How long to boil DME?

[rhys333]

Can someone advise how long I should boil DME? I've heard everything from 1 minute to 60 minutes. I recall from the Charlie Papazian book, the recommendation was up to 60 minutes boil. Is this necessary, and does it affect the quality of the finished beer?

 

[Yooper]

Can someone advise how long I should boil DME? I've heard everything from 1 minute to 60 minutes. I recall from the Charlie Papazian book, the recommendation was up to 60 minutes boil. Is this necessary, and does it affect the quality of the finished beer?

DME actually doesn't need to boil at all. It's the hops in the wort that need to boil for isomerization.

If you have a recipe that includes DME, you could add the majority of it at flame out and that would be a good thing.

 

[rhys333]

If you have a recipe that includes DME, you could add the majority of it at flame out and that would be a good thing.

So is it best to not boil the DME at all?

 

[unionrdr]

I prefer to use plain DME in the boil,as it's less prone to caramelization than LME. But I normally use about half a 3lb bag of plain DME in a partial boil. Adding the remainder at flame out with all the LME to keep colors lighter,& flavors cleaner. This also helps hop utilization as well. Since extracts have already ben through a boil during creation,they can be safely added to the still boiling hot wort at flame out. Since pasteurization happens at about 160F,just mix thoroughly,cover & steep for a few minutes & Bob's your uncle.

 

[BansheeRider]

If you have a recipe with both LME and DME I normally add the DME at the beginning and the LME in the last 5 min. But as others have said, LME and DME does not need to be boiled for the full 60 min, or at all. Some helps in the beginning for hop utilization.