homebrewandbeer.com

do lighter malts contain more fermentable sugars than darker malts?? for example if i use a generic Dry Light Malt Extract, will i have a thiner, higher alc. beer than using a Dry Dark Malt Extract??

cheers, keep it reel

No, not noticably.

Dogger

I only know that liquid malt does not ferment down as much as dry malt.

Dry malt ferments further and gives more alcohol by volume (as in 1kg of dry ferments out more than 1kg of liquid malt)

Wassa wrote:Dry malt ferments further and gives more alcohol by volume (as in 1kg of dry ferments out more than 1kg of liquid malt)

That'd be because liquid malt already contains water, so dry malt contains more fermentables per given weight.

Oliver

Thanks Oliver, I couldn't think of the reason.....mustn't have had enough Tooheys Old last night and the brains not functioning correctly today.

Is that the only difference between dry & liquid malt

Tipsy wrote:Is that the only difference between dry & liquid malt

Apparently liquid malt can go off past its use by date and develop bad odours. Im not sure dry malt even has a use by date.

NTRabbit wrote:

Tipsy wrote:Is that the only difference between dry & liquid malt

Apparently liquid malt can go off past its use by date and develop bad odours. Im not sure dry malt even has a use by date.

Would the taste be the same though assuming they are both light malts?It's just that I find dry malt easier to use.

Tipsy wrote:Is that the only difference between dry & liquid malt

Some people will tell you that liquid malt is darker when rehydrated than it was before it was condensed. With dry malt you don't have this issue.

I've never really taken much notice. Plus, with dark malt extract it's not an issue anyway.

Oliver

There is an issue if the process are different from one malter to another, then you would see differences

Dogger

NTRabbit wrote:I'm not sure dry malt even has a use by date.

Yes it does. Well, the Cooper's LDM has a date of some description on it. Can't recall if it's a "use by" or a "best before", but being a foodstuff, at least in Australia, it does have to be dated.

Tony

Tony wrote:Cooper's LDM has a date of some description on it. Can't recall if it's a "use by" or a "best before", but being a foodstuff, at least in Australia, it does have to be dated.

Is it correct that if it has a shelf life of more than two years (and I guess therefore in some cases indefinite) it can has a "best before" date, but if its shelf life is less than two years it must have a "use-by" date?

Oliver

Just found this about Australia's and New Zealand's food labelling laws at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfil ... ng0917.pdf

Manufacturers must apply a "best-before" date unless the food needs to be consumed within a certain period because of health or safety reasons. In such circumstances, the food must be date-marked with a "use-by" date.

Foods that are date-marked with a "best-before" date can continue to be sold after that date provided the food is not damaged, deteriorated or perished.

Foods that are date-marked with a "use-by" date are prohibited from being sold after this date because the food may then pose a health or safety risk.

... Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks must be date-marked if they have a shelf life of less than two years ...

What is a "best-before" date?
A "best-before" date is the last date on which a food can be expected to retain all of its quality attributes, provided that it has been stored in accordance with any stated storage conditions.

Quality attributes include things such as colour, taste, texture and flavour, as well as any specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made. For example, the freshness of the food or certain vitamin levels.

A food that has passed its "best-before" date may still be perfectly safe to consume, but its quality may have diminished.

It is an offence under New Zealand and Australian State and Territory Food Acts to sell food that is damaged, deteriorated or perished at any time, regardless of whether the food is within its specified date mark or not.

What is a "use-by" date?
A "use-by" date is the last date on which the food may be consumed safely, provided that it has been stored in accordance with any stated storage conditions. After this date, the food should not be consumed because of health or safety reasons.

The "use-by" date is restricted to those foods where there may be a health or safety issue.