steeping grains question

[pollykraker]

Going to be brewing my first batch this Sunday... Quick question about steeping grains ...

I have read a lot of different things... Some say steep grains in pot starting with cold water and the slowly raise temp .... Some say get water to correct temp... Then start steeping grains..

What is best practice for this ?

 

[inhousebrew]

I've done both before and never had any real problems. But then again I haven't done an extract brew in a while. Anyways, I think the key is to get it to the correct temp and not to go over!

 

[Captain Damage]

Truth is, neither method is better than the other. Pick one for this batch, try the other way for the next. See which one works best for you. Just keep the temperature below 170F.

 

[unionrdr]

150-165 is good for steeping. Water volume isn't critical with steepin like it is with mashing. I've steeped grains in up to 2 gallons of water or more. worked fine. Maybe steep in 2G & sparge with a 3rd gallon.

 

[pollykraker]

Thanks guys

 

[ArrogantDusty]

I've always done it as it heats up to 170. Don't let it go over and make sure it heats up slowly. Welcome to brewing btw!

 

[logan3825]

Going to be brewing my first batch this Sunday... Quick question about steeping grains ...

I have read a lot of different things... Some say steep grains in pot starting with cold water and the slowly raise temp .... Some say get water to correct temp... Then start steeping grains..

What is best practice for this ?

Yes.

Seriously though just keep your temp below 170°F. I steep in 1-3 quarts of water per pound of grains. Heat the water up to about 160-165°, pour in the grains, cover and pull off the heat. I do this in a pot separate from my boil kettle so I can heat up my boil water. I also heat up about a gallon in another pot.(yup, that's 3 pots) When the grains are done steeping I pour them through a strainer into my boil kettle then rinse with the water from the 3rd kettle.

 

[helibrewer]

I preheat the oven to the lowest temp. Heat my steeping water to about 155. Put the grain bag in...mix around a bit, put the lid on and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes....no muss, no fuss, no sitting there watching temperatures.

 

[RM-MN]

When you are using steeping grains the sugars have already been converted (if there was any conversion in the malting process) and all you are doing with them is extracting the sugars, flavors, and color. These will be extracted at almost any temperature so hitting and keeping the same temperature isn't really necessary. It is good practice though should you ever decide to go all grain which requires a very narrow range of temperature for the conversion process so for most of you trying to get to the mid 150's is a good idea.

The reason you want to keep the temperature below 170 is because that can extract tannins that will make your beer astringent, like a black tea, but extracting tannins also require the pH to be above about 6 which won't happen for most people as the grains will provide the acidic addition.

 

[gladius270]

I have always steeped in 4 gallons of water. I've done both ways, both by maintaining 155* for 20 minutes and by putting them in room temp water and removing when the temp hit 155*. Couldn't tell any difference either way.

 

[pollykraker]

When you are using steeping grains the sugars have already been converted (if there was any conversion in the malting process) and all you are doing with them is extracting the sugars, flavors, and color. These will be extracted at almost any temperature so hitting and keeping the same temperature isn't really necessary. It is good practice though should you ever decide to go all grain which requires a very narrow range of temperature for the conversion process so for most of you trying to get to the mid 150's is a good idea.

The reason you want to keep the temperature below 170 is because that can extract tannins that will make your beer astringent, like a black tea, but extracting tannins also require the pH to be above about 6 which won't happen for most people as the grains will provide the acidic addition.

This is very helpful