Dried Malt Extract/ Spray Malts

Dried malt extract (DME), or spray malt, is a really versatile ingredient and great to have on hand with every brewing method. From improving a beer to being the main fermentable and more, DME is something every brewer should have in stock.

DME is simply wort which has been dried, and by rehydrating it can recreate that wort making it suitable for beer production. There are different colour gradients of spraymalt for creating different types of beer. For lagers or pale ales, a base of light or extra light extract is used; for amber ales or best bitters medium extract; for stouts and black IPAs dark extract. Lightly hopped DME is available to make brewing even simpler!

Another use for DME is to enhance existing brews. Turbo charge a kit with some spraymalt or add some extra ABV to an all grain beer whilst keeping the body light. Spraymalt is a key ingredient in partial mash brewing, where it’s used as the main fermentable and adjunct grains are steeped in the wort to add flavour and/or colour.

Spraymalt has an important function in yeast starters. Creating healthy yeast is vital in homebrewing excellent quality beer, and this is achieved through culturing the yeast in wort made with DME. It increases the cell count and ensures the cells are happy and healthy. Yeast starters are usually a 1.040 wort which is made by mixing a 1:10 ratio of DME to water (e.g. 10g DME to 100ml water). Check out our ultimate guide to yeast starters for more information.