# Saunders Malt Extract



## bignath (6/6/10)

Was in Coles yesterday buying the weekly groceries, and noticed in the health food/jams and spreads, a product called "Saunders Malt Extract". It comes in a tin similar to *enter generic beer brand here*extract cans, but about two thirds the height. If i recall the weight was 1kg. 

has anyone ever tried using this product, and what were the results like?? I am assuming that being a "health food" and that it doesn't mention brewing on the product label, that if it were suitable for brewing it would therefore be "unhopped".

Cheers,

BigNath


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## Bribie G (7/6/10)

Yes that was the standby of home brew up until the 1970s 

1 can of Saunders
1.5 K of raw sugar
1 ounce of brown dried up Pride of Ringwood
1 sachet of Tandaco bread yeast.

Ferment in plastic garbage can

Kill a brown dog


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## enoch1973 (7/6/10)

I reckon that recipe needs to go in the DB...


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## petesbrew (7/6/10)

I've had some luck with the Saunders. Never brewed a full extract with it though, just knk's.


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## jayse (7/6/10)

You really have to wonder just how different food grade malt extract is made there is no reason to go to the great lengths needed for brewing quality malt and since these steps will take time, money, energy and extra equipment there is no way they would bother with these extra steps you would expect.
Fermentablity is not even a factor I gather and therefore a single quick hot mash would more then likely be used, there then is no real need to use a boil kettle as they could simply run it straight to the evaporator from the lauter tun or mash filter.
Possibly through a centrifuge or some other solid removal equipment on the way.

The malt quality in the first place does not need to be as high quality as brewers malt so why would they go to that extra expense?

Possibly food grade malt extract could just use caramel colouring for correct colour adjustments and maybe even cut with some corn syrup, maybe even dark molases of some sort for flavour inhancement.
Tannin extraction would be a lesser concern and turbity not a big issue.

Maybe someone could just make a small batch with the 1kg can boiled with some hops and brew it up for a fermentablity, taste, clarity, foam and stability test.


I imagine it proberly has a strange flavour in beer and a very strange mouthfeel.

My figuring is maybe it can make some sort of dodgey grandpa down the back shed homebrew but I don't expect this product to be any good at all for making good beer.


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## phonos (7/6/10)

I made a full extract beer (no crystal malt & minimal hops) using Saunders Malt Extract about 1.5 years ago just to test it out - did it back to back with the same recipe but using the dried malt extract sold at Absolute Homebrew (which I think is Bintani, but I'm not really sure). It turned out comparatively well. Similar fermentability (~75% using S-04), better clarity, reasonable foam, but slightly darker. I preferred the flavour of the dried extract, but only marginally - the Saunders beer had a slight "anzac biscuit" flavour to it. I had a bottle of it about a month ago and it has kept reasonably. I have also used Coopers liquid malt, and I think Coopers is the best all round, but if you have no other choice, I think Saunders is a reasonable extract to use. I would strongly suggest steeping some crystal malts to improve the flavour though. I'll try to dig out my notes on them tonight and give some real numbers rather than impressions.


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## Oatlands Brewer (7/6/10)

Im gonna make me some of that Bribie....sounds Gooooooood


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## jayse (7/6/10)

Phonos said:


> I made a full extract beer (no crystal malt & minimal hops) using Saunders Malt Extract about 1.5 years ago just to test it out - did it back to back with the same recipe but using the dried malt extract sold at Absolute Homebrew (which I think is Bintani, but I'm not really sure). It turned out comparatively well. Similar fermentability (~75% using S-04), better clarity, reasonable foam, but slightly darker. I preferred the flavour of the dried extract, but only marginally - the Saunders beer had a slight "anzac biscuit" flavour to it. I had a bottle of it about a month ago and it has kept reasonably. I have also used Coopers liquid malt, and I think Coopers is the best all round, but if you have no other choice, I think Saunders is a reasonable extract to use. I would strongly suggest steeping some crystal malts to improve the flavour though. I'll try to dig out my notes on them tonight and give some real numbers rather than impressions.




Interesting, nice work.


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## prodj (15/6/10)

I recently went on a tour at the Coopers brewery. 

I am fairly certain they were packing sauders malt extract tins on the day i was there. The guide also mentioned that these tins start upside down on their packing line because the cans are diffrent to the homebrew tins.

Someone may need to confirm this as my memory could be a little hazy because not long after that it was time for generoius sized tastings of the entire coopers range.


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## sunnybrew (31/12/13)

Hello All,

Onto my second brew ever and I thought I would be adventurous and use Saunders :-D Step out of the comfort zone I say!

I have just thrown a 1.7kg Tooheys Special Larger together with half a tin of Saunders Malt Extract, 500g of dextrose and 500g of Brown Sugar. (Nice easy woolies trip for the lot...lol) I rehydrated the standard yeast after some reading about the cells coping better with high sugar if rehydrated first and put in on today. Kicked off slowly of fermenting in about 3.5 hours. I will be back with the results


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## Scottye (1/1/14)

Hey Sunnybrew
Good luck as you start your brewing adventure. I trust you enjoyed your first brew and that has given you the desire to pursue this hobby further. Please don't give up on the hobby if this brew fails to live up to the promise shown by your first brew.


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## sunnybrew (1/1/14)

Heyya Von

Thanks  Well the first brew is still in the Tap King kegs priming. It was just the generic Blonde from the Copper Tun kit I kicked off with.

Not a chance I will be giving up, put it off for years and im keen to make up for lost time...lol Just hunting for a few second hand carboys now .... I figure I can use one for my honey mead and have the third for my ginger beer... ..he he he the actual reason I wanted to start home brewing. (Maby hunt a fourth for some scrumpy )

My grandpa used to brew ginger beer for Christmas and passed before I was ever remotely interested, now im keen to recreate his recipe from recollection... (Well my fathers recollection, not so sure about using eggshells to clear it as granddad did though :-/ )


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## j.kmassey1 (26/3/20)

Hi all 
I make my whiskey with Saunders all the time. 4 KGs of Raw sugar, 2 tins of Saunders, hot water, let it cool and use Turbo yeast. Put through Thumper keg. Put on wood chip for 1 month very nice.


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