Bulk Extract Prices

[BeerBelly]

Has any used the Muntons DME or LME? I found it in bulk for 1.93/lb DME and 1.51/lb LME. Should I be checking the expiration dates?

[Tweek]

I suppose if it has an expiration date it might be worth checking. I wouldnt stress too much it is a sugar, which is a preservative.

[YamahaXS]

i think i have used muntons DME. its good product imo. where'd you get that price, and how much do you have to buy?

[BeerBelly]

http://homebrewwholesale.com/specials.asp
55 pounds Dry
33 Liquid

[mortong]

Depending on where you are, shipping will cost $20-35 to ship UPS. That bumps it up to about $2.55/# ($3.94/# including tax at my LHBS). That's a total of $140 vs. $217.

That's a pretty decent savings on just under 10 batches. Might be worth a shot.

I use Muntons on most of my batches, and I'm happy with it.

[ray m]

Munton's is good product.....that's the only brand of DME my LHBS sells. They sell the LME in big drums, and I don't know what brand that is.

Sounds to me like you're getting a pretty good deal on that bulk.

[S.F.B.]

I use the Munton's DME. It gives me good results. If you can get it at that price I would jump on it. The best I can do locally is 2.60/lb for the dry.

[thewiz]

I live between Chico and Sacramento.... my LHBS in Chico didn't seem to excited about ordering big bags, but I saw one go out the other day...

however I went to a LHBS in Sac and they had 33lb liquid pails and could get 55# bags for similar pricing.... it might be worth asking your LHBS. Might save you the shipping since they are likely to send it via truck on a larger order....

[Beerconnoisseur]

Originally posted by BeerBelly
Should I be checking the expiration dates?

You should. Sugars can be consumed by yeast, bacteria, etc. and even if this doesn't happen, old extract can lead to "soapy" flavors in beer. Or so I have read.

[unkle bik]

Unless you plan on making beer consistently (batch every week), bulk purchases can go bad.
Case in point. The "Barberton Brewing Co." purchased a 3 gal. pail of Munton's light malt extract for about $32. We were making a batch every month. Made two batches and the remainder of extract sat for about 3 weeks. Mold grew on the top. Had to discard the rest. So unless you make many batches and/or have a nitrogen blanket, you may be losing money in the long run.
If you are active in howebrewing & brew several times a month, then go ahead. It's money well spent as the cost drops considerably for bulk extract.
Just my opinion (& experience).

[kgaugler]

What if you break it down into smaller portions (say 5#) when you get it and seal and store the smaller bags correctly?

[unkle bik]

Originally posted by kgaugler
What if you break it down into smaller portions (say 5#) when you get it and seal and store the smaller bags correctly?

Then I suppose you wouldn't have any problem. It was liquid extract, though.
I imagine if I had the wife's bag sealer back then, I could have sealed even the liquid extract.

[tubetek]

Howdy All-
What I do (I live in the mountains so I bulk purchase) Whenever I open the LME, I put a few drops of 100proof vodka on top. The alcohol vapor keeps things from growing.
I wouldn't worry about a littlr mold, like honey, it only grows on the surface where condensation dilutes the extract. Scrape it off and boil away!
This is not to imply that extract can't get "old"...
Enjoy!!
TT

[unkle bik]

Yeah, what he said.

[thewiz]

Does anyone know how long the LME in a brew kit should last past the X-date? I realize the yeast is probably gone (I replace it anyways). My LBHS has out of date kits really cheap - I bought a few since the dates were like Jan 04, Dec 03, and Aug 04 (dented can). Plan on brewing all with in the next 4 weeks, but I'm just curious.... they occasionally have ones from like July 03 and I don't know if that's too old. (Yes, I brew from kits generally and modify them....)

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by thewiz
Does anyone know how long the LME in a brew kit should last past the X-date? I realize the yeast is probably gone (I replace it anyways). My LBHS has out of date kits really cheap - I bought a few since the dates were like Jan 04, Dec 03, and Aug 04 (dented can). Plan on brewing all with in the next 4 weeks, but I'm just curious.... they occasionally have ones from like July 03 and I don't know if that's too old. (Yes, I brew from kits generally and modify them....)

Let us know how they work out. Could be a good way to decrease per batch costs.

[thewiz]

so far so good.... 3 batches going.... the only one I'm not sure of is the one in the fermenter with the leaky lid (no seal)....it's always hard to tell since the airlock rarely seems to get started. Otherwise everything seems AOK.... will update later.