Cheaper ways of buying malt extract

[SamWise72]

I'm very new to all this, and in the last couple of weeks have busied myself knocking up juice wines, turbo cider and ginger beer in some demijohns I've borrowed for my Old Ma. The time is fast coming to buy a fermenting bucket and make some ale, however, and since I'm a long way in terms of time or money from knocking up an AG rig, extract it'll be.

A quick peruse of the internet tells me that 1 kg packets of spray malt are quite an expensive commodity however. The Malt Miller has them cheaper, and it strikes me that a good approach is to buy his 5 gallon LME for £53, and then some packs of amber and dark as needed (along of course with hops and speciality grains). My question is, will the LME keep (it'll take me a while to use what must be 8 brews worth), and/or, is there anywhere I can buy spraymalt in bulk for similar prices?

I know you're going to tell me to come over to the dark side, but I have work about 85 hours in a typical week, and don't have a stack of cash (I know those things shouldn't go together), so I don't have the cash to buy shiny, nor the time to build my own (or really to spend all day on an AG). So 15l stockpot (already owned) and extract it is!

 

[graysalchemy]

I used extract for my first few brews with good results and yes I bought malt extract in bulk too. Unfortunately the call of the darkside won me over after 2 brews. :lol: :lol:

 

[SamWise72]

So......will 23 litres of LME keep for a reasonable length of time? Even if I brewed once every two weeks, it would be 4 months. I see myself brewing a 5 galloner maybe once every 3-4 weeks, and experimenting with 1 gallon brews in between, so it'd need to still be good for 4 months really.

 

[Springer]

I agree with Grays, but I did a few more brews before I went over. It depends what you want to achieve, but I wouldn't get to large a stock in until you know where you are going.
Nothing wrong with extract brewing If you want to get a cheaper brew and with limitless choice of what you brew, AG is the way forward :)

 

[graysalchemy]

It should last a while, mine lasted a couple of months, mind you I was doing 50l brew lengths.

:thumb:

AG

 

[borischarlton]

The extract is supplied to me with about 1 year as a best before. They will not give an official answer to how long it will last once opened however it was said that if it was kept dark and airtight it should still be ok for the year. It is supplied as a bag in a box with a big cap on it, after it is opened it is easy to squash the air out.

Rob

 

[SamWise72]

A year would definitely be enough. As far as I can see, pale is part of almost anything you might brew, even lots of stouts, so I think it'd be useful regardless. I guess that given the time of year, I'll be starting brewing paler, summer things anyway. I feel like coming home and drinking big chewy stouts and porters, or spicy winter warmers, but by the time any of those was ready, spring would be in the air! It's looking like the 5 gallons of pale is taking the lead.

 

[commsbiff]

Would freezing ruin it? :hmm: If not, you could split it into single batches using plastic pop bottles and defrost as required.

 

[SamWise72]

That's a good idea, and I can't see why it would damage it. Our freezer is almost always stuffed, however, and would have trouble holding 5 gallons worth of plastic pop bottles even if empty! Sounds like keeping it out of the light should be enough though.