Question about steeping grain in extract/grain brew - Page 2

Mykel Obvious · 09-15-2006, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewno

In John Palmers book he says you should squeeze the bag.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter13-3.html

"The procedure is identical to that for extract brewing. However, the specialty grains will be steeped in the pot before the extract is added. The 3 gallons of water in the boiling pot is heated until it reaches 160°F +/- 10°. Then the grain bag is immersed in the pot for 30 minutes. The grain bag may be dunked and swirled like a tea bag during this time to make sure that all of the grain is wetted. Agitation will help to improve the yield. Remove the grain bag from the pot, giving it a squeeze to drain the excess wort and avoid dripping on the stove."

Tommy

Hey Tommy,
I read that after I posted as well... I'm gonna have to talk to John and ask him to explain that to me versus what I posted... until further notice, go with what he said, as he has MUCH more experience at this than I do!! I'll report back with what he said

later,

mikey

Brewno · 09-15-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mykel Obvious

Hey Tommy,
I read that after I posted as well... I'm gonna have to talk to John and ask him to explain that to me versus what I posted... until further notice, go with what he said, as he has MUCH more experience at this than I do!! I'll report back with what he said

later,

mikey

Please make sure you let me know your findings....thanks.

In the meantime, I've seen this process of (sparging?) or heating separate water to temperature and then pouring it through the grain bag.
Why couldn't you just steep your grains in a separate pot then put a strainer over your brew kettle, remove the grain bag and place it in the strainer and pour your "tea"? over the grain bag, through the strainer and into your kettle instead of plain heated water?

Mykel Obvious · 09-15-2006, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewno

Please make sure you let me know your findings....thanks.

In the meantime, I've seen this process of (sparging?) or heating separate water to temperature and then pouring it through the grain bag.
Why couldn't you just steep your grains in a separate pot then put a strainer over your brew kettle, remove the grain bag and place it in the strainer and pour your "tea"? over the grain bag, through the strainer and into your kettle instead of plain heated water?

Will do... it may take a few days to hear from him...

As to the sparge... the reason to use plain heated water is to remove the most sugars you can from the grains... the wort that you draw off the first time (your "tea") is fairly well saturated with sugars (call it near the maximum for that amount of water from those grains)... to get more sugar out, you either soak the grain in fresh water, or pour fresh water over the grains as you described... soaking will get you a bit more with this type of setup, as the sugars have more time to come into solution... read the section of Palmer's book on lautering for more info on this subject: http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17.html

The double soak method is "batch sparging"... I use the same method in my All Grain brewing... mash and drain, add sparge water and stir, drain the second batch and then start my boil...

HTH,
mikey

Brewno · 09-16-2006, 12:05 AM

Thanks

Tommy

Beer Snob · 09-16-2006, 12:50 AM

Seems to me that both will work. I personally keep this real simple. Just toss the grain in a bag and throw it in the pot. Just before boiling take it out.... just how much more simplier can it be you know...

Mykel Obvious · 09-16-2006, 02:27 AM

Ok, it didn't take as long as I thought... here is the word from on high!!! And it makes sense after thinking about it a bit (seems I was OVER thinking the process

)

John Palmer's reply:

Quote:

Hi Mikey,
I had intended just a casual squeeze so that it didn't drip. I have amended that statement in the 3rd edition so that it says "let it drain so that it doesn't drip."

Two basic ideas are (wrong) with your post. (Notice I didn't start the reply with, "Jane you ignorant slut!" )
a. you don't need to be down at 5.3 pH to prevent tannin extraction. Tannin extraction is said to occur at the end of sparging, when the runnings are below 1.016 AND the pH has risen above 6.0
b. your typical steeping grains are dark(er) malts which have natural acidity. In most waters, these malts will bring the pH down below 6. If you have highly alklaine water, it may not and yes, that is a time to use a water to grain ratio more similar to that of mashing. But the main reason for mashing ratio is for enzyme dilution/efficiency, not so much pH (in most waters of moderate alkalinity).

Hope this helps clarify it a bit, if you have any more questions, just ask.
Cheers,
John

So there ya go folks... I stand corrected

mikey

grez · 09-18-2006, 03:37 PM

Wow! You guys are really helpful!

Thanks very much, i'm sure i'll be back with plenty more questions

Cheers!