Taste of Rye in beer.

I would like to try a Rye beer and hear that it imparts a spicy flavor. When I hear this I think of a Belgian beer. I really dislike the belgian style for the peppery taste the yeast gives the beer. Does Rye give the same taste or is it a different type of spiciness?

Not the same. I don't care for most Belgians but I love rye beers. Someone else can probably describe it better than me.

I make a killer Belgian Rye IPA, loaded with high AA hops. It does impart a dry spiciness to the beer which I rather like. I think it offsets the esters of the Belgian yeast quite nicely. I call the beer Mad Monk, and it has won awards and been hailed by those who are on both sides of the Belgian fence. Give rye a try!

I haven't brewed with it yet, but I find it kind of sour-ish, but not in a bad way. I think it cuts through the maltniess much like hop bitterness does. Bear Republic - Hop Rod Rye is a great example if you can get your hands on some of that.

There's also a group of folks who think it really doesn't contribute any flavor to a beer. I'd like to do a single variable rye test and see.

I've used rye a couple of times. I think its difficult to describe the flavor. My best attempt is that it adds a bright/edgy malt flavor. I'm not sure I would use the word spicy but many people do use it to describe the flavor.

I just brewed a rye beer, and the flavor was more bready with some light sour notes as mentioned above. It was not spicy. I think the spice often comes from the yeast used. If you don't like that, use a neutral yeast.

I am pretty much a rye-a-holic. I brew several rogens. If you are trying to learn the TASTE of a rye I would suggest that you use a very clean yeast, some pale 2 row and a little carapils. I use WLP036 because I believe it accents the malt flavor. I would not start with a Belgin because of the ester it accents. Then add bittering hops and keep the finishing hops to a minimum. I would use noble hops but think that if you keep it to a minimum and know the bittering and flavor of a particular hop well that could also work. You just want to be able to recognize the hop effect apart from the rye. Use as high a percentage rye as you dare but understand that you spell stuck sparge...RYE, I use 70% on my rogens but would not suggest starting that high....maybe not higher than 40%. I would suggest a half pound of rice hulls if you go over 30% and batch sparge. I use malted rye and not flakes, I like the flavor better....others will disagree on that choice. I secondary after a longer...two week primary because there is a large amount of starch in rye that takes a while to settle. IMO rye has a delicate flavor that can easily be covered by other flavors. I think that it produces a crispness and spicy flavor that is completely unique.....of course that said I already admitted to my rye obsession. Have fun with it!

I agree that the rye flavor is rather delicate (and damned tasty), and I will add that it fades pretty fast, so enjoy it fresh.

The rye "spiciness" is hard to describe, but definitely different than the spiciness imparted by Belgian yeast. Best thing to do is brew something up. If you like hops, try Bee Cave Brewery Rye IPA (in recipe section). I just brewed my third batch; it's become one of my favorites.

Go out and get a few rye beers.They add a distinct character and they are great in something like founders redrye pa,or bear republic's hop rod rye.I made some rye ipa's and they are definatly not boring,i used some flaked rye instead of flaked barley in a pale ale recipe,should add some more layers and malt character.
The crisp and dryness can create what people call spice but i have a hard time defining rye as spicy.

Thanks for all the responses. I have all but the yeast which I can wash from a blond ale I'm making. I have some rye from a friend from a group buy. Going to track some beer with rye in it first. Wegmans here I come.