To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Have a question about how to do a BIAB or have a technique that you want to share. Just brew it!

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To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by LouieMacGoo »

Another great article/exbeeriment from brulosophy.com taking on the question of squeezing your bag or not and does it really release undesirable tannins that lead to the mouth-puckering astringency some fear.
I recently switched from the batch sparge brewing method where I used a converted cooler MLT with a stainless braided hose to an electric Brew In A Bag (eBIAB) setup, which caused me for the first time to consider a curiously oft debated issue– whether or not squeezing the grain bag following the mash impacted the quality of the finished beer. Initially, the thought of squeezing a full bag of sopping grains suspended over my kettle wasn’t very appealing to me, largely because I prefer cleanliness and precision when brewing, and bag squeezing seemed like a good way to make a mess while simultaneously being less than predictable.

See the full article at http://brulosophy.com/2017/05/22/brew-i ... t-results/
Worrying can spoil the taste of beer more then anything else! ~ Charles Papazian

Find out more about Yeast, Hops, Grains and Cleaning & Sanitizing
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Fermenting:

#40 - Citra-Nilla Cream Ale IPA - Brewed:9/20/15

Conditioning:
#39 - Dead Fly IPA - Brewed: 8/29/15 Bottled: 9/27/15
#38 - Apricot Hefeweizen (Colab w/Adam at SOL)- Brewed: 8/8/15

Drinking
#36 - Summer Wheat: Oberon Clone - Brewed: 7/11/15
#37 - Hickory Bourbon Honey Porter - Brewed: 7/18/15
#33 - Younger No. 1 Scottish Strong Ale - Brewed: 3/29/15
#28 - Hard Mulled Cider, Brewed 10/11/14 Kegged
#29 - Strawberry Lime Cider, Brewed/10/19/14 Kegged

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#34 - Second Runnings IPA - Brewed: 3/29/15
#32 - Harvest Nugget Smash v2 (TBD) Brewed 11/27/14
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by Beer-lord »

I read this late yesterday and have said many times how I squeeze the crap out of my BIAB bag and never have noticed a tannin problem.


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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by LouieMacGoo »

I found it interesting because I also squeeze the crap out of my bag and I was brewing at my LHBS on Saturday and the "old school" brewer next to me was giving me crap about all the tannins. I asked him if he liked the beer I brewed to which he replied yes and I said you didn't notice the tannins those beers so shut your brew hole! LOL
Worrying can spoil the taste of beer more then anything else! ~ Charles Papazian

Find out more about Yeast, Hops, Grains and Cleaning & Sanitizing
Whats Brewing

Fermenting:

#40 - Citra-Nilla Cream Ale IPA - Brewed:9/20/15

Conditioning:
#39 - Dead Fly IPA - Brewed: 8/29/15 Bottled: 9/27/15
#38 - Apricot Hefeweizen (Colab w/Adam at SOL)- Brewed: 8/8/15

Drinking
#36 - Summer Wheat: Oberon Clone - Brewed: 7/11/15
#37 - Hickory Bourbon Honey Porter - Brewed: 7/18/15
#33 - Younger No. 1 Scottish Strong Ale - Brewed: 3/29/15
#28 - Hard Mulled Cider, Brewed 10/11/14 Kegged
#29 - Strawberry Lime Cider, Brewed/10/19/14 Kegged

Gone
#34 - Second Runnings IPA - Brewed: 3/29/15
#32 - Harvest Nugget Smash v2 (TBD) Brewed 11/27/14
#35 - Columbus Pale Ale - Brewed: 5/02/15
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by Pozolero »

LouieMacGoo wrote:I found it interesting because I also squeeze the crap out of my bag and I was brewing at my LHBS on Saturday and the "old school" brewer next to me was giving me crap about all the tannins. I asked him if he liked the beer I brewed to which he replied yes and I said you didn't notice the tannins those beers so shut your brew hole! LOL
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by John Sand »

Welcome?
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by berryman »

I squeeze with no bad results other then hot hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHhzyh9kCg
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by Beer-lord »

I have some heat resistant (bright orange) gloves for my bag squeezing! :rofl:
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by LouieMacGoo »

Pozolero wrote:
LouieMacGoo wrote:I found it interesting because I also squeeze the crap out of my bag and I was brewing at my LHBS on Saturday and the "old school" brewer next to me was giving me crap about all the tannins. I asked him if he liked the beer I brewed to which he replied yes and I said you didn't notice the tannins those beers so shut your brew hole! LOL
[emoji23]

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Hola y bienvenidos a los Borg!
Worrying can spoil the taste of beer more then anything else! ~ Charles Papazian

Find out more about Yeast, Hops, Grains and Cleaning & Sanitizing
Whats Brewing

Fermenting:

#40 - Citra-Nilla Cream Ale IPA - Brewed:9/20/15

Conditioning:
#39 - Dead Fly IPA - Brewed: 8/29/15 Bottled: 9/27/15
#38 - Apricot Hefeweizen (Colab w/Adam at SOL)- Brewed: 8/8/15

Drinking
#36 - Summer Wheat: Oberon Clone - Brewed: 7/11/15
#37 - Hickory Bourbon Honey Porter - Brewed: 7/18/15
#33 - Younger No. 1 Scottish Strong Ale - Brewed: 3/29/15
#28 - Hard Mulled Cider, Brewed 10/11/14 Kegged
#29 - Strawberry Lime Cider, Brewed/10/19/14 Kegged

Gone
#34 - Second Runnings IPA - Brewed: 3/29/15
#32 - Harvest Nugget Smash v2 (TBD) Brewed 11/27/14
#35 - Columbus Pale Ale - Brewed: 5/02/15
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by Pozolero »

LouieMacGoo wrote:
Pozolero wrote:
LouieMacGoo wrote:I found it interesting because I also squeeze the crap out of my bag and I was brewing at my LHBS on Saturday and the "old school" brewer next to me was giving me crap about all the tannins. I asked him if he liked the beer I brewed to which he replied yes and I said you didn't notice the tannins those beers so shut your brew hole! LOL
[emoji23]

Enviado desde mi XT1635-02 mediante Tapatalk
Hola y bienvenidos a los Borg!
Thanks LouieMacGoo, great spanish!! [emoji482] [emoji106]

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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by John Sand »

I used to squeeze the bag, sometimes I just let it drip now. My favorite method of squeezing is to put it in a large strainer and press on it with a plate. That way my hands stay cooler and cleaner. Don't do this too hard with the pot in a sink. You can dislodge the sink. Trust me. :)
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by LouieMacGoo »

Hola y bienvenidos a los Borg!
Thanks LouieMacGoo, great spanish!! [emoji482] [emoji106]

Enviado desde mi XT1635-02 mediante Tapatalk
Thanks goodness for Google Translate! ;) :lol:
Worrying can spoil the taste of beer more then anything else! ~ Charles Papazian

Find out more about Yeast, Hops, Grains and Cleaning & Sanitizing
Whats Brewing

Fermenting:

#40 - Citra-Nilla Cream Ale IPA - Brewed:9/20/15

Conditioning:
#39 - Dead Fly IPA - Brewed: 8/29/15 Bottled: 9/27/15
#38 - Apricot Hefeweizen (Colab w/Adam at SOL)- Brewed: 8/8/15

Drinking
#36 - Summer Wheat: Oberon Clone - Brewed: 7/11/15
#37 - Hickory Bourbon Honey Porter - Brewed: 7/18/15
#33 - Younger No. 1 Scottish Strong Ale - Brewed: 3/29/15
#28 - Hard Mulled Cider, Brewed 10/11/14 Kegged
#29 - Strawberry Lime Cider, Brewed/10/19/14 Kegged

Gone
#34 - Second Runnings IPA - Brewed: 3/29/15
#32 - Harvest Nugget Smash v2 (TBD) Brewed 11/27/14
#35 - Columbus Pale Ale - Brewed: 5/02/15
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by 1919 »

Who doesn't like their bag squeezed?

I propose high pH is more likely to extract tannins than the the force generated by some mild squeezing to coax out the most readily available liquid trapped more in between the grains than actually sqouze out of it.
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by John Sand »

While I sometimes still press on it, I often just let it drip in the colander while brewing. The additional wort gets added before the end of the boil.
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Re: To Squeeze or not to Squeeze that is the question!

Post by FedoraDave »

I squeeze the heck out of the grains. I use a strainer and a pot lid, and I keep twisting the bag to tighten it up as I go. I've won competition awards with the beers I've done this way.
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