Steeping Grains

[flpevman]

What have you guys found as the best method for steeping grains? Most recipes just say "until it hits 170 degrees" but I feel like that has to be a sloppy way of doing it.

 

[bigdawg86]

I would heat water to 154° and then have the grains in for the 30-45 minutes, pull them out, fire up the burner and continue...

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

As a "time saving technique", a 24-hour or overnight cold steep of the steeping grains could be the best method.

Steeping in the 150° to 160° F for 30-45 minutes is similar to a partial mash or BIAB. I've steeped this way and the beer came out fine.

Steeping from the start of the boil until the temperature hits 160° or 170° F also works for me. My preference is to use this technique (or a cold steep) with extract based beers.

If it's one of you first kits, it seems reasonable to follow the kit instructions and take advantage of any customer support the kit has to offer.

 

[user 125772]

back in the day, I would heat the water to about 150, kill the heat, and steep the grains for 30 mins. Once that was done, I'd add the malt extract, dissolve , add some additional water and continue heating for the boil.

 

[beermanpete]

If you are steeping the grain as part of an extract brew and not expecting any sugar/extract contribution then "sloppy" is good enough. The "specialty" grains typically used in this manner may not have enough diastic power to convert their own starches so exacting temperature control is not required. The main concern is heating above 170 F because it can extract tannin from the husk which cause undesirable flavors in the beer.

 

[kh54s10]

I have had a lot of success with adding the steeping grains when the water is hot (? 120 or more?) then continuing to heat the water for 20 minutes or 170 degrees. When I do this I almost get both withing a 5 minute window. Either stop heating or at 20 minutes remove the grains at 20 minutes. I really don't think the time or temperature is very critical. A little longer or a little cooler will not make much difference. The only thing I wouldn't do is exceed 170 degrees by much.

 

[RM-MN]

What have you guys found as the best method for steeping grains? Most recipes just say "until it hits 170 degrees" but I feel like that has to be a sloppy way of doing it.

While this may seem to be a sloppy way of doing the steeping grains it isn't any worse than any other way and my be the most time efficient way. With that in mind, how else will you define, "best".

I'll advocate for heating the water to 160F plus or minus 1 degree then adding the grains and keeping the temperature between 152 and 155 for the half hour steep, not because it is necessary for the steeping (which works between 100 and 212F) but because it is good practice for if you can do this consistently, you can do partial mash too, and furthermore, it works for BIAB all grain.

 

[Rhaop]

While this may seem to be a sloppy way of doing the steeping grains it isn't any worse than any other way and my be the most time efficient way. With that in mind, how else will you define, "best".

I'll advocate for heating the water to 160F plus or minus 1 degree then adding the grains and keeping the temperature between 152 and 155 for the half hour steep, not because it is necessary for the steeping (which works between 100 and 212F) but because it is good practice for if you can do this consistently, you can do partial mash too, and furthermore, it works for BIAB all grain.

If you try this method you can use a small stock pot and keep it inside the stove on warm, if you start at 150ish after 30min it will raise the temp some just keep the water to grain ratio about 1.5qt per pound

And if you do go this route add 8oz of 2row and you’ll have a mini mash on your hands [emoji482]

 

[RM-MN]

If you try this method you can use a small stock pot and keep it inside the stove on warm, if you start at 150ish after 30min it will raise the temp some just keep the water to grain ratio about 1.5qt per pound

And if you do go this route add 8oz of 2row and you’ll have a mini mash on your hands [emoji482]

And if you add more than 8 oz of 2 row and reduce the amount of extract you are well on your way to becoming an all grain brewer. Best of luck.

 

[Lefou]

Steeping leads to mashing, and mashing leads to all grain brewing. Once you get the temperatures and process down, it's time to move away from extract. Calculate your water-to-grain ratio, set the temperatures and account for losses, and away you go.

 

[BigEd]

What have you guys found as the best method for steeping grains? Most recipes just say "until it hits 170 degrees" but I feel like that has to be a sloppy way of doing it.

If the recipes you are using are that sloppy it might be a good idea to find better ones. A good homebrewing text like John Palmer's "How to Brew" will provide simple, general how-to answers for these type of questions. You want the grain & hot water mixture to fall between 145F-155F for optimum results. That's close enough for grain steeping in an extract recipe. Assuming the 170F refers to the water temperature, once the room temperature grains are mixed in the resulting porridge should settle in ~155F-160F. You can adjust the final temp with additional cold or hot water as needed. Once you have done this a few times you will be able to zero in on how much water at a specific temperature gives you the correct final temp for your equipment.

 

[Lefou]

I mash in a kettle.
For me, it was an obvious "next step up" from extract and partial mash. As I moved to all grain, my reliance on more expensive extract lessened.

 

[flpevman]

So the steep is really a "mini-mash" that is not focused on sugar extraction? (because the extract takes care of that)

 

[Rhaop]

So the steep is really a "mini-mash" that is not focused on sugar extraction? (because the extract takes care of that)

Steep extracts flavor and color, a mash converts starch into sugar

So you steep caramel and roasted grains because the sugars are already converted

You mash base and toasted malts because they will still have unconverted starches

 

[flpevman]

Steep extracts flavor and color, a mash converts starch into sugar

So you steep caramel and roasted grains because the sugars are already converted

You mash base and toasted malts because they will still have unconverted starches

Thanks, I think I get it now. So things like temperature matter much more for a true mash than a steep?

 

[Rhaop]

Thanks, I think I get it now. So things like temperature matter much more for a true mash than a steep?

Yes and even mash temperatures are up for debate around here I generally try to target 148-152 or 154-158 depending on the style, but i have mashed at 150 and finished at 1.020, or mashed at 155+ and finished 1.012 so it’s not an exact science nor are my processes perfect, end result is a cold beer in my kegerator

 

[irontodd]

First time, I just threw them in at 0 minutes and heated the water, when it reached 170 I pulled them. This took about 15 minutes. Second time, I put them in at 0 minutes, then heated up to 165 and held until steep time was reached, which for this recipe was 20 minutes. Same recipe as the first. I didn't notice a significant difference. Now, I hit about 150, add the grain, then hold for 20. Haven't used the same recipe, but as has been mentioned, it's good practice for future all grain. My practice has paid off since I was able to hit numbers on a partial mash first time this weekend, which had 5.5 lbs of grain, and must have had decent efficiency since I hit .001 above target OG.