25kg Malt Extract

[Sleak]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has bought a big 25kg bottle? of malt extract and if so what they used it for in terms of brewing.
From what I've read you can make ~40 pints per 3kg so you can make 333~ pints of beer from a 25kg bottle of malt extract that costs around £70? (I've seen some sites with it cheaper but they had sold out).
Is it a good idea to buy one of these 25kg containers of malt extract and using it for some budget homebrew?

Thank you

 

[MickDundee]

Is this liquid extract? If so you would have the issue of how to keep it fresh once opened. Dry extract doesn’t have the same issue.

 

[Sleak]

Is this liquid extract? If so you would have the issue of how to keep it fresh once opened. Dry extract doesn’t have the same issue.

Yes I was looking at liquid extract, freshness is a good point. From what you've said dry extract might be a better option?

 

[terrym]

Cheap does not necessarily mean good. I have used cheap unbranded LME before and ended up with twangy beer. So I dont use LME any more, good or bad. I use DME and have no issues. And I am not sure of the shelf life of LME once opened.

 

[Sleak]

Cheap does not necessarily mean good. I have used cheap unbranded LME before and ended up with twangy beer. So I dont use LME any more, good or bad. I use DME and have no issues. And I am not sure of the shelf life of LME once opened.

How do you brew with DME, just DME, water and some hops? any recommended recipes or anything you've enjoyed?
Also do you have any good vendor recommendations for DME?

 

[Clint]

Going back to the liquid stuff....if you had the space,could it be frozen in batch size?

 

[Sleak]

Going back to the liquid stuff....if you had the space,could it be frozen in batch size?

Sounds like an interesting idea... I wonder if it would change at all after being frozen

 

[MyQul]

Going back to the liquid stuff....if you had the space,could it be frozen in batch size?

I believe it could. I portioned off 1L of my wort before pitching and frozen it to use as a starter. It was fine when I defrosted it. You'd need a big chest freezer for 25kg of LME though

 

[Sleak]

After looking online my reading suggest liquid malt extract stays good for 2-3 months after opening...
If I brewed 4kg at a time that would be around 6 brews so if I pushed it with my 2 brew buckets I reckon I could brew it all before it went bad (maybe I could freeze 4kg to stop me from rushing?) my only problem would be bottling that much beer!

 

[An Ankoù]

Looking back through my notes from 1999, 2000, I see that I had a phase of a few years of extract brewing (kids entering teens and need to cut down brew time) I used Brewpaks Pale Malt extract in 25 Kg plastic jerry can shaped container. I never had any trouble with it going off and, indeed, I wouldn't expect to as the quantity of sugar is preservative in itself. That's why we have jam!.
I've just been on the Brewpaks website and I see it is made for them by Muntons. While Muntons do a 25Kg of extract, the stuff that comes from Muntons via Brewpaks is unique to Brewpaks. Here's the Muntons:
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/25kg-pale-light-malt-liquid-extract-cedarex-muntons-p-2428.htmlI stopped using extract after a massive price hike. I think it had been zero rated as a foodstuff and then the VAT people changed their minds, but I might be wrong about that.
Here's what Brewpaks say:
Brupaks malt extracts are produced for us by Muntons from the finest quality brewing grade malts using traditional brew-house procedures. We believe them to be the best in the world. Beers rivaling the best ‘mashed’ brews can be produced using our extracts. In fact they are already winning national competitions against mashers.

These extracts are exclusive to Brupaks and are not available under the Muntons label. They are available in both 1.5kg cans and 15kg jerricans.
http://brupaks.com/malt-extract

 

[terrym]

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/a-simple-guide-to-extract-brewing.75501/
And as a reminder cheap unbranded LME might produce twangy beer. You have no way of knowing this until you tried your first batch. I would certainly be mightily peed off if I had bought 25kg of LME and found it produced something I wasn't too keen on drinking. What are you going to do with the rest of it, make 1000 malt loaves?

 

[Rodcx500z]

25kg sack of grain = 30 quid or less, use the the other 40 buy a pot from wilko a cheap bag and get brewing on the stove top

 

[Sleak]

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/a-simple-guide-to-extract-brewing.75501/
And as a reminder cheap unbranded LME might produce twangy beer. You have no way of knowing this until you tried your first batch. I would certainly be mightily peed off if I had bought 25kg of LME and found it produced something I wasn't too keen on drinking. What are you going to do with the rest of it, make 1000 malt loaves?

I was looking at Muntons stuff and from what I know they're quite trusted?

 

[terrym]

I was looking at Muntons stuff and from what I know they're quite trusted?

When I did kits the only kits that had any sign of twang were produced by Muntons. Which is why I stopped brewing Muntons kits. Coopers kits fine. Others may have found differently.

 

[Sleak]

When I did kits the only kits that had any sign of twang were produced by Muntons. Which is why I stopped brewing Muntons kits. Coopers kits fine. Others may have found differently.

Do you have any recommendations for LME or DME? (and where to purchase from?)
I'd love to do AG brewing but I really don't have the space at the moment

 

[prog99]

I think unless you have capacity to store all that beer you’ll struggle to get through it all without it going off (been there before)

 

[An Ankoù]

I was looking at Muntons stuff and from what I know they're quite trusted?

I've used Brewpaks which is made by Muntons, but I haven't used Muntons. Muntons was one of the first on the homebrew scene and has a good reputation. Why not get a smaller quantity, first, to try out? I think you said 3Kg for your recipe. One thing I have read repeatedly from the American homebrew books is that the fresher the extract the better it tastes. Don't go buying up out-of-date stock on the cheap.

 

[MyQul]

Do you have any recommendations for LME or DME? (and where to purchase from?)
I'd love to do AG brewing but I really don't have the space at the moment

You seem to have space for 25kg of LME, so I'm assuming youve space for a 25kg sack. Add to that a 15L pot and you can do 10L brews on your cooker hob

 

[Sleak]

You seem to have space for 25kg of LME, so I'm assuming youve space for a 25kg sack. Add to that a 15L pot and you can do 10L brews on your cooker hob

Do you know where I could get a 15l pot/kettle?
Could I do 2 lots of mash and then combine them in my current brew bucket rather than doing a smaller 10L brew?
Thank you for your help :)

 

[Clint]

Wilko or try the various HB shops online..