Steeping Grains

[YAPN]

I have a problem with my latest batch.

2 x Black Rock Nut Brown Kits
200g Simpsons Brown malt (milled)
Wyeast West Yorkshire liquid yeast
27lt wort. Temp-21c

It developed a prominent dry grain-husk flavour that I don't think is meant to be there. I've come up with two possible reasons for it...1) I steeped grain that should have been mashed. 2) The temp during steeping was too high resulting in tannins.

My steeping method is always 200g milled grain in 2lt water kept at 65c-70c for 40min. But I've only done it for big, rich stouts before which could have hidden a problem with this method. Palmer's How To Brew and other sources only refer to steeping when doing all-extract brews. So the wort from steeping grains gets boiled for an hour. Is this a necessary step?

 

[MHB]

Grain Polyphenols (tannins) will/do bind with Protein in the boil, this selectively (well perhaps preferentially is closer) removes the very large proteins and the biggest (most offensive) tannins/proteins first.
If you aren't boiling with wort it stands to reason that you are going to have a lot more tannin surviving into the finished beer.
Especially something as tannin rich as Brown Malt. Personally it isn't a malt I would steep, better to do a mini-mash and a full boil, say 1/4Brown and 3/4Ale malt.
Mark

 

[YAPN]

Thanks Mark. I will need to refine my method.