Malt Extract

Extract pre-packaged beer kits are packages filled with everything you would need to brew a batch of beer. Contents usually include: malt extract, hops, yeast, water conditioners (gypsum, chalk, salt, ect.), a small portion of grains (usually about a pound), corn sugar for bottle priming, and instructions.

Perhaps some explanation of what malt extract is needed here. Malt extract is either a powder or syrup type liquid that is the base for all beers. You simply add it to water and boil, easy right? This is what beginners start out using because of its ease of use, sometimes experienced brewers will use extract for other uses such as starters which I will get in to at another time. Extract is basically the fermentable sugars extracted from malted grain by a experienced brewer berfore hand then dehydrated down into either a poweder or syrup. While extract is easy to use it nearly takes the whole process out of the hands of the hobbyist, but it is usefull to begin with until you get a better idea of what is happening. When you get comfortable with you abilities, build enough courage and secure more funds to upgrade your system the logical step will be to go into all grain brewing. Another thing about extract brewing is that it is more expensive to by extract then it is to buy grains so that is another reason to take the plunge into all grain brewing, later I will explain more about all grain brewing, but for the time that the blog is at I was still a beginner and extract brewer.