Beercanman

Recipes 

Hi, just a few more questions about the IPA I'm brewing before I get started.

1. How Do I sanitize the stepping bag?
2. How do I close off the steeping bag, and do I just let it sit or float around in the brewpot for the time that the instruction say, or is there anything else I need to know about this process?

Thanks, this is my first batch and these are the only remaining questions I have left. I think I'm fairly sure about everything else. Thanks, Beercanman

david_42

Recipes 

So long as the bag is clean, the hot water will take care of the nasties.
Tie it off with a piece of string (google miller's knot)
Just let it float around
Don't pack the bag, about 1/2 full is best. If you have too much grain in a bag, the water can't circulate.

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Lounge Lizard

Recipes 

If I'm not steeping a lot of grain, I just tie the open end in a knot.

timdsmith72

Recipes 

Yeah, that's what I do. I never fill it more than half full, so I tie a knot in the top.
However, my grain bag always sinks...so I use a small piece of string to tie it to one of the handles of the brew pot to keep it from scorching on the bottom.

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Too lazy to keep this updated any more.

anthrobe

Recipes 

I do the same as listed above. Remember not to squeeze the bag to get all of the water out when you remove it. Lift it out and put in a strainer or something. Then run a couple cups of hot water over it to "sparge" the goodies out.

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On Deck -
Primary1 -Hop Knot 10/04/07
Primary2 -
Secondary1 -
Secondary2 -
On Tap
Tap1 - Kelly's Rasberry Cream Ale 7/11/07
Tap2 - Black Stap Porter (8/25/07)
Tap3 - Hefeweizen 7/05/07
Waiting for tap\Conditioning
Keg1 -
Keg2 -
Keg3 -
Bottles
-
-

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Beercanman

Recipes 

Thanks again guys. You sure do know your home brewing. I'll be there someday to help the new guys eventually. Beercanman