no-boil-recipes-new-for-2019.660329/

 

[Saunassa]

I had no idea people added extract at the end! Why boil, then? Just use hop shot and compress your boil to 15 minutes!

If you are going to stay with kits get either the 3 gallon or 5 gallon 15 minute pale ale, great kit and I still buy it even if I am doing biab. I can whip out a 3 gallon batch including clean up during hour long lunch break.