Buying Bulk Extract

I currently Brew All-Grain and buy my grain in bulk, but I like the idea of extract/partial mash as it significantly shortens a brew day.

Has anyone else bought LME or DME in bulk like people do with grain? I am assuming it keeps well.

Comments/Rants?

Thanks in advance.

I only use grain, but LME is notorious for getting stale quickly. I would not stock much of it.

DME is the opposite. Apparently lasts indefinitely.

As in quick, what do you mean? I brew about 2x per month and would use a 6lb bottle each time, so a 6 pack would be three months if I did all extract.

Some people say grain goes stale quickly and other say it lasts for years stored correctly. If per say, I stored LME in the freezer, could I use it in a year?

I am not making the argument for cost benefit, more that I rarely get to a NB so I would pick up a case or so.

Hey Brans, I’m really not the best expert about extract. Someone else should chime in soon, but they say one of the number 1 faults with extract brews can be traced to older LME, and that it lends an off flavor, cardboardy I think I’ve heard?

The point was made strongly to me to go so far as to date-stamp check the lme, and avoid anything not super fresh.

I’m guessing from the jist of it, they were talking 1-3 mos…

Just a guess.

But I know the DME is very stable, and long lasting.

[quote=“brans041”]If per say, I stored LME in the freezer, could I use it in a year?[/quote]Why not buy a 50# bag of DME and portion it out, then freeze it?

Shadetree I like that idea, except that DME is 2x LME, so I guess I will stick with all grain.

DME is more expensive than LME perhaps due to being a larger volume purchased , but I think I was told before since it is dry, all water removed, 4lbs of DME is about equal to 6lbs LME.

Briess DME $135 50lbs = $2.70lb, if 4lbs DME= 6lbs LME that would be $10.80 a jug

NB LME 6 X 6lbs jugs is $90 so $15.00 a jug, or $80 so $13.33 a jug, depending which type.

Trying to compare same type DME to LME I used the $90 6x6 DME
50lbs DME/ 4lbs = 12.5 6lb jugs LME, so if 4lbs DME = 6lbs LME then actually though it cost more to buy a larger amount of DME you’d be saving about $4.20 a jug or $52.50 on 12.5 jugs.
Figuring same for the $80 6x6, you save about $2.53 a jug or $31.63 on 12.5 jugs

If you wanted that much at once and can store it, and if 4=6 is correct, then DME is actually much cheaper than LME

If you don’t want that much DME maybe you could split a bag with 1 or 2 people near you?

I’m too far and shipping kills me or I’d like to have about 16lbs DME at $2.70lb :mrgreen:

I did a 50# box of DME once. I broke it down to 3# bags and vacuum sealed it. I split it all with a buddy of mine. We did it way back when NB did 10% off your entire order. It was a pain, but definitely saved some money. I used it all within 4 or so months, so everything stayed fresh enough.

As a note…don’t separate it in your living room. Everything was sticky from the DME that got into the air. Wife was quite happy!

Also, if you live in a condo, or somewhere where people can walk by your window and see you doing this, close your blinds. At one point we realized that it looked like we were measuring out coke! Still surprised the cops never showed up with the nosy neighbors I had then!

[quote=“CCM”]
Also, if you live in a condo, or somewhere where people can walk by your window and see you doing this, close your blinds. At one point we realized that it looked like we were measuring out coke! Still surprised the cops never showed up with the nosy neighbors I had then![/quote]

Reminds me of last week when I went and picked up 3 zip lock backs of fresh dried hops and tossed them on my car seat and drove home. Out of the corner of my eye, looked just like something else, buds and all. I found myself throwing a coat over them to avoid any hassle. Then a friend got in my car and asked “what is that smell?” :cheers:

Thanks, that is good info for ratios. I appreciate that.

[quote=“CCM”]Also, if you live in a condo, or somewhere where people can walk by your window and see you doing this, close your blinds. At one point we realized that it looked like we were measuring out coke![/quote]I do bulk hops buys and sell in one-lb increments, which is about a quart for pellets, so I sit and weigh one at a time and pour into quart freezer bags and seal them up. When I’m done, the table is covered in bags of green. Then people come by my house with money in hand and go out carrying baggies - sometimes we do the exchange on the porch just for fun. So far, no cops, probably because my neighorhood isn’t one where people spy out their windows, but I figure it’ll happen at some point.

It is more expensive to get extract, but you have to think of it in terms of time savings and repeatability. I’ve been brewing all grain for about 3 years now, but I’m thinking about switching back to extract brewing, to simplify and shorten the brew day, plus I’ve been having frustrations with water chemistry, and many of the nuances of all grain brewing. Extract brewing is so simple and easy. It’s like using canned tomatoes to make salsa instead of fresh tomatoes. Canned tomatoes will make delicious salsa just as fresh ones will. What’s the big deal?

I’ve been thinking about doing partial/extraxt during the winter, mainly because I use the garden hose to chill in the garage. Last weekend, it was frozen, so I had to carry the boiling wort back inside and chill it from the sink faucet. With partial/extract, I could just do it all right there.