why do some recipes have steeping grains and some not

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tenchu_11

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
259
Reaction score
4
Location
Nome,AK
I get extract kits from a brew store and they always contain a bag that says "Specialty Grains". It always smells like candied ..grains (not sure which type of grain it is). I decided to make my own brew without using a kit and decided to read some recipes online. A good half of the recipes online only call for two ingredients hops and malt extracts (i'm looking up only extract recipes). No specialty grains for steeping what grains are they exactly and would it hurt the taste of a beer not to use steeping grains? I'm looking at a hefeweizen extract recipe with 6lb LME and Liberty Hops...no grains.
 
different grains will offer different color and flavors, but are not necessary. Just like you can make a great beer with just a single grain when AG brewing.
 
its 6lb of Wheat DME. Is that fine?

Yes. That's a pretty typical malt bill for a hefeweizen. Usually, wheat DME is 35% wheat and 65% barley, so it's premixed for you.

The important flavor in a hefeweizen is the yeast. You'll notice it's a very plain grain bill, so that the yeast can be the centerpiece of the recipe.
 
Yes. That's a pretty typical malt bill for a hefeweizen. Usually, wheat DME is 35% wheat and 65% barley, so it's premixed for you.

The important flavor in a hefeweizen is the yeast. You'll notice it's a very plain grain bill, so that the yeast can be the centerpiece of the recipe.

Yooper Ur so smart! :D:tank::D
 
Steeping grains used in recipes where you are looking to tweak the tastes, color, etc. Extract starts with a base malt or a couple base malts, and it makes sense to get the color and tastes from small amounts of steeping grains. So it all depends on what you are brewing.
 
Now I know theres a difference between hefeweizen and an American Hef. Would it just be the yeast train i use or would i need to change the hops.
 
I've brewed like 4 extract kits from American Wheat Kit, Pilsener and Ales and they all seem to have the same Candied grains with the same smell. Is it possible they are using the exact type of steeping grain and if so what type would it be. All it read was "for increased head retention"
 
My two cents... I have seen steeping grains included to increase head retention and mouth feel as a main reason for inclusion. Wheat beers and wheat extract produce great head retention and mouth feel due to the inclusion of wheat with the barley.
Just a couple of reasons for steeping grains, but for a wheat, as someone said earlier, the yeast should really be the center of attention, so a simple grain bill / extract bill is all that's needed.
 
My favorite hefe recipe is 6lb wheat dme and 1oz Czech Saaz for 60 minutes and that's it.

Most all-grain and craft brewers use a combination of mostly base malts (2-row barley) and a handful of specialty grains to create the malt profile, color, head retention, etc. for their recipies.

I like to mirror this when I formulate my extract recipes. Other than my wheat beer recipes, all my others are based on light dme and get their specific character from steeping grains, hopping regime, yeast, and, in some cases, fermantation temp.
 
It is best to brew extract beers with specialty grains with light extract (I prefer DME) as the base of the beer. The grains give your beers color, flavor and body. In my experiences extract only brews leave a little something to be desired.

The only exceptions are hefeweizens and saisons, where the yeast really dictates the flavor of the beer. But even then I'll steep some carapils/carahell and it improves the overall beer.
 
They smell "candied" as they have already been converted which is why they only require steeping to extract the sugars.

Really????? how do you "convert" it and still keep it in grain form???

If they smell candied they are likely just carmal malted grains. Often steeping grains are used just to provide mouth feel, head retention, color and various flavore i.e. choclate, coffee, raisiny, carmel, some bitteness, biscuit, doughy, etc. The amount of sugar extracted can very on the type(s) of grain.
 
Really????? how do you "convert" it and still keep it in grain form???

If they smell candied they are likely just carmal malted grains. Often steeping grains are used just to provide mouth feel, head retention, color and various flavore i.e. choclate, coffee, raisiny, carmel, some bitteness, biscuit, doughy, etc. The amount of sugar extracted can very on the type(s) of grain.

I believe they do it by hydrating and baking them, but I am not an expert.
 
okay so one is malted and one is candied..getting lost in all this technical talk
 
All brewing grains have been malted (moistened and germinated), with exception of roasted barley, unmalted wheat, and probably a couple others. This process creates starch in the grain which must be converted by enzymes into fermentable sugars and unfermentable dextrins (responsible for body and mouthfeel). The malted grain is then dried and some are kilned beyond that. The temperature at which the drying/kilning takes place is what creates the different types of malt. Specialty grains (caramel/crystal malts, chocolate malt, etc) are dried at higher temps at which point they go through a "mash" inside their husks that creates sugar in the grain. That is why they don't need to be mashed like base malts and can be steeped. That is also why they smell, as you described, "candied" (a term which is not used by brewers to describe malts).
 
All brewing grains have been malted (moistened and germinated), with exception of roasted barley, unmalted wheat, and probably a couple others. This process creates starch in the grain which must be converted by enzymes into fermentable sugars and unfermentable dextrins (responsible for body and mouthfeel). The malted grain is then dried and some are kilned beyond that. The temperature at which the drying/kilning takes place is what creates the different types of malt. Specialty grains (caramel/crystal malts, chocolate malt, etc) are dried at higher temps at which point they go through a "mash" inside their husks that creates sugar in the grain. That is why they don't need to be mashed like base malts and can be steeped. That is also why they smell, as you described, "candied" (a term which is not used by brewers to describe malts).

To make crystal malt you can't just kiln dried malt. It must be hydrated. Otherwise, you are just creating darker malts. I do not get any sense of a "candied" smell from something like black patent malt. Here is a good thread on the topic. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/making-crystal-malt-137837/
 
That's a pretty typical malt bill for a hefeweizen. Usually, wheat DME is 35% wheat and 65% barley, so it's premixed for you.

The important flavor in a hefeweizen is the yeast. You'll notice it's a very plain grain bill, so that the yeast can be the centerpiece of the recipe.
 
Back
Top