Hey everyone. I wouldn't call myself a veteran at homebrewing, but by no means am I a rookie either. My question is simple. Many people say that some grains simply just cannot be steeped. So what do we do...mash them. OK, that's all fine and good, but what are the real differences between steeping and mashing, minus the attention to the temperature of the water that the grains are introduced to?
When I did extract brewing, I would steep my specialty grains at 150 for 30 minutes. Now that I do all-grain, I see no real difference in my process considering that I mash usually around 150 for 60 minutes. So why do people say, "well, you can't just steep pale malt, you have to mash it". Great, then tell me this, isn't brew in a bag basically the same thing as a giant muslin bag for steeping grains.
Please someone save me from this insanity!!!
When I did extract brewing, I would steep my specialty grains at 150 for 30 minutes. Now that I do all-grain, I see no real difference in my process considering that I mash usually around 150 for 60 minutes. So why do people say, "well, you can't just steep pale malt, you have to mash it". Great, then tell me this, isn't brew in a bag basically the same thing as a giant muslin bag for steeping grains.
Please someone save me from this insanity!!!