Looking for some tips on mashing with Rye...

[Anthony_Lopez]

I absolutely love the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye...

I'm going to plan on a RyePA fairly soon, so I wanted to get some tips to avoid stuck sparges... I've heard rice hulls, slightly higher mash temps, etc, however I know that the temp. margin for rye is very small.

Any tips from some of you guys that have brewed successfully with Rye would be appreciated.

 

[martymoat]

Any time i use rye or wheat in large amounts of the grain bill i have always used rice hulls. They have never let me down, just account for some extra water to add to the mash because the rice hulls will suck up some of your mash in water.

 

[jds]

I just brewed a rye pale this weekend with 25% rye malt in the grain bill. A few handfuls of rice hulls in the mash, and I had no problems sparging it. While bumping up the mash temperature may help, it will also have an effect on the character of the beer that you need to consider. Higher temperatures tend to lead to more unfermentables and heavier body, which you may not want in a pale ale.

I've mashed rye as low as 152 degrees with no problems. What you may want to consider is either (a) mashing out with a gallon or so of boiling water to get the grain bed temperature up or (b) sparging with 175 degree water, if you're batch sparging.

I'm led to understand that adding a protein rest can also be beneficial in clearing ales with significant amounts of malted rye, but I haven't done that yet (until I finish my direct-fired mash tun, that is).

 

[hopsalot]

If you keep your rye below 15% you should not have a problem. I took Ed Worts Haus PA and added around 17% rye and did not have a problem with stuck sparge. I have a MLT with a steel braid. I agree that beer is bad ass, definitely unfiltered

 

[bradsul]

I rinse and soak the rice hulls in hot water (I always find them to be quite dirty). Then I don't add them to the mash until I actually begin sparging. That way they don't soak up any liquor from the mash.

 

[PseudoChef]

I've always mashed Rye the same as anything else. No rice hulls, no problems.

 

[david_42]

I've always used malted rye to minimize problems when using it at 20-25%. 5-10% flaked rye shouldn't be a problem.

 

[AnOldUR]

Any tips from some of you guys that have brewed successfully with Rye would be appreciated.

Some specs on the Hop Rod Rye:
20% Rye
OG 1.074
ABV 7.5%
IBU 90+

A great article on brewing with rye:
BT - Brewing with Rye

The 4Rye in my sig is about 1/3 flaked rye. It's not listed in the ingredients, but like bradsul I use rice hulls at sparging.

I have three different rye beers in different stages right now. Tasty stuff!
Good luck

 

[jrhammonds]

I've only done rye in small quantities 1lb. That said, I recently read a piece on the "undermodified-ness" of rye malt. I echo the protein rest, and may even suggest a step decoction if you prefer clearer beers. In my latest red rye ale, I noticed a ridiculously intense chill haze when I throw one of these in the fridge. After 3 weeks of cold-conditioning in the bottle, there is still quite a bit of chill haze (though it has subsided). If you're not considered with this haze, then no worries. Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

 

[jmo88]

Pick up a copy of BYO 150 classic recipe clones. I brewed the hoprod about four weeks ago using their clone recipe and I haven't tried it yet. The recipe seemed pretty solid and tasted great before bottling.