First, I live in Germany, so the only access I have to homebrew supplies is via the local internet. I bought a 13kg (27.3 lbs) jug's worth of this "dark" LME, which when I taste it, tastes like a strongly bittersweet molasses. When I lived in America and bought dark LME, it had a regular "malty" taste, not molasses-like. When I ordered it online in Germany, I expected it to be like the malty LME I had bought in America. I never expected it to taste like molasses. There is zero indications of the ingredients used to produce this stuff, and search online, in English and German, proved fruitless, and it wasn't produced by any of the main suppliers of malt in Germany, i.e. Weyerman. I'm afraid if I use this stuff in any large quantity, it will overpower the flavors of any of the specialty malts employed; thus, making their use pointless. Has anyone experience with stuff similar to this? I can imagine using this stuff in lieu of molasses in a porter/stout recipe, but not as a base LME for the entire brew. I'm mainly an extract brewer here due to various limitations of ordering, and storing/brewing in a small apartment. So... what should I do this stuff?
Try calling the manufacturer? I'd also try an experimental small batch (maybe a gallon or so) if you have the capability. Curiosity... you never know what you might come up with. And if the beer tastes horrible you can always fertilize the flowers with it.
Not to be too big a PITA, but this is yet another example of why you should start with the palest extract you can and then add specialty grains to it, like an all grain brewer would. If I were you I would get some pale extract and add this stuff in as you would a specialty grain.
I think I figured it out. You're familiar with the Reinheitsgebot? The only stuff allowed in German beer, if it's to be labeled as "beer," is either malt, hops or water. So, how to make beers like they produce in England, where a little Treacle is a regular adjunct? Make a malt that tastes like molasses is the answer; thus, you're able to still follow the RHG and make Porter or Stout-like beers. I plan to use it in porter recipes where treacle or molasses is called for. But... I got 13 kgs of the stuff! It might take me 6 years to use this up.
Sinamar? I bet you could brew up a batch of 100%, hop it to the hilt, add some Tschibo coffee, and age it in a Pear Schanpps barrel and hit the Top 100 here on BA.
