Where do you hang your steeping bag?

[Brewer_Bob]

Now that I have brewed and bottled my first batch I am preparing for my next one. So of course I am going over my process in my head to see where I can improve things.

When I had my kettle on the stove and I was steeping my specialty grains I realized I couldn’t step away without dropping the string into the hot wort. That wouldn’t be a huge problem because I could always retrieve it with the sterilized tongs I had on hand but there has to be a better way. Do any of you guys fashion some sort of hook to put on your pot to hang the bag from when you need to step away a moment? Any suggestions?

 

[Smokeater233]

I simply take the top end of the bag and tie it to one of the handles on the outside of the pot...works perfectly for me and I think a lot of other brewers do the same...

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

No need to use sterilized tongs since you steep pre-boil. I always just fished it out with my spoon when I was doing extract/steeping grains.

 

[Yooper]

No need to use sterilized tongs since you steep pre-boil. I always just fished it out with my spoon when I was doing extract/steeping grains.

Yep, me too. You want the grain to be thoroughly wetted. If it's tied tightly to something, it seems like it would be very hard to stir it and get it soaked all the way through. I just put the back in, dunked it around and stirred it very well, and then pulled it out when the time was up.

 

[Bob]

Concur. Let it soak.

I have a colander I can rest on top of my kettle. When the steep is over, I fish the bag(s) out with that colander, rest it on the kettle, and "sparge" the bag with hot water.

But I don't fix/tie/attach the bag(s) to anything. I let 'em move.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[knotquiteawake]

I've used binder clips to hold the bag in place on the side of the pot before. That seemed to work ok.

 

[RippinLt]

lay a hanger across the kettle and suspend the bag!

 

[Smokeater233]

Tying the top of the bag - it's a long bag guys - to the exterior handle has worked fine for me thus far...all of the grain is soaked through and I don't have to through the process of fishing out the bag at the end of the steep. To each his own...

 

[JorgeIsKing]

I don't even bother tying it to the handle, I just leave the bag hang out of the top and the lid usually keeps it in place.

 

[Mose]

I tie a loop in the string or top of the bag itself and put my spoon through it and let it suspend from the spoon accross the kettle. It floats free and I don't have to dig for it, then I can use the spoon to dip it up and downa nd stir it as much as necessary.

 

[l1ranger]

i just drop the bag in the water, swish it around with tongs and fish it out with tongs when steeping time is over.

I'm getting ready to boil, so sanitation is not an issue and I don't have to take an extra step of trying it to anything.

 

[Brewer_Bob]

Thanks all. I guess I was just over thinking things.

 

[JorgeIsKing]

I have to admit that when I first saw the title to this post I was tempted to reply with:

"Mine hangs to the left."

...But that would have just been juvenile

 

[HexKrak]

The way the handles on my pot are configured I can stick a chopstick (or bamboo skewer) over the lip of the pot and through the handle and it will hang neatly over the pot. We took some pics of my last brew session, so I'll put an image up as soon as we get the off the camera.