Dark DME

[ChairmanDrew]

I recently added some dark DME in a supplies order as it was available and relatively cheap. But I've only just started to wonder what the purpose of it actually is.

Is it just the same as light DME, but adds colour? Or will it also contribute to the flavour typically expected of dark beers?

[Classic Brewing Co]

17 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I recently added some dark DME in a supplies order as it was available and relatively cheap. But I've only just started to wonder what the purpose of it actually is.

Is it just the same as light DME, but adds colour? Or will it also contribute to the flavour typically expected of dark beers?

My understanding it is used mainly to compliment Dark Ales, Porters & Stouts, it doesn't mean you can't use it for lighter beers.

[Aussiekraut]

15 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I recently added some dark DME in a supplies order as it was available and relatively cheap. But I've only just started to wonder what the purpose of it actually is.

Is it just the same as light DME, but adds colour? Or will it also contribute to the flavour typically expected of dark beers?

It is used for dark beers. Most of a dark beer is still pale malt but some dark malt is needed to get the colour. Don't ask me about the amounts though as I never used it. I recently brewed an AG Munich Dunkel and it contained about 250g Carafa 2 with 820EBC and 100g CaraMunich II with 125EBC in a 5.2kg grain bill. The resulting beer is quite dark. Not stout dark but dark.

[ChairmanDrew]

3 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

My understanding it is used mainly to compliment Dark Ales, Porters & Stouts, it doesn't mean you can't use it for lighter beers.

My intention was to use it for darker beers. I just wondered if there is any point, as the colour of the Coopers Stout extract is already black. But if it would add something extra to the flavour (as in, different to using light DME) I will throw it in.

Edited June 5 by ChairmanDrew

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 minutes ago, ChairmanDrew said:

My intention was to use it for darker beers. I just wondered if there is any point, as the colour of the Coopers Stout extract is already black. But if it would add something extra to the flavour (as in, different to using light DME) I will throw it in.

If would definitely add to the flavour, just be a  darker brew added to a lighter beer style. 

[Oldbloke]

Yep, dark ales and stouts. Adds a bit of colour but the flavour is different to LDME.

 

How much, that's "horses for courses."

 

I mostly use it for stout these days. But have used it in the Dark Ale a fair bit.

 

Mind you, you could add LDME to a stout if you want. Not a huge difference in final taste. 

[ChairmanDrew]

4 hours ago, Oldbloke said:

Yep, dark ales and stouts. Adds a bit of colour but the flavour is different to LDME.

 

How much, that's "horses for courses."

 

I mostly use it for stout these days. But have used it in the Dark Ale a fair bit.

 

Mind you, you could add LDME to a stout if you want. Not a huge difference in final taste. 

I usually only use DME as a base for when boiling hops. Otherwise I pretty much always use LME (Maltexo) for fermentables, or brew enhancer. Every time I've made a Coopers stout I've used LME and it comes out great.

I've done a bit more research into dark DME and from what I've read in theory it should have a slightly different flavour than light LME because of the grains used, but in reality you'll probably have a hard time detecting it in a blind test. It seems like it is the colour that will be more noticeably different than anything else.

I only bought a single 500g bag of it to try, so it doesn't really matter, I was more just interested in actually figuring out what it was for I'll probably just hold onto it for now in case I want to one day try a Cascadian style dark ale or something.

[BlackSands]

I can't say I've ever used dark extract, or amber for that matter.  With kits, the specialty malts are already part of the kit's formulation anyway so it never really made sense to me to add further to the recipe, though I guess if you wanted your stout for example to be even more "stoutier" than it already is, then it might make sense!