Yooper

Recipes 

Most specialty grains are steeped (not mashed) so there aren't really any enzymes converting anyway- but at 175 degrees any enzymes that would have been available would have been denatured. That's way too high for a mash temperature, and really high even for a steeping temperature.

If you want to extract fermentables, don't go over 155 degrees. The "sweet spot" is 149-158 degrees, but in order to extract fermentables from the grain you have to have the correct type of grain, and the correct amount of water.

In order to steep grains, you can be in the 145-155 degree range without worrying too much about how much water/what type of grain.

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c0bra

Recipes 

Right, I meant at ~155. Unfortunately pretty much all the directions I've read, plus friends who homebrew have said to steep at about 170-175. I have no idea why. Noted for the future, though!

My thinking was that steeping at mash temperatures would essentially be identical to mashing, but I had not considered grain/water ratios. I guess with such a large volume of water everything floats about and can't really get down to business?

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ekranzusch

Recipes 

I find when I steep that adding the grain bag after heating the water drops it a few degrees anyway, did you monitor the temperature during the steep, or just before hand?

c0bra

Recipes 

Yea I kept it @ 175 the entire time.

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