steeping grains in 6 gallons of water cause tannins?

gregscsu said:

There are two main issues that you can have when steeping grains.

1. To high of a temp. Temps above 170F can cause tannin extraction from the grains.

2. To high of water/grain ratio. Steeping grains in more then 1 gallon of water per 1 lb. of grain can cause the "mash" PH to become to high, greater that 5.5 and again cause the extraction of tannins from the grain.

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johnsma22 said:

A lot of people will tell you that it is OK and that you will never notice any astringency from the extraction of excessive tannins from the grain husks.

Having said that, if you look at it from a purely chemical stand point, it is hard to argue against the fact that a pound or two of specialty grains is not capable of lowering the pH of a full volume boil sufficiently enough to avoid the extraction of tannins.

I also do full volume boils, but while the water in the main boil kettle is heating up, I am steeping in a smaller pot on the stove with the proper 2-3 qt of water per pound of specialty grains. The grain tea is added to the main boil kettle, and I sparge the spent grains with a little hot water from the boil kettle.

I have never done a dilute steep so I can't tell you definitively what will happen. I can tell you that I trust what I know about chemistry, and I also trust the brewers from the local club here that don't dilute steep either.

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JBmadtown said:

That doesn't sound right to me. water should be a neutral pH (7). Steeping is a larger volume should mean there is less of a change in the pH. If you keep the temp below 170 or so and steep for around 30 then I doubt you will have a problem.

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