Roggenbier Recipe Critique

[TheMattTrain]

Hello!

I'm interested in brewing a Roggenbier next weekend but I haven't had a lot of commercial samples. I fell in love with the style while working at a local brew pub many years ago. I remember the yeast being the highlight of the beer... lots of banana and clove going on there. I've done some reading up in BYO and a few other websites and I came up with the below recipe. Tear it apart!

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Weihenstephan Weizen Wyeast 3068 (this may change due to LHBS availability)
Yeast Starter: no
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU: 14
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 16 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 2-3 weeks @ 64-68
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): None

Malt Bill
5.5 lb Vienna
4.0 lb Rye
1.0 lb Caramel/Crystal 60L
0.5 lb Rice Hulls
0.25 lb Melanoidin (not super familiar with this malt. I read I could use it to make up for not doing a decoction mash but no idea how much to use.)
0.25 lb Carafa I

Hops
0.5 oz Hallertau 60 min
0.5 oz Tettnanger 60 min

Thanks!

 

[giraffe]

Theres not enough rye malt. Basically you are making a dunkel weizen with rye instead of wheat. So 50%-70% rye malt. the rest a mix of munich malts, and a little debittered black malt to color.

Some people add crystal malts to a dunkelweizen/roggenbier, im not a fan. But if you do, id keep it to 5% or less. Too much and I think it starts to taste oddly like pepsi-cola. ymmv.

Meladonin is a 25Lish super munich style malt. Vaguely similar to belgian aromatic, or honey malt. It gives an exagerated munich malt type aroma. 2 to 3% is a good place to start.

 

[Pershey]

try to find a roggenweizen recipe I did one a tone of rye 40%, a bit of wheat 20%, some biscuit, crystal, and other specialty grains whatever you like to bring the flavors you want to the table 10% six row because it has about 6 times the amylase content to help with conversion, and the beer style can be cloudy. Also, a butt load of rice hulls is necessary. I would also use wyeast 3638 bavarian wheat yeast its about the best for banana and clove flavors, especially when fermented at wicked high temps.

 

[TheMattTrain]

Thanks for the input! I adjusted the grain bill. What do you think now? The only thing I'm concerned about is head retention. I'd add a little wheat if you think I'll need it.

7.0 lb Rye (US)
3.0 lb Vienna (DE)
1.0 lb Caramel/Crystal 60L
0.5 lb Rice Hulls
0.25 lb Melanoidin
0.25 lb Carafa I

 

[giraffe]

Dont be concerned about head retention, despite the oiliness of rye, ive never had an issue. mmunich would be more traditional than vienna, but that will make a tasty beer regardless.

 

[TheMattTrain]

Thanks. I was considering Munich, but I did some reading about it vs Vienna and found that most brewers don't like to use Munich as a base malt due to it's diastatic power.

Last question here... I've never used Rye before. Is a half pound of rice hulls adequate to avoid a stuck sparge? I use a gatorade cooler with a metal braid as my mash ton.

 

[giraffe]

Also remember this is rye malt, not unmalted rye. It can self convert.

Rye is gummy. I use a 1/2 lb in a similar setup, with no problems, but I decoct, which may help. If you are nervous use a lb, it wont hurt.

 

[TheHairyHop]

yea, I've never had an issue with stuck sparges (even with oats) but adding hulls doesn't hurt and they're basically free for what my lhbs sells them at