My Rye Stout, Recipe revision. Questions.

[Forrest]

My Rye stout was not only my first AG brew but it was also my first attempt at creating my own recipe. Overall I was very satisfied with my AG brew itself as I obtained an very high efficency. However, now that it has matured, I am not satified with the recipe and think I can do a lot better.

I made another post awhile back stating that my Rye Stout had an off flavor to it. I have come to learn that this off flavor only exists when the beer is cold. If you drink the beer at room temp, the flavor is either not there or not noticable.

Still, even without the off flavor, I think the beer is a little too bitter for my liking. I did not put very much hops in the beer. It was only rated 30.9 IBU's in beersmith. So I am thinking the bitterness is probably coming from the dark roasted grains that I used. I used not only Chocolate Rye but also Black Patient Malt and Black Barley in the Stout.

For this recipe revision, I have removed Black Patient and Black Barley completly and now get my color from Chocolate Rye, 120 lv Crystal, and a little Roasted Barley. I have also added more Rye to the recipe hoping to bring out the Rye flavor even more as I am thinking the off flavor I was experiencing might be the Rye and this way, I will certainly find out if that is the case.

I have added some Flaked Rye to the recipe which was not in the original recipe. Since flaked Rye has been cooked and Gelatinized, does it produce a sticky substance like malted Rye when it is mashed?

I am concerned about a stuck sparge with my revised recipe. If you count the flaked Rye, my recipe contains 33.2% percent Rye, 24.9 percent without the Flaked Rye. Because of this, I have added 1 lb of Rice Hulls to my recipe. I have never used Rice Hulls before, do you think 1 lb is enough?

Still tweeking the recipe, will be happy to post it when I am done if everybody wants.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Post what you have now. My rye stout has a flavor I thought was an off-flavor at first, but definitely just the rye. I get the same thing when its colder its more prevelant. I just let it warm up in the glass alittle then drink it. I love the beer though and that "off-flavor" is actually becoming pleasant to me.

 

[Forrest]

Ok, here is what I have so far. Still a work in progress. I might add a few different LV Crystals to it before I am done.

5 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Cara-Rye
1 lb Rye Malt
1 lb Chocolate Rye
1 lb Flaked Rye
1 lb 120 lv Crystal Malt
8 oz 80 lv Crystal Malt
8 oz Roasted Barley
1 lb Rice Hulls
1 oz East Kent Golding Hops (60 min)
1 oz Fuggles Hops (30 min)
1 tsp Irish Moss
White Labs Irish Ale Yeast WLP004

Do you think it is too much Rye? This is really just an experiment on my part but I am concerned about a stuck sparge. Do you think 1 lb of Rice Hulls will be enough? I will probably have to wait until I get back from England to try to make this anyway but have just been thinking about it.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Sounds good to me, I've never used rice hulls and never had a stuck sparge. I had a 70% wheat mash before and didnt' have a problem. So, dunno about that, but the ingredients are very interesting. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.