Rypocalypse - Categorize This!

Rypocalypse - Categorize This!
I like doing experimental brews. Especially beer that doesn't really fit any designation. I've made a Quintupel (delicious, by the way) and am looking to try something new.

How would you categorize this?

Rypocalypse

Specialty Grains
1 lb Caramel 80
1 lb Aromatic

6 lbs Rye LME
6 lbs Munich LME
2 lbs Palmetto Honey (Malty)

Hop Schedule
2 oz Citra for 1 hour
1 oz Citra for 5 min
1 oz Cascade for 5 min

US05 Yeast

51 IBU
16 L
SG 1.110
FG 1.023
11.3% ABV

No worries. All I've done for 8 years is Big Beers. Attenuation is no problem.

What I want to know is how you would classify and improve this beer?

Sounds like the makings of an American Barleywine. I would rack it to a secondary, leave it for a year, then dry hop after aging, package and drink soon thereafter. Better yet, in addition to aging plus dry hops, I would blend in a couple gallons of a fresh, smaller but more aggressively late hopped version (same IBUs, half the gravity, double the late hops, something like that), after the main batch has had a year in secondary.

Agreed- you could easily call it a rye wine. I don't think it needs a year though, especially with those hops. Ferment it properly and you should be able to drink it fresh, and then age some to try later on!

Initially, I thought barley wine as well, but it actually doesn't qualify according to BJCP guidelines. The rye spiciness pretty much destroys the full on maltiness that the style should display. Or we could say close enough.

What would you call it with 100% rye? Rye wine? But that's not a category. Specialty beer maybe?

No BJCP style that'll fit that much rye in that big of a beer. However given that most rye extract is still mostly barley, the rye percentage in there is still very modest, and with everything else going on there the rye may not be at the forefront. Either way would either be American Barleywine or Specialty beer (Ryewine or Rye American Barleywine).

No harm drinking some fresh if it's drinkable. If you do it right it won't "need" a year of aging, but in my book the aged notes are important and cannot be faked. A young Barleywine is just like a young Old Ale. But no reason you can't drink some and then age some.

You do know rye extract only has 20% rye malt, and munich extract is only 50% munich malt. The majority of the beer is regular base malt. That would bring it into BW territory.

I don't think you will get anything from the aromatic. It needs to be mashed.

In light of some very good points raised here, I've decided to change up the recipe. I'm trying to maximize the rye of course.

Rypocalypse - Version 2

Specialty Grains
2 lb Rye
1 lb Munich
1 lb Aromatic
-Mash at 150 F for 30 minutes.

Add:
12 lbs Rye LME
Boil 75 minutes.

Hop Schedule
3 oz Centenial for 1 hour
1 oz Target for 5 min

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

68 IBU
13 L
SG 1.104
FG 1.023
10.7% ABV

Thoughts? Ideas? Improvements?