Malt extract amount ? (beyond LME/DME ratio)

[Uncle Joe]

Well, I did a search and thought I found my answer, but I didn't. I am curious why my LHBS only carries 3 pound extract bags, whereas the past two kits from homebrewers.com I have gotten came with 7lb bags. I thought one may be LME and one DME, but the proportions are way out of whack even still. Whats the deal, yo? Thanks

[BrewDog]

Some stores sell Dry Malt Extract (DME) in factory packaged bags. These are usually 1 or 3 lb bags. Others sell from bulk quantities and therefore must package it themselves in whatever size they want. For kits, they may make odd size packages so that you only get 1 bag for convenience. The 7lb bags you described sound like this to me.

Liquid Malt Extract (LME) can come either in factory made cans (usually name brands like John Bull, Munton's or Alexander's) or something else. The factory made cans are often from overseas, so they are often packaged in metric units. 1.5 kilos is a common size, giving the common 3.3 lb cans of syrup.

If they are selling bulk extract syrup, it can be packaged in whatever the store wants to sell it in, like the 'milk jugs' that Norther Brewer uses, or the 6lb plastic jars that my LHBS uses.

So, It all comes down to the type of the product factory packaged vs. bulk. Repackaging of bulk turns it into the choice of the store.

HTH-