Did you know you can produce delicious beer from the comfort of your home, all with the help of just one product?

Homebrewing is a deliciously rewarding hobby, but it takes time and patience. Many people give up when they read about the equipment you need, and even more give up at the very start of their journey. But homebrewing doesn’t have to feel impossible, not when you can simplify the process with malt brewing extract.

Brewing with extract is one of the easiest ways to start. Why spend most of your time worrying about processing different grains and perfecting unique techniques when you can get all you need in a bag?

When you’re at the start of a new journey, patience and knowledge are key to an easy road ahead. Let’s explore the benefits of choosing malt extract for your first brewing project.

What Is Malt Extract?

To make beer, you need starch. Brewing grains such as barley, wheat, oats and rye contain complex carbohydrates, and during a process called germination, these grains produce enzymes that help break them down into sugars.

Malt extracts are specialised formulas that are made from germinated grains. So, with malt extract you don’t need to perform the complex process of preparing, crushing, germinating and mashing the grains.

Making beer with malt brewing extract also allows you to get an even beer texture each time you make your homebrewed beer.

Because most people get weary when starting their homebrewing journey, removing some of the lengthy, bothersome processes provides a smoother start and an easier road ahead.

Types of Brewing Malt Extract

Malt extracts offer a simplified, much smoother process for brewing beer at home. Because these extracts have become so popular among home brewers and commercial brewers alike, there is often a debate about which of the two types, dry or liquid extract, is better.

Let’s explore the two popular types of extract for you to decide which one better suits your needs.

Dry Malt Extract (DME)

Although both types of extract contain some moisture, dry extract contains far less than its liquid variant. Dry extract contains only about 1-2% moisture and comes in the form of a powder.

Because this form of brewing extract has a long shelf life, it’s widely favoured by both beginner and professional brewers. When you store dry extract in a cool, well-ventilated environment, it can retain its quality for over two years.

DME is perfect for beginners because it’s incredibly easy to work with. Because it’s dry, you can easily measure it and pour as much as you’d like. On the other hand, LME is sticky and can be more difficult for beginners to work with.

Dry malt is adaptable and perfect for use in both small batches and larger quantities. It is also incredibly versatile, being available in a wide variety of colours and flavours, allowing you to customise your beer batch in great detail.

Liquid Malt Extract (LME)

Liquid malt extract contains about 20% moisture, and as the name suggests, it comes in a liquid form. Just like dry malt, this variant also has its special qualities and benefits.

LME is often credited with providing the final product with a richer flavour profile. This is mostly due to the fact that LME is less processed than dry extract. If you’re in search of a product that will give your beer a rich, flavourful profile, then liquid extract seals the deal.

This type of extract usually comes ready to use, meaning you just need to open it and pour it with your other ingredients. This saves you the time and skills it takes to dissolve and integrate the malt into the wort. If you’re a beginner, then this quality can be extremely beneficial for you.

Although liquid malt has a shorter shelf life than its dry variant, it’s still often a more attractive choice because of its lower price, especially when purchased in bulk.

Benefits of Brewing with Extract

Brewing beer is often a lengthy and tiresome process. As fun as it can be to go through all the steps and enjoy the final product, sometimes you don’t have the time to prepare all the grains yourself. Malt extracts save time and energy and make the overall brewing experience more pleasant.

Here are some of the benefits malt provides if you decide to go with an extract when brewing your batch!

Time Savers

Extracts are the ultimate time savers. Beer brewing requires you to mash and prepare your grains before you even begin the beer brewing process. A high-quality malt extract skips all those steps.

The original process of preparing beer calls for an extremely distinct and delicate process called germination. This can take hours to finish, not to mention the cleaning that you’ll have to do. An extract brew, however, will be finished in as little as two hours, making it the ultimate choice for brewing on a strict schedule.

Less Messy

Because all-grain beer brewing requires a lot of equipment, the process is usually extremely messy. This means that not only will you have to spend hours brewing your beverage, you’ll also have a huge mess to clean after you’re done.

Brewing with malt cuts the equipment you need in half. You can pretty much get away with using only one regular large kitchen pot, and you can wash that in under a minute. So, if you decide to use an extract, in theory you’ll only need one pot and no additional brewing equipment to mess up.

Consistent Result

When your brewing process doesn’t depend on how your mashed grains turn out, you get a smoother and much richer final result.

Homemade mash doesn’t always end up like you want it to. Sometimes it’s smooth, and sometimes it’s odd and lumpy. However, store-bought malt is always the same. This means that your final batch will be deliciously the same each time you repeat the recipe.

It’s much easier to get the motivation to start your brewing journey when you know the result will be rich, flavourful and reflect your hard work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, malt extracts are one of the most beginner-friendly tools in the alcohol brewing industry. Although mostly associated with brewing beer, they are great for ales, whiskey, and various fruit beers, perfect for every beer lover out there. It’s much easier to get started on a new hobby when you know there is something that can lighten the load of all the work that awaits. Why spend hours perfecting fermentation techniques, mashing grains, and letting the enzymes break down the molecules into sugars when you can get all that in a bag? Make your life easier and enjoy your homebrewing hobbies much more with the right malt brewing extract for your needs.