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Steeping grains & Equp. profile

Joel B.

Apprentice
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
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Location
West Central Iowa
OK, if 1 gal / pound - water to grain, is best steeping practice, is it important to some how input that into your Equp. profile?  Or, Is steeping at that rate then topping off to your boil volume the best/only way to do that?  I'm just wondering if some one else thought about this or I am I just over "cooking" this issue.
Oh, and by the way, I'm new to BS2 so I'll probably have a bunch more questions in the future. (LOL)
Thanks,
 
The equipment profile defines you process limits and expected losses.  For steeping grains, the amount of water used for steeping is preset in the software and will appear in the brew day sheet as a separate water input.

To say this is the 'best' steeping practice may be debatable.  Every process, recipe, and situation is different and what is set in the software is the best recommended practice.  The water volume is limited to reduce the chances of ending up with a high pH and high temperature which will draw out tannins and other undesirable compounds from the grains. In doing so, it ignores water chemistry which may have a part in this happening. The software also recommends steeping at hot temperatures and these days there are a number of people who cold steep (especially their dark grains) and strain out the grains into the kettle. 

Going along with the software recommendations is a pretty safe place to start, but don't let that stop you from reading about other ways of extracting the sugars and color from grains and applying them.  Remember, the software is just a program and does not 'think' or 'know' anything. 
 
Thanks for the reply @Oginme. I found those numbers reading one of Brads blog posts so I figured that was the way to go. I realize the software can't think, just compute. I also know garbage in = garbage out when dealing with software. I'm just wanting to get the most out the program to improve my chances of making a good beer.
Thanks again,
Joel B.
 
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