flaked rye vs rye malt: i'm looking for easy lautering

[andrea93]

hi!
i'll brew a belgian blonde and i'd like to use rye, about 15-20%.I know rye malt is more intense than flaked rye, but since it is only my third all grain batch, is it more easy lautering with rye malt or flaked rye?
my lauter bin is zapap.

 

[beergolf]

Both can get sticky. If you use plenty of rice hulls you will be fine.

I often brew a Rye IPA with about 20% rye. The only stuck I have ever had was with that recipe. Now I just make sure to use plenty of rice hulls and have not had any more problems.

 

[dirtydingus]

I'll be doing a Roggenbier tomorrow with 3# of Rye. Is 1# of rice hulls enough?

 

[andrea93]

other experiences?

 

[eko]

other experiences?

Did you brew the rye? What did you learn? What was your recipe, and how'd it turn out?

 

[m00ps]

I've brewed extensively with both regular and flake rye (and oven toasted) and here's my take:

Flaked Rye gives more spicy rye character per lb than regular rye malt.

It seems like flaked rye doesn't create as much gunky viscosity as regular rye malt, but I've never done any controlled tests to back this up

It's usually best to stay under 30% Rye by weight or else you'll end up with a beer mouthfeel that's like drinking Nyquil. I do BIAB so I've never needed rice hulls with any of my Rye brews.

I've read you can do some sort of initial mash rest (~110F maybe?) to minimize the gunkiness of the Rye. I'm guessing this is how they do Roggenbiers or else those things wouldn;t even be drinkable, just a bottle of snot.

For something like a Rye IPA, I'd do 20-25% Rye, with 1lb Flaked and the rest regular Rye malt. Mash low

 

[RM-MN]

Brew in a Bag (BIAB) is a great way to make beers with either rye or wheat because you can just laugh at the stickiness as you squeeze the bag and force the wort out.

 

[andrea93]

Did you brew the rye? What did you learn? What was your recipe, and how'd it turn out?

yes, i did. the recipe is a belgian blond with 15% of flaked rye and belgian pils to 1068og, wyeast 3942, challenger and progress hops. A bit out of style, but i was looking spicy and earthy character from the hops.

i'haven't yet opened a bottle so i can't say nothing about the final product.

I put about 0.7lb of rice hulls in the mash and i've done a ten minutes protein rest. the mash was a bit thick but no stuck sparge.. i think problems could start with 25-30% of flaked rye..

when i try a bottle, i will post my impressions!

 

[Homercidal]

Mash out adding the hot water to the mash. This will thin the lauter and make it flow easier.

 

[bobbrews]

Flaked Rye gives more spicy rye character per lb than regular rye malt.

This topic is controversial. Some people experience the exact opposite. I find that rye malt gives more flavor and rye character whereas flaked rye adds more to the body of the beer, and less to the flavor (although the flavor is still present).

 

[Brettomomyces]

This topic is controversial. Some people experience the exact opposite. I find that rye malt gives more flavor and rye character whereas flaked rye adds more to the body of the beer, and less to the flavor (although the flavor is still present).

I would agree; I just brewed a rye beer with just crystal and flaked rye (no plain rye malt) and the rye flavor is much lower than anticipated.

 

[beersk]

I'll be doing a Roggenbier tomorrow with 3# of Rye. Is 1# of rice hulls enough?

That's way more than you need. A few big hands full I would say... Make sure to use juuuust a tad more water to accommodate.

 

[ObsidianJester]

One thing I would do, no matter how much rice hulls you use is to presoak/rinse them out. This way you're washing the hulls which are quite dirty from my experience. Also if you soak/rinse them off it helps with the water absorption.

So far as the flaked vs rye malt I use both in my Rye IPA and find that they both seem to add to the beer. Flavor comes from the malt for a grainy taste, the flaked seems to give a bit more body and spice.

 

[The_Bishop]

I just brewed a Rye Pale Ale with 3/4 pound of rye malt and 3/4 pound of rye flakes. No rice hulls. I conditioned the grist before milling and the more intact hulls make the lautering much easier.