Liquid Malt Extract

Malt extract is an ingredient not only used in food production but also in making beer. In brewing, malt factors into many applications, including boosting the beer's gravity and initiating fermentation. Malt extracts for making beer are sourced from the finest brewing malts to provide beer with various flavours. If you have been brewing your beer for quite some time already, then you must have noticed that there are two types of malt extracts that you can use - liquid and dry malt extracts.

Making liquid malt extract is similar to an all-grain brew day; however, several different steps are involved. LME is a product that has had about 80% of its liquid removed while going through the evaporation process entirely.

The first process involves milling the malt (often done using roller mills) so that the sugars are ready to be released from the grain. Once ground, the barley is then mashed under various temperatures so that starch is broken down to allow for fermentation. Trub is a thick substance produced during the mash process that needs to be separated. You can separate the floating debris or trub from the liquid wort using filters such as a bazooka screen or false bottoms. The wort is then boiled further for various reasons such as sterilizing, coagulating proteins and volatilizing the DMS precursors that can affect the end product's flavour. It is then subjected to a severe trub separation before it is evaporated and cooled to create the liquid malt extract.

Making liquid malt extract may sound easy, but it requires precision, patience, and exceptional skills to get it right. However, understanding the process can help you better appreciate the things that go on in making beer. So if you are still practicing your skills, you can get prepared liquid malt extract so that you can make beer and practice your brewing skills at the same time. For your convenience at OntarioBeerKegs.com, we re-package liquid malt extract from large drums into convenient 3 lb or 33 lb containers.