How much Rye is enough?

[jds]

I'm working up a recipe for an APA with Rye, but never having used Rye before, I'm unsure how much I will need to be able to taste it without it overpowering everything else.

My current malt bill is about 82% Pale 2 row, 9% Rye, 4.5% each Cara-Pils and 40L Crystal. I'm looking for about 1.046 OG and 33 IBU's of hops (Sterling + Willamette). Will the rye be noticeable at this level, or should I consider bumping it to 15% (or more) of the grain bill?

 

[Soulive]

I like at least 15% in my rye-related beers...

 

[FlyGuy]

I'm working up a recipe for an APA with Rye, but never having used Rye before, I'm unsure how much I will need to be able to taste it without it overpowering everything else.

My current malt bill is about 82% Pale 2 row, 9% Rye, 4.5% each Cara-Pils and 40L Crystal. I'm looking for about 1.046 OG and 33 IBU's of hops (Sterling + Willamette). Will the rye be noticeable at this level, or should I consider bumping it to 15% (or more) of the grain bill?

I just did another rye PA and used 25%. The rye flavour is still pretty subtle to me. I am going to do 35% in the next batch. It will definitely need a protein rest, though -- I got a chill haze on this batch despite full conversion and fast chilling.

I also suggest you drop the CaraPils -- I tried that and really regret it now. I think this brew would have been better if it were a little crisper. The CaraPils just works against that.

 

[bradsul]

I did a 60/40 munich/rye (it's in my recipe dropdown) and it was really tasty. The munich is definitely dominant but the rye is a nice subtle flavour that goes really well with it. (I don't use the roasted in that recipe anymore)

 

[Dude]

I've gone as high as 40% and it gave a real nice flavor.

Be careful with rye though--you'll need rice hulls to help against sticking your sparge. Rye has no hulls so when it is ground up or flaked, it can be a sticky mess.

 

[jds]

Thanks for the feedback, all. I think I'm going to go ahead and bump it to 15% Rye. I'm trying to sneak up on what I like a little bit, and hopefully avoid the protein rest (cooler MLT) and chill haze by using gelatin in the keg.

 

[Professor Frink]

Good thread, I was just wondering the same thing, I'm doing a RyePA this weekend, right now I'm going with:

35.7% Pale Malt
35.7% Rye
21.4% Munich
7.1% Biscuit

 

[Brewtopia]

We used almost 25% rye in the Hoptrocity Rye IPA we brewed at Stix.

16.4% Rye Malt
4.2% Flaked Rye

It's tasting really good.

 

[scottthorn]

I sampled an ale last night made with 20% rye and it was just right for the style.

Doc Thirst and I recently made a roggenbier. 60% rye, 10% wheat - Worst stuck sparge ever! It basically turned to glue in the cooler... ugh. Definitely bust out the rice hulls if you're using a sizeable quantity.

I just made a Rye IPA with 25% flaked rye - no sparging issues there - but it's still in primary so I can't comment on the taste.

 

[Dude]

Good thread, I was just wondering the same thing, I'm doing a RyePA this weekend, right now I'm going with:

35.7% Pale Malt
35.7% Rye
21.4% Munich
7.1% Biscuit

Add some rice hulls to that mash. Trust me.

 

[bradsul]

Add some rice hulls to that mash. Trust me.

I must have a magic manifold or something. My 60/40's never stick and I don't use rice hulls. Though I definitely second the recommendation!

 

[Blender]

I would try it at 15% and see how it turns out and if you like it. Rye does get rather sticky so the rice hulls is a good recommendation. My brews never stuck but I did have to blow back into the cooler to break it open.

 

[jds]

Just got it in the fermenter. Thanks to a malfunctioning thermometer, I ended up inadvertently doing a protein rest, and a decoction to get the mash to temp. No problems batch sparging it through my 20" braid, without resorting to rice hulls.

It tastes pretty good, and I ended up with 75% efficiency, and that was with leaving 1/2 gallon of runnings out of the boil.

Thanks again fo the feedback. Hopefully, in a few weeks, I'll come back and report on how the beer turned out.

 

[Professor Frink]

Add some rice hulls to that mash. Trust me.

Indeed. I brewed it today (with 1/2 pound of rice hulls). Efficiency was kind of low, but I expected that when I put it into BeerAlchemy. Ended up at 1.046 OG and 83 IBUs. Looking forward to this beer.

 

[Poindexter]

FWIW Mosher calls for 80% pale barley, 8% pale crystal and 12% rye (malted preffered to roasted) in the ale/ ale yeast verison. And one weight rice hulls to three weights rye. Goes great with beef.

 

[jds]

Just put my Rye Ale in the keg after 18 days in primary. The hydrometer jar was one of the best-tasting hydrometer samples I've had. This beer is going to be fantastic once it ages a bit.