squeezing grains...

when my muslin bag is steeping in the pot, should i avoid squeezing or pushing the bag against the pot with the spoon? from what i have read around here, there are some that do and don't...

my process now it to lightly push on the bag and run some hot water over the bag when removing.

Honestly I have no idea. I would but thats what I do to tea too. IMO gotta get all the greatness out of the bags.

don't squeeze the bag!! You'll add a ton of tannins to the beer and the world as we know it will end!

A lite squeeze probably isn't gonna hurt anything, but then again, why go through the extra effort when it's not going to make your beer any better, and possibly could make it worse...

Deacon240 said:

Honestly I have no idea. I would but thats what I do to tea too. IMO gotta get all the greatness out of the bags.

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Tea and grain are very different things. You don't want to squeeze too hard. AStringent beer is no fun.

carnevoodoo said:

Tea and grain are very different things. You don't want to squeeze too hard. AStringent beer is no fun.

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So true... Well glad I saw this before my "Take every last drop" mentality took over.

AZ_IPA said:

don't squeeze the bag!! You'll add a ton of tannins to the beer and the world as we know it will end!

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question on this... i read a thread today talking about temp as the tannin releaser vs. the agitation (over 170 degrees)? no idea... i need to do more research.

williec30 said:

question on this... i read a thread today talking about temp as the tannin releaser vs. the agitation (over 170 degrees)? no idea... i need to do more research.

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yeah; temp is a big factor for tannins - I've just read and heard squeezing is bad - so like the brewing sheep that I am; I listen and bow down.

Just like plastic is bad; you get autolysis if you ferment for more than 3 weeks, and all the other boogy men out there...

My point is that you certainly can risk some bitterness by squeezing (whether it's tannins or something else), as well documented in the tea world (but then again tea is a leaf, not a grain), so why risk it to extract another couple ounces of liquid?

I also had a thought the other day that just by holding up the bag full of wet grain there's a certain amount of "squeezing" just by the physics of a small bag with a heavy load of wet grain. Ah, who cares; I'm AG now and not steeping in grain bags anymore anyway...

If I was anal enough, I'd do a couple experimental batches with not squeezing and squeezing the crap out of it, and my guess my palate wouldn't taste the difference...

I don't squeeze grain/hop bags or teabags.

Generally I raise them out of the hot liquor and let them drain on their own until the flow turns to a drip. I find that a clothespin on the rim of the kettle can hold the bag up while I'm getting the chiller in place and ready.

After I steep, I place a strainer over a bowl, place the bag in the strainer, then put the rest in the boil about 1/2 way through. You get the goodness without the squeezing and possible negatory tannins.

My technique was similar to histo320. I put the bag in a strainer and held it over the boil, then slowly poured some heated water (about 2 cups or maybe a little more) over the bag. Essentially rinsing the good stuff into the boil while replacing the liquids soaked up by the grains, without risking bitter tannins.

Sadly not only did I screw up a recent batch by going above 170 degrees (I think I hit 178) I also squeezed the bag just a little bit. The extra heat was just be having a hard time with my stove. And the little squeeze...well that was just idiocy. Fortunately I caught myself before I did too much.

Just 19 more days before I crack open a bottle to see what kind of damage was done. It'll be a shame if I screwed it up since this brew was going to be for Christmas.

SPARGE!!

Dont squeeze. Sparging will get all the goodness out that you need.

Very Important! Remember this!

Don't squeeze the bag unless you're paying someone to do it.

just hold out a gallon of water, heat to about 170 and rinse the grain into the boil kettle. Don't SQUEEZE the grain!!!
***** I was thinking SHARMON as I typed that*****