Using Rye - Cook it first?

I read in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing that he recommends cooking or boiling the rye before using it in a mash. I just made a beer with about 20% rye and i just crushed it and threw it right in. The sparge stuck once or twice, but no huge problems. Why would you cook or boil the rye beforehand? Does it help with sparging or is it more of a sanitation thing (I read the thread about rye funguses.)?

What form of rye? Malted or flaked rye do not need cooking but raw rye would need to be cooked to gelantize the starches.

Oh ok. I used malted rye and came out of the mash with decent efficiency so I figured everything was ok. Does raw rye have a different flavor than malted?

Rye is supposed to be a favored host by a potentially dangerous spore or something like that. If you google up the dangers of rye in brewing I'm sure you'll find something similar to that.

In your case, you were fine to just add your rye to the mash. Malted rye is modified by the malting process and even flaked rye is pre-gelatinized, so both can be mashed. If you use a form of raw rye, then a double mash is required -- i.e., you need to cook the rye (like other adjuncts such as corn or rice) to gelatinize the starches in the grain and make them soluble in water for the enzymes to break down.

With high rye grain bills (say over 30%) a beta-glucan/protein rest might be recommended to aid lautering and to protect against chill haze. But I just did a 25% rye pale ale, and I skipped that rest and just did a single infusion and it came out crystal clear. So even a BG/protein rest isn't absolutely necessary all the time.

EinGutesBier said:

Rye is supposed to be a favored host by a potentially dangerous spore or something like that. If you google up the dangers of rye in brewing I'm sure you'll find something similar to that.

Click to expand...

Ergot infections are a potential problem with most cereal grains, I believe -- but you are correct that it is more common in rye.

If you are purchasing your rye malt from any reputable source, the grains undergo intensive checks for things like ergot, and you shouldn't have to worry about it any more than your barley malts.