Rye question

Ive never used rye before. Is it possible to use its spicy characteristics without a lot of creamy slickness? I'm working on a dry, low-malt, full-flavored IPA and want to complement the spice character of some of the hops I'm using. Would rye help me toward that goal, if so how much should I use?

You can get the spiciness without the creaminess by using rye malt

Reno_eNVy said:

You can get the spiciness without the creaminess by using rye malt

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How much would you suggest for this no-creaminess threshold? 5%? 10%?

I have a bitter I made with 50% rye malt and there's no perceivable creaminess you'd get from flaked rye.

I like about 20% rye malt in my rye IPA's. Enough spice to taste but not overpower.

You can do a beta-glucan rest at 110 degrees to help reduce the slickness. 20-30% is a reasonable amount for flavor.

It seems like the OP would be more satisfied with 12-15% rye malt (no flaked) in an otherwise clean grist of English 2-row and maybe 3-4% cara-rye with 5-6% wheat malt, mashed low, fermented cool with a decent attenuating yeast like WLP007, and an OG that isn't too high.

I brewed a 1.061 OG IPA like this with Chinook, Nugget, and Northern Brewer once and it came out great.

bobbrews said:

It seems like the OP would be more satisfied with 12-15% rye malt (no flaked) in an otherwise clean grist of English 2-row and maybe 3-4% cara-rye with 5-6% wheat malt, mashed low, fermented cool with a decent attenuating yeast like WLP007, and an OG that isn't too high.

I brewed a 1.061 OG IPA like this with Chinook, Nugget, and Northern Brewer once and it came out great.

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Thanks for the tips... CaraRye? Never heard of it! Obviously I have much more reading to do about other grains. I should have included the recipe I'm trying to work this into, so here it is (work in progress):

3.5 lb 2-row
3.5 lb MO
1.0 lb Cara-Pils (may change depending on Rye addition)
0.5 Sucrose

0.75 Warrior 60
1.00 Galena 10
1.00 Styrian Goldings 10
0.50 Cascade 10
1.00 Styrian Goldings 0
1.00 Cascade 0
1.00 Styrian Goldings dry hop
1.00 Cascade dry hop

US-05

I've brewed a version of this once (w/o the Golding hops and a bigger Cascade addition at 10 mins), and I love it. I want to enhance the apple notes and the dryness, which I read that Rye can do. But I don't want to add so much that it gets creamy or malty... the recipe already has a nice silky mouthfeel, and I like that, but I don't want it malty or any more lingering sweetness. Basically, I am looking for more flavor and aroma dimension, and a bit more dryness.

A secondary question, then, is how this would impact the need for Cara-Pils. In the recipe, I use it and the sugar to add body and alcohol without impacting flavor. Should I subtract the Cara-Pils if I add Rye?

Thanks for the tips!

You don't need sucrose for a standard IPA, low in OG. I would allow the yeast and mash temps/ferm temps to give you the dryness you're after. As far as the malts that will affect body (carapils/wheat/cararye)... you'll only need like 4-5% total in the recipe given your goals.

MO is kinda heavy for an IPA. 20% or so will work, but honestly I'd rather go with just English 2-row. It has more character than American 2-row, but not as heavy as MO or Golden Promise.

I would cut the bittering addition to attain 20-25 IBUs, then achieve the rest later on in the boil. Styrians seems a little out of place IMO, but it will still work.

Question... Where's the RYE MALT there?? You seemed to have left it out (not talking about cararye).

bobbrews said:

You don't need sucrose for a standard IPA, low in OG. I would allow the yeast and mash temps/ferm temps to give you the dryness you're after. As far as the malts that will affect body (carapils/wheat/cararye)... you'll only need like 4-5% total in the recipe given your goals.

MO is kinda heavy for an IPA. 20% or so will work, but honestly I'd rather go with just English 2-row. It has more character than American 2-row, but not as heavy as MO or Golden Promise.

I would cut the bittering addition to attain 20-25 IBUs, then achieve the rest later on in the boil. Styrians seems a little out of place IMO, but it will still work.

Question... Where's the RYE MALT there?? You seemed to have left it out (not talking about cararye).

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I left it out because this is what I'm starting with and wanted input on how much to put in.

Oh, well I answered that question already.

...Forgot to add that Galena and Cascade are not "spicy" hops... they're more citrusy than anything.

bobbrews said:

Oh, well I answered that question already.

...Forgot to add that Galena and Cascade are not "spicy" hops... they're more citrusy than anything.

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Thanks for the tips. I want this beer to be more citrusy than spicy, so that's why I went with these hops.