Rye - Flaked vs. Malt

[DoctorDuvel]

Can someone (or as many someones that want to give input) give the run-down on flaked rye and malted rye? I'm looking to do a Rye Pale Ale (partial grain). Are they both fermentable? Does one contribute more rye flavor than the other? The recipes I've seen tend to use both, so there must be good reason.

Cheers for beers!

 

[DoctorDuvel]

Don't worry people, everything's under control... As a good doctor, I went and did my own research. I now have answers.

 

[sp1365]

Don't worry people, everything's under control... As a good doctor, I went and did my own research. I now have answers.

Care to share?

 

[weirdboy]

You could post your answers for posterity, and so that others looking for an answer to the same question do not have to do the same research.

I haven't really used rye much, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you found out that rye malt and flaked rye are both fermentable, and that rye malt typically results in a stronger, spicier flavor than flaked rye.

 

[DoctorDuvel]

You could post your answers for posterity, and so that others looking for an answer to the same question do not have to do the same research.

I haven't really used rye much, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you found out that rye malt and flaked rye are both fermentable, and that rye malt typically results in a stronger, spicier flavor than flaked rye.

yeah, actually i found everything i was looking for on this site...someone linked this article: http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue1.3/hayden.html ...the article states that using flaked rye is the best and easiest way to go... and i found there are already several threads various people started asking the same question...

it seems that both are fermentable but flaked doesn't add as much gravity as malted... most rye users advocate using both flaked and rye for more complexity and completeness of flavor, though some are fine in using just one or the other... several brewers on the forum say malted rye contributes more and better rye flavor, whereas i haven't found anyone saying the same about flakes... rices hulls have been strongly advised by some when a substantial percentage (relative to the whole) of rye is being mashed (some say 15-20%, others 30-40%)

so, when it comes to the question of flaked vs. malted, there is no wrong way...only your personal preference...experimentation is encouraged... hop and yeast usage also have various effects on rye flavor, of course... the recipes i've reviewed on this site utilize a panoply of hops and yeast... but it looks as though perle and amarillo are more recurring

thanks for suggesting to share my findings guys - typing this out is gonna help me lock the info in my head