Critique this (rye pale) please.. Brewing in the morning

[ohiodad]

What do you all think of this one... Came up with it after happy hour tonight so well maybe I can use some more sober advice... Thanks!

Rye Pale Ale
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 6/14/2008
Style: American Pale Ale Brewer: Scott Brandewie
Batch Size: 5.50 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 7.33 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Actual Efficiency: 13.70 %
Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 65.73 %
1.50 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 13.15 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 8.76 %
0.53 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4.65 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.38 %
0.38 lb Special Roast (50.0 SRM) Grain 3.33 %
0.75 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 30.0 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (20 min) Hops 18.8 IBU
0.40 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (10 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
0.25 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (10 min) Hops 3.6 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Slurry California Ale V (White Labs #WLP051) Yeast-Ale

Mash at 151 for 1 hour..

Batch Sparge..

Pick it apart... I'd love to hear the advice...

 

[enderwig]

I would cut the honey malt, other than that...looks great!
(Honey malt tends to overpower everything else, if your hellbent on keeping it, I would go with a .25#)

 

[Professor Frink]

I agree with lowering the honey malt, that stuff can be strong. Looks like a good recipe.

 

[ohiodad]

I agree with lowering the honey malt, that stuff can be strong. Looks like a good recipe.

Well my thought on the honey malt is that this comes in at almost 60 IBU.. I thought the sweetness in the honey malt might offset that some without giving the brew too much body and putting it in the IPA class.. Where do you guys feel that the honey malt should be scaled back to?

 

[enderwig]

Where do you guys feel that the honey malt should be scaled back to?

Personally, I would replace it with either crystal 10, 15, or 20. Either that or I would only use 1/4 lb. I have found that with 1/2 lb or more, the honey malt is the only thing that you will taste, which is fine if thats the flavor profile that you are trying to attain. No matter what though, you will still make beer!

 

[Glibbidy]

I'd pull these out, and let the Rye shine thru.
Honey Malt Grain
Cara-Pils/Dextrine Grain
Special Roast Grain

Bump the Rye up to 15-20% and add 10 5-10% Crystal depending on your target gravity.
What is your target gravity anyway

 

[PseudoChef]

I would keep the honey malt, personally. This grain bill is eerily similar to Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale which utilizes about a half pound of honey malt.

 

[mrk305]

I would increase the two row to nine pounds, and make all of the above, which is pretty much what I have been doing for the last couple of months.

 

[Beerrific]

I would keep the honey malt, personally. This grain bill is eerily similar to Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale which utilizes about a half pound of honey malt.

Yeah, I just brewed a clone last Saturday based on a Brewing Network interview with the brewer there. I believe he said they use about 3% honey malt. That is what I used and I tasted some the other day and it tasted very good.

 

[CBBaron]

I'm thinking your recipe looks very yummy as is, I wouldn't change a thing.
I guess my experience with honey malt is a little different, I have made a couple of Scottish ales using about 1/2# each and really couldn't notice it specifically.

Craig

 

[chemystree]

much like beerific i too made a similar rye pale ale that has been tasting good so far, but i'll know better this weekend when its in the keg. even with only about 10% rye i had a pretty slow sparge so i wonder if rice hulls might speed things up a bit...otherwise looks good!

 

[ohiodad]

Well I wound up brewing it as is... Oddly enough I missed my target gravity of 1.055 though and hit 1.050 instead... And somehow I forgot to add my flameout hops.. Kids distracted me.. Realized it when I got it down around 70 degrees, so I figure I'll just dry hop instead... Looking forward to trying this and seeing how much the honey malt comes through.. The jar sample tasted more spicey from the rye I presume than sweet from the honey malt so it looks promising... Thanks to all of you for the advice!!