Squeezing Grain

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tedscastle

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Have read several discussions about squeezing the grain bag when brewing BIAB. Does anyone have any thoughts about using that technique when brewing in a cooler with a SS braid?
 
How do you squeeze a cooler?

At any rate, the danger as I read it is of extracting tannins when you squeeze the grains. Any pressure put on them would do the same. That's why we sparge to gently rinse the sugars off of the grist, rather than trying to "scrape" it off with the compression of squeezing. If you really want that extra sugar, use more grain.
 
SilverZero said:
How do you squeeze a cooler?

BIAB, so he squeezes the bag. I have heard some people contesting the rumor about tannin extraction from squeezing, so you should read up on it to decide for yourself if nobody here convinces you.
 
At any rate, the danger as I read it is of extracting tannins when you squeeze the grains. Any pressure put on them would do the same. That's why we sparge to gently rinse the sugars off of the grist, rather than trying to "scrape" it off with the compression of squeezing. If you really want that extra sugar, use more grain.

Total falsehood. Squeezing the grains will not produce tannins. Sqeeeze the grain like it owes you money.
 
Read this tread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/biab-vs-steeping-grains-300657/

From Aussie Homebrewer.com

Quote:
Tannins And Astringency

If you are worried about squeezing your bag too much or crushing too fine, relax! Astringent beers do not come from finely crushed or squeezed husks but come rather from a combination of high temperatures and high pH. These conditions pull the polyhenols out of the husk. The higher your pH and the higher temperature you expose your grain to, the worse the problem becomes. Any brewer, traditional or BIAB, should never let these conditions arrive. If you do allow these conditions to arrive, then you will find yourself in exactly the same position as a traditional brewer. Many commercial breweries actually hammer mill their grain to powder for use in mash filter systems because they have control of their pH and temperatures. This control (and obviously expensive complex equipment) allows them non-astringent beers and “into kettle,” efficiencies of over 100%.
 
I think a lot of the people that say not to squeeze the bag have never done it themselves and are just parroting what others have said. I squeeze with no problems. Squeeze that bag! Squeeze!
 
Squeeze the bag. But if you do adjust your calculations for not too much grain absorption. I did two BIAB batches and wondered why my efficiency was so low and why I got more wort than anticipated. It later dawned on me that I had allowed a lot for grain absorption but then squeezed the water out.

BTW they still came out great!
 
I would make one correction to the quoted section on the tannins.. I am under the influence it is the lower the PH that extracts them aka more acidic water
 
SilverZero said:
How do you squeeze a cooler?.

Good question. I could probably find i way to squeeze it once.

I really was wondering about pressing on the grain bed. I think that most agree now that it doesn't release tannins unless the temperature is too hot, but does it help any with efficiency? When BIAB brewers do it, does it serve a purpose. Is so, I would think that it will help non-BIAB brewers as well or am I missing something?
 
Good question. I could probably find i way to squeeze it once.

I really was wondering about pressing on the grain bed. I think that most agree now that it doesn't release tannins unless the temperature is too hot, but does it help any with efficiency? When BIAB brewers do it, does it serve a purpose. Is so, I would think that it will help non-BIAB brewers as well or am I missing something?

Any wort left in the mash tun whether it is a bag or a cooler leaves fermentable sugars. When you BIAB you can squeeze much of this wort out but in a cooler with a braid or false bottom you usually only want gravity to extract this wort as pressing down on the mash can collapse the braid or bend the false bottom. Were you to line the cooler with a bag, then you can lift it above the braid and squeeze it all you want.
 
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