Steep Limits

[thenbagis]

Just a question in regards to amount of steeping grains when creating a recipe...

Obviously the lower limit of the amount of grains you can use when steeping is 0 lbs, but what is the upper limit? Is it a percentage by pounds of total grain bill or a percentage by points of total grain bill?

Also is there a point of diminishing returns? Will you not add any more body?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[JonK331]

The easy answer is to use no more than a pound and a half. Different steeping grains have different properties though. Crystal malts contribute unfermentables to the mix while victory or bisquit malts contribute some fermentables as well as unfermentables. Each grain should be treated a little differently. Most extracts already have some crystal malt (especially the darker varieties) so you need to be careful not to add so much steeping grain that you end up with higher final gravities than you want.

 

[Yooper]

There really isn't any limit. Really, all-grain brewing is just bigger steeping (mashing). Instead of adding extract, we just use more grain.

You want to consider the types of grain for each brew, and not use too much crystal as mentioned in the above post and to look at the recipe in whole.

But you can steep and/or mash however many grains you want to.

 

[Revvy]

If it helps, take a look at my https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/old-bog-road-brown-ale-ag-pm-extract-w-grain-61591/ recipe, which when I added it to the recipe archives here I put the recipe in every possible brewing configuration from extract w/steeping grains, through various sized partial mashes all the way to an AG recipe.

It may help you to see how recipes are formulated with different amounts of base grain or base extract, and yet all make the same beer.

 

[thenbagis]

Thank you for the info.

Revvy, that break down of each way to do the same beer is very helpful. I definitely have to research the partial mashing procedure. I think AG is a little ways off since I live in a studio in the city w/ a stove that took a while to boil my 3 gallons.

I was just asking because I brewed my first batch on 11/21/09 and decided to take a gravity reading last night. After taking the reading, I gave it a try... The aroma was light, slightly sweet smelling, very little if any hops. I figure this is because of the lack of carbonation. The malt flavor was very light. The hop flavor wasn't too bad. The beer had very little mouth feel (felt thin), so I wasn't sure if using more steeping grains would help with that.

The recipe I used was close to John Palmer's ESB. (ESB is one of my favorite styles and a decent session ale, so I thought it was a good first batch)
- 6 lb Pilsen DME
- 1 lb 60L Caramel Malt
- 1 oz Northern Brewer Pellets (8.8%) @ 60
- 1 oz Styrian Golding Pellets (4.8%) @ 30
- 1 oz Styrian Golding Pellets (4.8%) @ 15
- Two packets of hydrated and proofed Safale S-04

Target OG: 1.052
Actual OG: 1.052 (I'll have to check my hydrometer in distilled water, i find it hard to believe that I hit it exactly on my first batch)
Gravity on 11/30/09: 1.019
Target FG: 1.014 (assuming 73% apparent attenuation)

Planning to bottle this Friday or Saturday.

 

[jjp36]

Don't even bother attempting to judge the mouthfeel from a 10-day old warm uncarbonated gravity sample. If i had to guess i would think it might drop a few more points to probably finish around 1.016-17 which after carbed and conditioned for 3-4 weeks should have plenty of mouthfeel.

 

[Msbeer]

Revvy, Let me ask you this.

I do Prehooped Coopers Extract 3.75# and a can of Briess Liquid malt divided between two Mr Beer's. I have been steeping some grains, would you be able to suggest the amount and type of grains for this type of home brew? I do thirty minute boils getting a hot break and adding some more hops in the last fifteen minutes. My yeast is either 04 or 05 and enjoy this so far. Just thought you could critique my brew a little.

 

[IrregularPulse]

It was my understanding that steeping grains didn't offer fermentables because they're not crushed. If they were crushed this would be a PM.

 

[jjp36]

The difference between steeping and a partial mash is that when steeping you usually don't include any base grain, just specialty grains. But they should always be crushed.

 

[Revvy]

Revvy, Let me ask you this.

I do Prehooped Coopers Extract 3.75# and a can of Briess Liquid malt divided between two Mr Beer's. I have been steeping some grains, would you be able to suggest the amount and type of grains for this type of home brew? I do thirty minute boils getting a hot break and adding some more hops in the last fifteen minutes. My yeast is either 04 or 05 and enjoy this so far. Just thought you could critique my brew a little.

This link has some guidelines for amount of steeping grains to use with cooper's style kits. http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Methods/Scott/KitImprove.shtml

You could also play around with beersmith or other beer software and treat the cooper's as it's volume of LME, you can even find the info on the IBU's of cooper's Kits, here on HBT, with that info software reciep creation is a breeze.

It was my understanding that steeping grains didn't offer fermentables because they're not crushed. If they were crushed this would be a PM.

No, you still crush your grains for steeping. Just like any dry spice, crushing helps release any flavors.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Good to know. I only did 2 extract batches (1 with steeping grains) before moving to 1 PM batch then to AG. The grains I used were probably crushed cause it was a BB Kit, I just didn't notice or know enough to pay attention.

 

[Reddheadedstepchild]

If it helps, take a look at my https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/old-bog-road-brown-ale-ag-pm-extract-w-grain-61591/ recipe, which when I added it to the recipe archives here I put the recipe in every possible brewing configuration from extract w/steeping grains, through various sized partial mashes all the way to an AG recipe.

It may help you to see how recipes are formulated with different amounts of base grain or base extract, and yet all make the same beer.

So basically, only the amount of base grains changed for each style of the same recipe? Sorry just trying to get all the concepts real new to brewing.

 

[Reddheadedstepchild]

So how do you figure the amount of base grains in a AG recipe to convert for exstract with steeping grains, since I am asumeing that the steeping grains stay the same?

 

[Yooper]

So how do you figure the amount of base grains in a AG recipe to convert for exstract with steeping grains, since I am asumeing that the steeping grains stay the same?

Generally speaking, 1 pound of base grain = .75 pounds of LME = .6 pounds of DME.

So, for 10 pounds of 2-row, you'd use 7.5 pounds of LME or 6 pounds of DME.

 

[Reddheadedstepchild]

Generally speaking, 1 pound of base grain = .75 pounds of LME = .6 pounds of DME.

So, for 10 pounds of 2-row, you'd use 7.5 pounds of LME or 6 pounds of DME.

Thanks YOOPER!