The Brewing Process - Extract
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The Brewing Process
Extract
Extract with Steeping
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Extract

Concentrated wort or malt extract is commercially available and can be used alone or in combination with grain homebrewing. Homebrewing kits are also available and they usually provide a malt extract (infused with hops for flavor) which can be fermented upon dilution with water and in many cases, the addition of some sugar or some other kind of basic, fermentable carbohydrate.

Using malt extract is what makes homebrewing simple. Malt extract is the concentrated sugars extracted from malted barley. It is sold in both the liquid and powdered forms. The syrups are approximately 20 percent water, so 4 pounds of dry malt extract (DME) is roughly equal to 5 pounds of malt extract syrup. Malt extract is available in both the Hopped and Unhopped varieties. Munton & Fison, Alexanders, Coopers, Edme and Premier are all good brands. Using Unhopped extract requires you to add 1-2 ounces of hops during the boil for bittering and flavor. Hops may also be added to the Hopped extracts towards the end of the boil to add more hop character to the final beer.


The rule of thumb is 1 pound of malt extract (syrup) per gallon of water for a light-bodied beer. One and a half pounds per gallon produces a richer, fuller-bodied beer. One pound of malt extract syrup typically yields a gravity of 1.034 - 38 when dissolved in one gallon of water. Dry malt will yield about 1.040 - 43. Malt extract is commonly available in Pale, Amber and Dark varieties, and can be mixed depending on the style of beer desired. Wheat malt extract is also available and more new extracts for specific beer styles (like Stouts) are coming out each year. With the variety of extract now available, there is almost no beer style that cannot be brewed using extract alone.

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