steeping grains? how long?
 

whats an ideal time to steep grains in water for??? does it depend on the recipe etc??? i got a recipe and it says 155* for 25mins.

I've used the golden rule of 30 min. steeping @ 155F, then letting it sit for about 15-20 minutes afterwards before starting up.

I agree with Scrambledegg81, and DO NOT squeeze the grain bag after steeping.

I don't think there is an ideal time for steeping, but a not too high temperature is more important (as is the not squeezing the bag)... both will allow tannins into the finished product, making it more bitter and "tea" like.

I steep ( 16 oz or less in a galllon of water at 90 deg c) for 2 minutes and strain, then steep for another 2 minutes and strain, discard the grains and filter liquid through very fine muslin. Then I add to boiler, do my mash, add that liquor and boil, skimming off the cream / brown head. Once full boil achieved I boil for 10 minutes before starting hop additions, it works ok...

what do you mean by letting it sit for about 15-20 minutes afterwards before starting up?

thanks for the reply guys!

I thought this was one of those brewing myths. I seem to recall someone posting about the Aussie's and their brew in a bag method, they squeeze the hell out of that bag in order to get all the wort out. I've been doing partial mashes with a grain bag and have been squeezing that bag to get the goods, no astrigency that I've found yet.

They're also mashing and therefore monitoring the temperature carefully enough to know there will be no tannins to extract. Steeping is a bit more of a willy-nilly process... at least it is for me. I have no qualms squeezing the bag when I do an all-grain in a bag brew but I personally wouldn't do it with steeping grains because after I get the water to 150F, I don't monitor the temps close enough to make absolutely sure I'm not over the tannin extraction threshold (170F or so). If I were to get over that threshold for any length of time, squeezing the bag would be bad.

It's known as a protein rest, and it's more applicable to all-grain brewing, but since the steeping process (for extract brews) is similar, it allows the proteins from the grain to coagulate a bit. (Removing the protein is done during the boil and after cooling, where you skim off the "goop" that tends to group together on the surface...it allows for a cleaner beer in the end.) Search around here for threads regarding protein rest for more info.

thank you, i surely will!