Question about steeping

[Brew2]

Just did my second brew it was a brewers best Belgian caramel wit. It had to be steep. My first time steeping. I keep it with in the recipe range. What is the best way to get the temp to hold at a specific temp?

 

[dstranger99]

Just let the temp go up 2 or 3 degrees, then once you drop the grains in to steep, it should fall to your desired temp, or damn close.

 

[Brew2]

Just let the temp go up 2 or 3 degrees, then once you drop the grains in to steep, it should fall to your desired temp, or damn close.

Mine at a range temp of 148-152 but not exceed 155. For 45min. A few time it went of 155 to 160's. then I got it down to the range. Will that one 160 harm the beer?

 

[DSorenson]

as near as I can tell, steeping it hot water is merely to extract flavor, color, and complex sugars. Steeping is different than mashing, where enzymes require critical mashing temps to convert starches to sugars. Steeping is really using that hot water to wash out the good parts of the grain we want in our beer, so I don't think that holding a specific temperature is as critical. That said I wouldn't want to boil those grains either.
I'd love to hear a more experienced brewer than myself speak on steeping temperatures.

 

[dstranger99]

Mine at a range temp of 148-152 but not exceed 155. For 45min. A few time it went of 155 to 160's. then I got it down to the range. Will that one 160 harm the beer?

Steeping is kinda like using a big tea bag, I wouldn't think 5 degrees is going to matter, Steeping is not mashing where your goal is to extract those good sugars, what your doing is making some fresh wort and adding back some good malt character that those extract kits lack without it.

 

[UnDeadPresident]

Steeping below 170 seems to be the general consensus, and the closer you get to that, the easier it is for the sugars to dissolve. Above that, you will supposedly leech out tannins from the husks because the pH is too high. Since you are only pulling out flavor, color and sugars as DSorenson pointed out, the range isn't as finicky as those necessary for mashing, since enzymes aren't in play (most grains used in steeping have had their enzymes denatured during manufacture) so hitting 160, or even a bit higher assuming you don't cross the 170 mark, may actually be slightly more efficient than the 148-152 in the recipe.

Here's a link to the section in How To Brew that goes over steeping.

 

[cluckk]

That range won't hurt. You'll be fine. When I steep grains I get the temp up around 160 and drop the grain bag in to steep and it will pull the temperature down a few degrees. Then I let the temperature fall naturally over the course of the steep. I don't check the temperature again, once the grains go in. Of course I am working with a batch that, at this point in the brew day, is around 8 gallons, so it keeps its heat pretty well. If you are only brewing a partial batch of a couple gallons temperature may fall a bit faster.

 

[slifeapotomous]

I am new to brewing... so... I should be bringing my water to temp then adding my grains to steep. And how long do you keep them in for at that temp. I saw above someone said they just let the temp fall over time and don't monitor it. How wrong am I by adding the grains to the water, lighting the burner then steeping them for the length of time it takes the water, usually 2-2.5 gallons for me to reach 160.

Another side question. The other day I was steeping my grains as above, talking with friends when I realized I had been steeping for 45 min and my water temp had only reached 120. I figured out I had a burner problem, replaced it and reached 160 but not before the grains had been steeping for over an hour. Does anyone have any insight into what I may have just done to my beer.

Its a double IPA.

Theres more to the story. I pitched a dry yeast which I have never used before and began my fermentation in the garage. I woke the next day to find no fermentation. I think it was too cold in my garage. I moved my carbouy in the house and over the past day the temp has rose to 70 but there is still little action as far as fermentation goes. Any suggestions... stirr it shake it add more yeast start over?

I am going to ride it out and see what happens but being a novice would like some input from anyone willing.

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

I am new to brewing... so... I should be bringing my water to temp then adding my grains to steep. And how long do you keep them in for at that temp. I saw above someone said they just let the temp fall over time and don't monitor it. How wrong am I by adding the grains to the water, lighting the burner then steeping them for the length of time it takes the water, usually 2-2.5 gallons for me to reach 160.

That's fine. There are several ways to steep grains, and they are not wrong. Whatever is convenient for you is fine.

Another side question. The other day I was steeping my grains as above, talking with friends when I realized I had been steeping for 45 min and my water temp had only reached 120. I figured out I had a burner problem, replaced it and reached 160 but not before the grains had been steeping for over an hour. Does anyone have any insight into what I may have just done to my beer.

Nothing at all. You can't really "oversteep".

As far as fermentation goes, give it at least 48-72 hours before worrying about fermentation not starting. The yeast have to reproduce before fermentation begins, and it can take a while.

 

[tampa911]

I have been doing 2.5 gallon extract partial boils. I heat the water to 160/165 and kill the heat drop in my grains and let them steep for almost an hour. By the time the hour is up I am still sitting above 150 degrees. I'm in FL so ambient temps are probably higher than most of the country, but my stainless kettle with the lid on seems to hold temp pretty well with 2.5 gallons of water.

 

[amie]

The thing to watch out for in Brewers Best kits is that some of their kits include "specialty grains" that actually need to be mashed. The instructions will specify "Steep to Convert" in this case and will give a specific temperature and duration for steeping (by which they really mean mashing).

In the OP's case, the Belgian Caramel Wit recipe includes 2-row, wheat and munich -- so if the "steep to convert" instructions are not followed, you could end up with a bunch of unconverted starch (flour) in your wort.

I found it easiest to "steep to convert" the specialty grains in a small pot and put it a cooler with a few towels stuffed around it when I hit the right temperature. I think the temps stayed pretty constant for 45 minutes with all that insulation around it.