Many all-grain recipes are simply too complex to replicate in an extract brew. This doesn’t mean that it cannot be done, it just means that your extract version may not taste the same as the all-grain version. You can usually get pretty close, conversion-wise, anyhow.

The ratio between liquid malt extracts and base malts is usually about 4:5. In other words, if an all-grain recipe calls for 10 lbs. of base malt, you would use 8 lbs. of liquid malt extract. If you are using dry malt extract (DME), the ratio falls to about 3.2:5, so if the recipe calls for 10 lbs. of base malt, you would substitute 6.4 lbs. of DME.

Remember, when converting an all-grain recipe to extract, only consider the base malts called for in the original recipe. These would usually include grains like Two-Row, Six-Row, Pilsner Malt, or any of the other grains listed in our catalog or on the website under "Brewing Malts". Any of the other grains in the recipe will be "Specialty Grains", such as Carapils, Chocolate, Caramel 40, etc. With these grains, you use the same amounts called for in the all-grain recipe, crush them and steep them just as you would with the grains you receive in a Midwest Recipe Kit.