Recipe sanity check: Oaked Red Rye Imperial IPA

[Polyphaeon]

Skip to the bold at the bottom for the twist.

Have a scotch drinking friend coming to town and I want to win him over with homebrewing. He also likes IPAs. I have scotch ale and barely wine on hand so I thought a high gravity oaked IIPA might be just right.

ABV 8.4
OG 1.086
IBU 65.5
Color 14.3 srm

15.000 lb 2-row Pale
4.000 lb Rye Malt
1.000 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine
8.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
4.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 120L

(All Pellet)
Nugget 1oz 60min
Nugget 1oz 20min
Nugget 1oz 10min
Nugget 1oz 0min
Nugget 2oz dry hops
Yeast = Wyeast - London Ale*

4 weeks primary
4 weeks on oak chips (1oz?)
dry hops at 7 days from kegging

Never used rye before. Also I want to be careful with the oak as it has overpowered my beer before. The trick is that I will be away for 2 months and I will only really be able to get my spouse to add things to the primary = there will be no racking. I've done lots of beers with only a primary but wonder about how this will effect the oak chips (if they might just sink into the trub). Thanks!

*also not sure about this yeast selection
edit: corrected type-o in OG

 

[Quaker]

1st off, rye will give you plenty of body, so replace the Carapils with sugar to help dry this out and avoid it being a hoppy barley wine. Even if you dry the beer out, the rye gives it a decent mouthfeel.

Regarding the oak, use cubes, not chips. That way the longer time won't hurt it. Search for the Firestone Walker CYBI recipes on here for amounts. But I think 4 weeks with an ounce will be fine. I would toss them in a little boiling water for 5 minutes to sanitize, then dump the water out and only add the cubes. 4 weeks later if you taste it and its not enough, well then you can chuck some more into the keg (assuming you're kegging).

 

[Polyphaeon]

Quaker, thanks for the advice. I had not realized there is a difference between chips and cubes - looks like I will have to do a little research. My LHBS only has chips - so that is a factor. I was planning on soaking them in 0.1 L of whiskey starting on the brew day. I do like the idea of adding them to the keg to taste.

I was following this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/founders-reds-rye-ipa-clone-151489/ for the large amount of carapils. It did seem a little odd... Will revise. Now that I think about it a super thick head might be a little out of place anyways.

 

[Quaker]

If you were down around 1.065 like that Founders thread, then I could see leaving the Carapils. You had a typo, but I assume you are targeting 1.086. Thus I think you need to dry it out with the sugar as in many DIPAs.

Rye will give you plenty of head retention.

 

[Polyphaeon]

Well, you have certainly given me some home work for the holidays...

Just so I understand - is using sugar to make it dry a way to get the target OG without introducing more non-fermentable sugars? Is this just to be to style? Or does it have to do with some kind of flavour interaction?

Thanks again! and thanks for catching that type-o.

 

[Quaker]

The sugar will get you to your OG and lower your FG. If you used a big healthy pitch and got 75% attenuation, then this would still finish above 1.021. The simple sugars (just plain white sugar) will fully attenuate. Combine that with a 148-150 mash temp and I'd guess you can finish 1.012-1.015. It would be easier to down a pint of it than at 1.020 or higher where it's more of a heavier sipper. It won't alter the taste.

 

[govner1]

Skip to the bold at the bottom for the twist. Have a scotch drinking friend coming to town and I want to win him over with homebrewing. He also likes IPAs. I have scotch ale and barely wine on hand so I thought a high gravity oaked IIPA might be just right. ABV 8.4 OG 1.086 IBU 65.5 Color 14.3 srm 15.000 lb 2-row Pale 4.000 lb Rye Malt 1.000 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine 8.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L 4.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 120L (All Pellet) Nugget 1oz 60min Nugget 1oz 20min Nugget 1oz 10min Nugget 1oz 0min Nugget 2oz dry hops Yeast = Wyeast - London Ale* 4 weeks primary 4 weeks on oak chips (1oz?) dry hops at 7 days from kegging Never used rye before. Also I want to be careful with the oak as it has overpowered my beer before. The trick is that I will be away for 2 months and I will only really be able to get my spouse to add things to the primary = there will be no racking. I've done lots of beers with only a primary but wonder about how this will effect the oak chips (if they might just sink into the trub). Thanks! *also not sure about this yeast selection edit: corrected type-o in OG

With that much rye I'd add a pound of rice hulls so you don't get a stuck sparge. Also look at Denny's Favorite as a choice for your yeast.

 

[Polyphaeon]

Revised recipe:
15.000 lb 2-row Pale
4.000 lb Rye Malt
1.000 lb Rice hulls
8.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
4.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 120L
Corn sugar to 1.086 (will calculate in the last few minutes of the boil)
American ale yeast (Wyeast 1056 - although Dennys does look pretty cool I have this on hand and it should make a good sub)
Thanks!