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Buy Liquid & Dry Malt Extract (LME & DME) Online in New Zealand
Malt extract is one of the most versatile ingredients in any homebrewer's toolkit. Created by mashing high-quality malted barley and removing the water, malt extract allows you to brew rich, full-bodied craft beer without spending hours mashing grains. Whether you are using unhopped Liquid Malt Extract (LME) to boost a canned beer kit, mixing Dry Malt Extract (DME) into a yeast starter, or executing full-extract recipes, Brewshop offers NZ’s premier selection. We stock pure light, amber, dark, and wheat extracts from top malthouses and brands including Black Rock, Brick Road Brewing Co, Mangrove Jack’s, and Muntons—all dispatched fast from Hamilton across New Zealand.
LME vs. DME: How to Use Malt Extract in Your Brews
Understanding the differences between liquid and dry extracts helps you make the best choice for your recipe and process:
- Liquid Malt Extract (LME): A thick, syrup-like concentrate containing roughly 20% water. LME dissolves effortlessly in hot water and is ideal as a base for extract recipes or as a rich replacement for refined white sugar in canned kits.
- Dry Malt Extract (DME): Dehydrated down to a fine powder (around 2% moisture). DME has an exceptional shelf life, resists darkening over time, and is the gold standard for boiling yeast starters or making fine gravity adjustments to your wort.
- Unhopped vs. Hopped Extracts: Unhopped extracts provide pure malt sugar, body, and colour without adding extra bitterness, giving you complete freedom over your hop additions. Hopped extracts contain pre-blended bitterness for quick and easy brewing.
Frequently Asked Questions: Malt Extract in NZ
What is the conversion ratio between Liquid Malt Extract (LME) and Dry Malt Extract (DME)?
Because LME contains roughly 20% water and DME is almost completely dry, DME is more concentrated. As a general rule: 1 kg of DME is equivalent to approximately 1.2 kg of LME (or 1.5 kg of all-grain base malt). If a recipe calls for LME and you only have DME, multiply the required LME weight by 0.8.
Why should I use malt extract instead of table sugar or dextrose in my beer kit?
Refined sugars (like table sugar or pure dextrose) ferment completely, which can leave your beer thin, watery, or dry. Adding unhopped liquid or dry malt extract introduces unfermentable malt sugars (dextrins) that improve head retention, add rich malt flavour, and deliver a velvety mouthfeel to your finished beer.
How do I make a yeast starter using Dry Malt Extract (DME)?
To prepare a standard yeast starter wort, mix 100g of Light DME per 1L of water (a 10:1 ratio). Boil the solution for 10 minutes to sterilise, cool it down to 20°C, and pitch your liquid yeast strain. This ratio reliably yields a target gravity of approx. 1.035–1.040, which is ideal for healthy cell propagation without stressing the yeast.
How should I store opened liquid or dry malt extract?
DME: Dry malt extract is extremely hygroscopic and will rapidly absorb moisture from humid NZ air, turning sticky and clumping. Seal unused DME in an airtight bag or jar and keep it in a cool, dark cupboard.
LME: Once opened, seal remaining liquid extract tightly and store it in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth and oxidation. Use within 2 to 3 weeks of opening.
How do I prevent liquid malt extract from scorching during the boil?
Because thick LME sinks straight to the bottom of your kettle, always turn off your heat source (burner or element) before pouring in liquid extract. Stir thoroughly until the extract is fully dissolved in the hot liquid before turning the heat back on to reach a boil.