Today we look at a method for malt extract brewers that can improve the quality and color of your extract beer. Both liquid and dried malt extract beers suffer from an effect called carmelization when brewing. Carmelization occurs when liquid extract or excess sugars settle to the bottom of the brew pot during the boil and the sugars carmelize (harden) in the bottom of the pot.

This typically darkens the beer, and in extreme cases can also affect the taste of the beer. Obviously this is a problem for brewers of light colored beers. The effect is also common in high gravity beers in small brew pots because of the higher proportion of extract to water when boiling.

To avoid the ill effects of carmelization, malt extract brewers should delay the addition of the majority of their extracts until late in the boiling process. The extract must be added late enough in the boil to avoid carmelization, but early enough to assure that the extract is sterilized. Boiling the extract for about 15 minutes is a good balance.

I recommend adding a small amount of malt extract (perhaps 15-25%) early in the boil if using separate hops. The sugars and enzymes in the extract aid in extracting alpha acids (bitterness) from the hops. Boiling hops with a small amount of extract will result in smoother hop flavors and appropriate bitterness that you cant achieve with plain water alone.

Late extract additions do present one challenge for the brewer. Late extract additions increase the bitterness of the beer. Predicting the International Bitterness Units (IBUs) of late extract additions to match your target style is mathematically complex. Most brewing software and spreadsheets are simply not designed to handle multiple hop and late malt extract additions in the boil. The gravity and bitterness of the boil will vary with each ingredient added.

To do the calculation by hand you would need to calculate the gravity of the boil at each stage, bitterness contribution from each hop addition taking this gravity into account and then combine these into one overall IBU number for the brew. To compensate, some brewers use a rule of thumb such as reduce hops by 20% when using late extract brews. Another method is to calculate the hops addition without the late extract and then add 5-10% more hops to compensate for lower utilization during the last 15 minutes of the boil.

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Many homebrewers will begin or have begun their homebrewing careers by using malt extract. Your extract is basically a concentrated wort, and by using it, the mashing step of brewing can be deleted.

It can be used alone as the backbone of your homebrew, or supplemented (recommended) with grains (either steeping or mashing). Hopped malt extract is typically called a kit, and comes complete with hop extracts added to them. I recommend using unhopped malt extract, and developing your own hop characteristics using your own hop schedule in your homebrew.

Malt extract usually comes in two forms..
Syrup (the liquid form, LME) or a dry powder (dry malt extract, DME). Its basically made by removing most of the water from a sweet wort by a vacuuming process. Extract is made using very sophisticated machinery and processes. LME is about 20% water, and DME virtually has no water content at all. DME has a better shelf life due to lack of water content, and LME ages significantly faster and also turns darker as it ages.

Dont think for a minute that you cant make excellent beer using malt extract!

Personally I have made several beers that have scored well and/or have WON in homebrew competitions using malt extract. Also, many fellow brewers in my homebrew club also have made great beers with extract also.

However, it does have its limits. It is tough to brew a very light or pale colored beer (like a Pilsner or other light lager) using extract, because it will caramelize and darken some when boiled. When extract is produced, the wort is heated for a long period of time, so in a way the darkening process has already begun when malt extract is manufactured.

To brew a light colored beer using extract
shorten the boil time to about 45 minutes total, increase the hopping rates a little to compensate, and use the lightest dry malt extract possible. It may take some experimentation, but I took first place with a Blond Ale that scored in the 40s at a BJCP sanctioned homebrew competition with this method.

The key is: make sure the extract you are using is fresh!

There are several different types and brands of extract. Muntons, Laaglander, and Briess are just a few of the different brands out there. Flavor, color, and fermentability all differ between brands. Colors usually range from Extra-light to Extra Dark depending on the manufacturer. I recommend using the lightest extract possible, and building the color of your homebrew by adding the appropriate grains for the specific style you are brewing.

As far as fermentability is concerned, Laaglander is known to finish with more dextrins (fuller body), while Muntons ferments out a little more and may leave a lighter body. It all depends on what style you are brewing, and your personal preferences. Every malt extract brand also contributes different points per gallon in figuring out gravities for devising recipes. Experiment with each brand until you find something that suits your preference.

As a general rule however
1 pound of DME roughly equals 1.2 pounds of LME. On the flip side, 1 pound of LME roughly equals about 0.8 pounds of DME. So, you need more liquid malt extract to achieve the same gravity that less dry malt extract would. 5 pounds of DME will give approximately the same original gravity as 6 pounds of LME. Again, this is all estimation, so experiment with different brands and stick with one or two that are the most consistent and works the best for you.

To look at it another way
dry malt extract also contributes more points per gallon (ppg). DME has about 44 ppg (this will vary between manufacturers), while LME has about 37 (again will vary with manufacturer). For example, one pound of dry malt extract in one gallon of water will yield an approximate original gravity of 1.044. Therefore, a 5 gallon recipe with 6 pounds of DME will yield an original gravity of approximately 1.052 (6 lbs. DME X 44 ppg=264 points, 264 points/5 gallons=52=1.052).

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