There is an article in the October issue of BYO that goes over various ways of using dark grains while brewing. One of the methods was to hot steep the dark grains in 165F water for 5 minutes, filter or strain the mixture, then dump the grain extract directly into the fermenter without boiling. This seems like something that I might like to try on my next stout. Why not just chill the wort down to 165F after the boil, steep the grains in a grain bag for 5 minutes, then chill to pitching temperature? Has anyone tried this or a variation of the hot steep before? Is 5 minutes enough time to extract the necessary color and flavor from the grains? Is 165F hot enough to kill anything nasty that might be hiding in the dark grains? Any experience or comments are appreciated.
Hot Steeping Dark Grains
- Thread starter tob77
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Grains are covered in lactobacillus, hence the need for pasteurization (10 minutes at 165F) to kill them off. I steep in 150-155F water for half an hour, drain, sparge and add the potion to the boil kettle at flameout, or 5 minutes before.
I don't think a 5 minute soak is long enough to get good extraction. I guess you could do it for 1/2 hour with a dunking motion to rinse the goodness out. Then maybe a good squeeze when removing it.
I don't think a 5 minute soak is long enough to get good extraction. I guess you could do it for 1/2 hour with a dunking motion to rinse the goodness out. Then maybe a good squeeze when removing it.
