Chocolate Malt Steep

Hello all!

I'm an extract brewer- this will be my first foray into a specialty grain steep addition.

I've read that to extract all the sugars, flavor,... out of the grain during the steeping process, that grinding the grain is employed.

Well, I don't have a mill, but I do have a coffee grinder.

Do you all think that if I set it on it's coarsest setting it would work for these purposes? By doing this will I be introducing any off flavors from the grain by grinding it too fine (tannins,...)?

Thanks in advance!
Chris

Clean the grinder & have at it. Keep the steeping temp. under 160F. You might have to run the wort through a coffee filter, as a strainer won't be fine enough.

When mashing, you crush the grain, not grind it. Steeping, it doesn't matter as much.

I would not suggest using a coffee grinder, it could still make the grains too fine.

I don't have a mill either, as I do extract. If I have whole grains, I put them in several layers of freezer bags and crush them like my enemies before me with a rolling pin on a handy concrete surface. That usually does an adequate job for me.


Edit: and it looks like me and David are giving exact opposite advice He has a point tho, with steeping it doesn't matter so much, mashing is where coarse grains are more important.

I usually use a rolling pin if the guys at the LHBS can't grind it for some reason.

Just make sure you keep the temperature below 160 as david said. Add cool water if it goes above 160 to get it down quickly. Higher than that and you'll start to extract tannins from the grain husks, which is definately not something you want in your beer.

When using a coffee grinder the problems come from pulverizing the husk of the grain, opening yourself up to tannin problems, since the dust created will be hard to filter out. So I agree with david in that you should use a coffee filter to minimize that dust.

Personally, I think the rolling pin idea would be a lot easier than jerryrigging some way of filtering hot wort through a coffee filter (especially if you're concerned about hot-side aeration). Either would work, but EvilTwin's approach, I think, is a cleaner solution.

Is there something different about chocolate malt? I thought steeping was done up to, but not higher than 170 degrees. Whats with the chocolate malt and the "below 160 deg?
Now I'm curious because I'm doing an Oatmeal stout this weekend and it contains chocolate malt. (150-170 deg)

Tommy

Brewno said:

Is there something different about chocolate malt? I thought steeping was done up to, but not higher than 170 degrees. Whats with the chocolate malt and the "below 160 deg?
Now I'm curious because I'm doing an Oatmeal stout this weekend and it contains chocolate malt. (150-170 deg)

Tommy

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Steeping for all grains should be done at below 160 degrees, as higher than that will start to extract tannins from the husks. Tannins result in astringency. The only time you go higher than that with grains is during a mash out, which extract brewers don't need to worry about.

pariah said:

Steeping for all grains should be done at below 160 degrees, as higher than that will start to extract tannins from the husks. Tannins result in astringency. The only time you go higher than that with grains is during a mash out, which extract brewers don't need to worry about.

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The critical temp where you start to risk tannin extraction is actually up around 180. But... roasted grains like chocolate malt have often had the husks remove, so there is essentially no risk of tannin extraction with them.

brew on!:rockin:

Walker-san said:

The critical temp where you start to risk tannin extraction is actually up around 180. But... roasted grains like chocolate malt have often had the husks remove, so there is essentially no risk of tannin extraction with them.

brew on!:rockin:

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Where have you heard that? Only specifically de-bittered roast malts such as carafa special have their husks removed. All the roasted malts I have ever used have all had their husks intact.

Chairman Cheyco said:

Where have you heard that? Only specifically de-bittered roast malts such as carafa special have their husks removed. All the roasted malts I have ever used have all had their husks intact.

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maybe it's just my LHBS, but their roasted grains all seem to be de-husked. (?)

Could be, that seems a bit odd though. Are you sure you know what husks look like?

pariah said:

Steeping for all grains should be done at below 160 degrees, as higher than that will start to extract tannins from the husks. Tannins result in astringency. The only time you go higher than that with grains is during a mash out, which extract brewers don't need to worry about.

Click to expand...

OK ...don't let me have to go searching It was here on these forums that I learned about the 150 to 170 range for steeping and it was 170 that was the limit before getting Tannins released. Then that is what led me to (again pointed there from these forums) to Palmer's instructions....150-170 degrees. Now you are saying 160?

http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter13-2.html
http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter13-3.html

Tommy