The squeezing grains debate - commercial scale w/ Griffin Claw Brewery

[HeritageHD]

I'm still new to the brewing hobby but have been introduced to the topic of squeezing or not squeezing your grains after mashing from browsing the forums. I've read it can introduce unwanted tannins and also that it does nothing of the sort. I remember reading an entire thread on it with Revvy being a proponent of squeezing.

Anyways.... I'm sitting at Griffin Claw brewery in Birmingham Michigan, home of Dan Rogers, and watching who I assume are his brew assistants working on a batch. I watched them check the gravity of a batch woth a hydrometer then moved over to the machine in the picture which is labeled 'Mash Filter". From what I can see it looks like the grains are being sent to the machine, compressed then dropped out of the bottom and out into a spent grain bucket. As they are compressed the hoses on the right are filled and then sucked to a main hose. I'm assuming it goes back into the wort.

So of they are in fact squeezing the grains and putting it back into the wort I assume it's OK to do I'm home brews.

Side note: enjoying their Mr. Green Teeth rye ipa while I watch.

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[ShadyBrewer]

When I was doing extract with steeping grains I never squeezed (as per the directions). Now that I do BIAB I squeeze the ever living sh*t out the bag and don't notice any tannins or other off flavors. It seems pretty common for BIAB brewers to squeeze.



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[mattd2]

Yep, that pretty much looks like a filter press, looks like it is an alternative to the normal luatering using a false bottom lauter tun.
Couple of articles on filter presses used in breweries:
Alaskan Brewing Company
The Oxford Companion to Beer