Experimenting with Rye

I recently have been brewing BIAB with 70% Marris Otter and 30% Rye with Brewers gold for bittering and Cascade for flavour. It's been great.....(s-04 for yeast)

I am using a new mash tun this week and am thinking of trying a new yeast. What do you think of Nottingham? S-04 has been good but there is a taste I can't describe......

Also with a mash tun I'll have more control over temps. Should I aim for 150 as I have been?

Have you tried a weizen yeast in a rye beer?

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1d

Happydad1689 said:

I recently have been brewing BIAB with 70% Marris Otter and 30% Rye with Brewers gold for bittering and Cascade for flavour. It's been great.....(s-04 for yeast)

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BIAB recipe and directions? Do you happen to know the volume of your wort after you have chilled?

shetc said:

BIAB recipe and directions? Do you happen to know the volume of your wort after you have chilled?

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5 gal

Nottingham is probably the most robust workhorse yeast I can think of but it does not have that much character. It attenuates well, flocculates extremely well and takes quite a range of temperatures without noticeable esters. I like S04 and use it mainly for porter/stout (it has some esters a slightly acidic twang that I find refreshing).

If you want something a bit more 'out there' you could try the Mangrove Jacks M79 Burton Union. It attenuates well but not as much as Nottingham (around 72-75%), has average to good flocculation (I'd say pretty much like US05) but quite a lot more character. There are some fruity esters in there and hops come out fairly bright as well. The Mangrove Jacks Newcastle Dark Ale yeast is very interesting too (malty, fruity, chewy) but has both poor attenuation and poor flocculation. Some people hate it when it stops at 65% attenuation.

S-05 will give you a clean ferment if that is what you want.

Watch out for a stuck mash with a 30% Rye in a tun.

Mangrove Jack's M79 Burton Union is a good yeast, but be careful. In my experience it can go from pleasant fruitiness to intense, dominating banana character with just a small increase in temperature.

Watch out for a stuck mash with a 30% Rye in a tun.

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I will second this. Rye can be very sticky. Use plenty of rice hulls. If you are used to BIAB a stuck sparge is not an issue. In a mash tun rye can get stuck.

beergolf said:

I will second this. Rye can be very sticky. Use plenty of rice hulls. If you are used to BIAB a stuck sparge is not an issue. In a mash tun rye can get stuck.

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I'm planing on a lb of rice hulls. Does this sound sufficient?

Happydad1689 said:

I'm planing on a lb of rice hulls. Does this sound sufficient?

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Take a look at how big of a package a pound of rice hulls make. I suspect that between a quarter and half pound would be plenty.:cross: