Light Malt Extract for Better Beer & Healthy Yeast Starters
Add fermentable malt sugars, light malt flavour and improved body to your beer with Light Dried Malt Extract, commonly known as LDME.
Made from malted barley, Light Dried Malt Extract provides a convenient alternative to liquid malt extract or brewing sugar. It can improve malt character, mouthfeel and head retention without adding excessive colour or heavy caramel flavours.
Available in 500g and 1kg packs for extract brewing, partial-mash recipes, recipe adjustments and yeast starters.
Why You'll Love It
-
Light and clean malt character
-
Adds fermentable malt sugars
-
Improves beer body and mouthfeel
-
Supports better foam and head retention
-
Adds less colour than darker malt extracts
-
Suitable for extract and partial-mash brewing
-
Ideal for preparing yeast starters
-
Easy to weigh, store and dissolve
-
Available in 500g and 1kg packs
Flavour Profile
Light Dried Malt Extract provides a mild, clean malt flavour with subtle cereal, bread and light honey notes.
Its pale colour and restrained flavour make it suitable for a wide range of beer styles where additional fermentables and malt character are required without introducing the darker caramel or roasted flavours found in darker malt extracts.
What's Included?
Choose from:
-
500g Light Dried Malt Extract
-
1kg Light Dried Malt Extract
The selected quantity is packed and supplied ready for brewing.
How to Use
Light Dried Malt Extract can be added during the boil when making extract beer, supplementing an all-grain recipe or increasing the original gravity of a wort.
Remove the brewing pot from direct heat before stirring in the extract. Add it gradually while stirring thoroughly to reduce clumping and prevent the powder from sticking or scorching.
Return the wort to the heat once the extract has completely dissolved and continue with your recipe.
Always calculate the required quantity according to your recipe, target gravity and batch volume.
How Do I Make a Yeast Starter with LDME?
A common starting ratio is approximately 100g of Light Dried Malt Extract per litre of water.
Dissolve the extract completely, boil the starter wort, cool it to the correct pitching temperature and transfer it into a properly sanitised starter vessel before adding the yeast.
The exact quantity can be adjusted to achieve the starter gravity required for your yeast and recipe.
Can Light Dried Malt Extract Replace Brewing Sugar?
Yes. LDME can replace some or all of the brewing sugar in many extract beer recipes.
Unlike plain sugar, dried malt extract contributes malt flavour, body and proteins that support better mouthfeel and head retention. It may also leave a slightly fuller finish in the completed beer.
What Beer Styles Can I Use It In?
Light Dried Malt Extract is suitable for:
-
Pale ales
-
India pale ales
-
Lagers
-
Pilsners
-
Wheat beers
-
Blonde ales
-
Golden ales
-
Kölsch-style beers
-
Belgian ales
-
Recipe kits requiring additional malt
Its light colour also makes it a useful fermentable base for recipes where the specialty grains, hops or yeast should provide most of the flavour.
Can I Add LDME to Increase Alcohol Content?
Yes. Adding Light Dried Malt Extract increases the amount of fermentable material in the wort and can raise the beer’s original gravity and potential alcohol content.
The addition should be calculated carefully so the finished beer remains balanced and the yeast receives an appropriate pitching rate.
Does Light Dried Malt Extract Contain Diastatic Enzymes?
No. This is a non-diastatic malt extract and does not contain sufficient active enzymes to convert the starches in unmalted or unmashed grain.
The sugars within the malt extract have already been produced during manufacture, allowing the powder to be dissolved directly into brewing water or wort.
What Is the Difference Between Dried and Liquid Malt Extract?
Dried Malt Extract is a concentrated malt powder, while Liquid Malt Extract retains more water and has a syrup-like consistency.
Dried extract is easy to weigh, has a longer storage life when kept dry and allows precise recipe adjustments. Both provide malt-derived fermentables for brewing.
How Should LDME Be Stored?
Keep the malt extract sealed in a cool, dry location away from heat and moisture.
Dried Malt Extract readily absorbs moisture from the air, which can cause it to harden and clump. Reseal the packet immediately after measuring if the full quantity is not being used.
Why Buy from Border Brewing Supplies?
Border Brewing Supplies stocks malt extracts, brewing sugars and beer-making ingredients for home brewers throughout Tweed Heads, the Gold Coast, Northern Rivers, Brisbane and the wider Queensland–New South Wales border region.
Shop online for Australia-wide delivery or select Click & Collect from our Tweed Heads South home brew shop.
Recommended Products
For your next brew or yeast starter, consider adding:
-
Brewing yeast
-
Yeast nutrient
-
Erlenmeyer flask
-
Magnetic stir plate
-
Hydrometer
-
Brewing sanitiser
-
Hops and specialty grains
