Boiling Malts vs Steeping

I don't have too much grain experiance, I'm just doing extracts right now, but I do know that the idea behind steeping is so the heat can extract the flavor and sugars from the grain. The amount of heat and amount of time will result in different extractions, (Lower heat for longer = more sugars, etc), that's why there are specific temperature levels that must be maintained during mashes. But the warning I've heard is NOT to boil the grains, at any cost, otherwise you're releasing tannins from the grains, which will result in very astringent and bitter tastes. In fact most directions I've read about steeping say not to even squeeze the bag of grains when you take it out, otherwise you'll release those tannins. I would let this ferment out, bottle it, and forget about it and move on to the next batch. Who knows, maybe those directions knew what they were talking about and in a few months those bottles will be fine.

mike

Yes, some of the old texts tell you to just leave the grains in throughout the boil.

You are in a good position to judge the wisdom of this advice! :) Please be sure to post back when you drink it and let us know how it tastes. The big question will be whether it is astringent or not. Astringent is similar to bitter, but different. It is really a sensation, not a taste (like alum, tea, or green persimmons), that you can feel on the roof of you mouth with your tongue.

Astringency will mellow out somewhat with time, so if your batch IS astringent, you can let it age for a while and see if it gets better. (Personally, I don't think you'll see any noticable astringency. If every beer they made was astringent, the authors of those old texts would have used a different procedure!)

Derric

From Northern Brewer: "CaraVienne (21° L) is an excellent all-purpose caramel malt."

I would have just steeped them as before. The 170 temp is basically a max. , i.e. you don't want to exceed that by much. AG brewers, like me, mash at temps in the 150s range. That would do just as well for steeping. I see nothing gained by putting them in cold. The instructions seem geared for simplicity and convenience.

Also, FWIW, 2#s of caramel malt in a 5-gal recipe seems excessive. I would have cut that back to 1#. And were thiose grains crushed, or did you put them in whole? If they were mush at the end, I assume they were crushed, as they should be. Some extracts tend to leave a lot of unfermentables, and 2#s of caramel add even more. Well, let us know how it turns out.

John S.

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As I understand it, steeping at the correct temperatures encourages certain enzyme reactions that aid in sugar extraction. Too cold, not enough extraction. Too hot and some of the reactions are halted. Moreover, the grain husks contain tannins that get released at higher temps (beyond 170 degrees) that can contribute an astringent taste to the beer. (Ever steeped a tea bag for too long?)

Better to steep and remove rather than boil the grains.