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what's the difference

H

hunter

what's the difference between steeping grains  in a pot  then sparging grains through strainer into wort.and doing a full mash in a cooler and sparging,keep in mind i know nothing about all grain brewing except what iv'e been reading on the internet.just wandering ???












 
Hi,
 Steeping is done to extract color and some flavor from the grains, but in general it does not extract most of the sugars from the grain.  Typically only 5-15% of the sugars are extracted when steeping.

 In contrast, mashing (the process of holding the grain at a set temperature for an hour or so, then lautering it) is designed to break down complex sugars in the grain so they can more easily be extracted and fermented.  In addition to extracting color and flavor, a significant amount of sugar is extracted (typically 70-75%) that makes up your starting gravity.  Mashing also allows you to use some ingredients that you can't be steeped, giving you more flexibility.  The downside is that it takes more time, and slightly more equipment.

Cheers!
Brad
 
so it's all about the sugars,that makes scence.i wasn't really seeing the difference between steeping and mashing,i thought i found a loophole on that time and equipment thing.being a newbe to brewing the allgrain seems a little over whelming right know,but i can see myself going that route someday.
 
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