To squeeze or not to squeeze (the grain bag)...

When steeping speciality grains for an extract + recipe, is it better to squeeze the grain bag or to just let it sit and drain on a stainer and rinse? Are you risking adding too many particulates, proteins, etc. from the grains if you squeeze out the bags on rinsing, and thus detracting from final clarity? Or if you avoid squeezing, are you missing out on some good flavors?

What is the consensus out there?

IMO you should not squeeze. Just hold the bag above the pot and let as much of water run out as possible. If you squeeze you risk getting tannins in the brew, leaving your beer with a astringent taste/mouth feel.

I've seen a lot of books state that squeezing can result in tanin extraction and off-flavors. I usually put my grains in a strainer to let them drain back into the brew kettle. I also sparge with 1/2 gallon of 150deg water.

I did on my first batch, After i did it i though man i probably should have not done that. I will never do it again thats for sure, but i did not have any off flavors in my beer.

I have also heard that it is a bad idea to squeez, because it squeezes out tannins. I steep for 20 minutes or so and sparge with 150-170 degree water. If there isn't much grain, you probablt aren't risking much, but it isn't a good idea, and will probably do more harm from tannin than good from more flavor (which won't be good flavor).

Here's my own anecdotal experience. I've steeped about a dozen times, and the last six brews I steeped, I would squeeze the grainbag. I've never gotten astringency from squeezing the grainbag or the hop bag after boiling. However, if you still feel leery about it, do what ilikestuff says and sparge at least a gallon of 170º water through the grainbag while it sits in a colander over the boil pot.

Do not squeeze the bag.

John Palmer says to squeeze it. I've done it a few times and noticed no difference.

I've squeezed my back and had no astringency so far.

Palmer says it's ok to squeeze....lots of sites say never squeeze. I have squeezed in the past (don't use a grain bag anymore) and can't say that I found negative effects from tannins in the end product.

I thought he said it was OK to squeeze the hop bag.

I rinse then squeeze - no tannin harshness to date, but then again maybe I would notice a difference in a side by side. Hmmm, split batch experiment? Nah, too lazy!

OK -- So we seem to have two points of view, but the discussion has been around tannins and off-flavors -- What about in terms of final product clarity?

If you squeeze, are you forcing more proteins out in to the wort which contribute to haze? And, are you adding more flavor complexity if you squeeze? If so, is the tradeoff then a haze-for-flavors choice?

Let's hear some more...

MrDanders said:

OK --
If you squeeze, are you forcing more proteins out in to the wort which contribute to haze? And, are you adding more flavor complexity if you squeeze? If so, is the tradeoff then a haze-for-flavors choice?

Let's hear some more...

Click to expand...

Not in my beer. I could not believe how clear it turned out.

OK so there is a difference of opinions here with no clear evidence either way. So maybe it would be better to ask if squeezing makes the beer better? As opposed to rinsing with ~1/2 gal of warm water.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm,

Methinks that a rinse would still have nearly the same effects as a squeeze in terms of releasing particulates.

(But maybe I'm overthinking this. Where is the DAMN UPS GUY!!!!!)

I'm certainly not an expert on this at all, but I do have a fantastic homebrew association helping me out with my brews. I have squeezed as per the advice of some guys who have been brewing for decades. In fact, their advice was to put the grain bag in between two plates and squeeze as hard as I can. This is ofcourse for steeped grains in an extract recipe. But again, I have very few brews under my belt, but have noticed no off flavors, etc myself and have had none of my homebrew association comrades notice any either. Just another opinion though.

I've squeezed on pretty much all my steeping grain bags, and I've gotten great clarity with the beers I let condition long enough. Don't sit there and crush it down to nothing, but some moderate squeezing seems to be okay in my experience.

I was curious about this as well after squeezing before I heard not to. I'm bottling my first steep/extract brew tom so I'll give some feedback in a couple weeks. Its a stout so not too worried about clarity.

I like to squeeze it. Giggity.
No really tho lol. I'm getting more into high gravity beers that'll sit a long time for conditioning- I'll squeeze and squeeze as much as I can out, and YES- I have noticed astringency when I do an initial taste; I'm talking about tasting my pulls when I'm testing for gravity/end of fermentation (after a night in the fridge to sink the yeast).
I'm not sure if the astringency is from the squeeze, the high ABV (my bets are here), or my affinity for roast barley.
I will know more in a few weeks- when I get a taste of the stout I'm brewing tomorrow (which has much less roasted barley) so I can do a side by side with the heavy roasted barley version.
However, I am 90% confident that astringency will blend in and work well as the beer conditions.
I can let you know with 100% certainty around Christmas.
This is for big stouts, tho. For a lighter beer, I don't think I'd squeeze.

okay here is what I know to be true,when you're steeping grains for an extract batch they probably won't be in there long enough or be under enough heat or enough pressure to Extract tanins from the hulls of the grains. I generally rinse them and then gently squeeze them.

Having said that, the recipes are not formulated for total extraction of every little possible flavor from the steeping grains. So by squeezing you're not really improving anything and you're running the very slight risk of tanin extraction.

From what I have read it takes a combination of temperatures and a pH that you are unlikely to reach to extract tannins.

Squeeze away! I squeeze the bag when steeping, BIAB and the bag of hops. If you allow the beer time to clear any particulate will have settled in primary. Get to your final gravity, wait another couple of days to allow the yeast to clean up bad fermentation flavors, then wait until the beer is clear. It is usually only another couple of days.