Seeping Grains

[Tinman13]

1st of many questions I have to ask
3 of the 4 beers Ive brewed called for seeping of Specialty Grains, and I hope Ive done it right

bring the water up to the Temp listed (say 150-165 F)
Turn off fire under the pot
Add Grain bag w/ grains
start timer for the time listed
Cover

was I to hold the seeping temp?

 

[Yooper]

Yes, that's just perfect.

You want to steep at between 150-165 degrees or so, for the time mentioned in the recipe (usually 20 minutes). You can bring the water up to 165 and then add the grainbag, stirring it well, and then covering it for the time. It might drop a few degrees but that's ok. You can turn the heat back on if you're certain of the temperature and stir it a lot if it drops too much, but you don't have to.

 

[TreeHugger]

1st of many questions I have to ask
3 of the 4 beers Ive brewed called for seeping of Specialty Grains, and I hope Ive done it right

bring the water up to the Temp listed (say 150-165 F)
Turn off fire under the pot
Add Grain bag w/ grains
start timer for the time listed
Cover

was I to hold the seeping temp?

yes, as best you can try to keep the temp @ recommended temp. Usually between 150-160. sometimes people hot/cold water(boiled first) to the pot to fluctuate the temp. Pick the bag out the water and let it drain into the pot a few time. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BAG!

good luck!

 

[daksin]

DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BAG!

Ignore this. You can squeeze the bag all you want, but you really don't need to if all you're doing is steeping grains, you'll get all the flavor and color you need in the steeping water- just let it drip dry.

Some people think squeezing will extract some tannins, but tannin extraction is WAY more dependent on temperature (above 170F) and pH (mostly pH, actually).

As a BIAB brewer, I'm a pretty big dude and I squeeze the HELL out of my bag to get as much efficiency back as I can. Tannins aren't an issue.

 

[cincydave]

To squeeze or not to squeeze...that is the question. Most of what I've read said not to, but brewed a batch last night (extract) and went ahead a squeezed the old bag. Seems most BIABers squeeze so I figured why not. Is there a definative answer to whether you can safely squeeze your bag!

 

[Dan]

...I hope Ive done it right
bring the water up to the Temp listed (say 150-165 F)...
was I to hold the steeping temp?

I'm only going to address one of your questions because I stressed about it the first time I brewed with specialty grains.

Bring the temp to 165, drop in the bag of grains to be steeped and turn off the heat. Teabag it like a cup of lipton tea ocassionally for the next 20 minutes or so. Steeping grains unlike base malt grains have already been converted so there is no magical mash temp. What you get from steeping them is a little sugar, a lot of color and some flavor. A few gallons of hot water takes quite awhile to drop 15 degrees. Just cover the pot forget about it for 20-30 minutes. (aside from the occasional teabagging)

Ok, wasn't going to address this but once you pull the bag of grains out of the pot they have done their job, just let them drain over your pot so they don't drip all over the counter and then chuck them in the compost or trash.

Happy brewing!

 

[HopSong]

..... then chuck them in the compost or trash.

Nooooooooooo. Use them to make healthy bread or muffins. Get double the benefit.. help clean your arteries and gain some healthy P@@P.

 

[TopherM]

Tinman,

Just FYI, they are called STEEPING grains. Steeping, just like you do with tea or coffee, same thing.

 

[Gigemags05]

Is there a shelf life for grains?

I bought some 3 weeks ago and haven't gotten time to brew the beer yet. They are in an air tight container right now.

 

[Tinman13]

HbgBill this I have to try

 

[Yooper]

Is there a shelf life for grains?

I bought some 3 weeks ago and haven't gotten time to brew the beer yet. They are in an air tight container right now.

In a cool dry place, they will last for a while. I've gone about 6 weeks with crushed grain in a sealed bag in my basement. They will get stale relatively soon after they've been crushed, though, so I would use them sooner rather than later.

I've heard that some brewers have saved their crushed grain in an airtight bag in the freezer for a longer period, but I have no experience myself with doing that.