More and more suds sippers ire learning that it's possible to make top-quality beer for less with ...

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To a great extent, the richness and flavor of a brew depends upon the quality and quantity of the malt extract used. In addition, if proper cooking procedures are observed, some of the starches in the malt will be converted to fermentable sugars . . . and therefore into alcohol.

However, the alcohol content of the beers we're reviewing is largely a result of the easily fermentable corn sugar that's added to the mash. In fact, the corn sugar does very little but produce alcohol . . . enabling the brewer to use less of the more expensive malt extract without losing the "Juice".

Still, the heart of any beer is its malt . . . and if you ask any two homebrewers which brand is best, you're almost certain to get two different answers and a lively discussion. Of the malts included in the seven kits, only Blue Ribbon (an American standby for decades) is produced domestically. The others-with the exception of Duane's Mountmellick, which is Irishare alt made in England. Duane's kit actually comes with three different types of malt extract: a lager, a dark, and a stout . . . allowing the new brewer to try his or her hand at making three different sorts of beer. (Both Specialty Products and The Brick Store supply enough malt and yeast to brew two batches of light-bodied beer.)

Only two of the distributors elected to include crystal malt in their packages . . . The Brick Store, and Wine and Brew Hobby. This substance-which is more properly known as caramelized malt-provides additional body and coloring when added to a boiling wort (as the cooking beer-to be is called). If, however, crystal malt is mashed at temperatures which will produce enzymes, it can also add to the homebrew's overall starch content . . . and therefore to its alcohol percentage.

The tart, tangy flavor that nips at the end of a beer drinker's tongue comes from plants called hops. While the malt in a beer makes the beverage smooth and creamy, hops are the source of the characteristic taste that has inspired poems from connoisseurs and revulsion in nonbeerlovers. There are a number of hop strainseach of which produces a different flavorand most are grown in Europe. Therefore, they're frequently included in imported malt extracts ... or separately packaged in sealed containers to preserve their freshness.

Four of the kit suppliers chose to provide the convenient hopped malt extracts which have become widely available in the U.S.A. in the last ten years . . . while Great Fermentations, Specialty Products, and The Brick Store supplied hop pellets to add to the wort while it's cooking. The hopped extracts have been consistently improving (and Duane's Mountmellick malt produced a delightful aroma in the cooking process), but many beermakers still feel that supplementary hops pellets provide a better taste. (On the other hand, most experienced brewers would agree that fresh hops-when available-are superior to either pellets or hopped extract.)

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