how much rye is too much?

[edb23]

Hey guys, so I'm working on a recipe I'm calling the "Camden Common" which is a pale ale ish beer that was inspired by where I grew up, camden county new jersey. it's supposed to be a little spicy, a little smokey, a little earthy. I do want all the flavor notes to be noticeable, but i want it to be complex and not have any one thing take over. Here's the recipe, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

6lbs pale ale malt
2 lbs rye malt
1 lb 40L
3oz roasted barley
1 oz peated malt
1 oz Amarillo at 60
1 oz tettnang at 10
1 oz tettnang at 5
1 oz saaz at 2
1 oz saaz dry hop
White labs east coast ale

 

[KyleWolf]

2lbs isnt too much. I think it will be fine. If you wanted the rye to be more pronounced, you would probably add another .5lbs

 

[ayoungrad]

Anyone notice a significant increase in body with 25-30% Rye recipes? I have a batch that is very thick, almost creamy, and I'm trying to nail down the cause. I've seen some hints on the net that rye can do this?

 

[edb23]

I've heard that rye adds a lot to body, which is sort of what i'm going for

 

[coypoo]

Does anyone know the difference between flaked rye and rye malt? Should you use both?

 

[edb23]

anything that's malted adds to the fermentables in the wort. I've never used any kind of flaked anything before, so not really sure what it would add. anyone have any input?

 

[terrapinj]

flaked rye is supposed to add more body than malted rye

flaked also has negligible diastatic power

here is info from Briess
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_RyeMalt.pdf
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/Briess_PISB_RyeFlakes.pdf

 

[KyleWolf]

I missed it before, but I will say, 1lb of C40 seems like a lot. but meh, that is up to you. Its only 11%. should be alright.

 

[edb23]

I'm thinking that the sweetness from the 40L will help balance out the hoppiness. you think maybe half a pound and then half a pound more of base malt?

 

[bwomp313]

Flaked rye will add the creaminess that you're talking about. The rye malt will mainly add a spicey woody character which I love. To answer your question of "how much rye is too much?" I would say there is no such thing. I love rye and you can do rye as your main base malt with great results, although you may need some rice hulls. With the rye beers I've done, I've used around 70% rye, 20% 2 row and 10% crystal malts. The rye goes great with amarillo hops.

 

[ayoungrad]

I have read that flaked rye will result in creaminess. For my batch that I mentioned above, I ordered rye malt which was included in a larger mix of other grains prior to shipping. So while I assume rye malt was in the bag I have no way of knowing for sure. Especially not now.

Can Rye malt also result in a creamy consistency if used as about 30% of the grist?

 

[KyleWolf]

I'm thinking that the sweetness from the 40L will help balance out the hoppiness. you think maybe half a pound and then half a pound more of base malt?

I would say you would be safe with 3/4lb of C40. I mean I don't think 1lb would ruin it obviously, so that is completely up to you. Just seems like a lot to me but that is personal preference. If you want a 1lb, well by god, you add your 1 lb

 

[mabrungard]

Flaked rye will add some spiciness to the flavor, but Denny Conn recommends that rye malt be used since it has a greater spiciness than flaked. A Roggenbier has at least 50% rye, so the minor percentage shown here would be well within tolerance. Rye is a real bastard in the mash, so be prepared for slow lautering. Rice hulls are not a bad idea, but the moderate percentage of rye may not require the hulls.

1 lb of crystal is a fairly high percentage of the grist, but not crazy high. Might be a little sweet if the wort is not fairly fermentable.

 

[coypoo]

Thanks for the info on flaked v malt rye.

For using rye I would definitely suggest using some rice hulls. They are cheap and will ensure you can lauter normally. I made Denny's Rye IPA and it was a nightmare. Denny says he doesnt need rice hulls, but if you've never used rye before, just be safe and get some. If you like the results you can always go away from the rice hulls, but I had a bad experience with the lautering and as a result the beer suffered and I havent got around to using rye again and I really should b/c rye is awesome.

 

[LordRogan]

Rye malt adds its own particular "body". More like a slickness. I find it also changes how carbonation feels on the tongue.

Rye is responsible for many a stuck mash so beware!

 

[snowtiger1987]

Correct LordRogan. You will also notice a viscous character in the finished beer with over 20% rye in the grain bill.

I find the malted rye kernels to be a bit smaller and harder than normal malted barley. Because of this I normally run it through my grain mill twice to assure the proper crush.

 

[rhys333]

I go with 25% rye or less. 20% usually gives me the character I'm looking for without getting too thick and cough syrupy.