Rye "show" ale

[badmajon]

Hello, I'm trying to come up with a recipe for a rye ale that really brings out the rye as the main flavor of the beer. I've had some really good rye pale ales before and it was like biting into a loaf of really good rye bread- sweet, complex, a bit spicy... this was at a big beer show in London and ever since then I have been chasing the rye dragon.

My last attempt at a rye ale wasn't really what I was looking for. I had 70% golden promise, 20% rye, and 10% dark crystal. I also fermented it a bit warm for the British yeast I was using (wyeast thames valley) and got a estery muddy taste.

I think what I really need is a base or secondary malt that has some residual sweetness to it. Rye seems to be a very dry malt- using it imparts no sweetness whatsoever. Secondly, I need to ferment it as cold as possible and remove any esters competing with the rye flavor. Lastly, I think I need to work on a hop profile that provides balance but doesn't scream over the rye... and also, maybe I just need more rye? Maybe 30-40%?

Ideas? What malt might I use to provide sufficient sweetness for a large rye grain bill? Hop ideas? Anything else worth sharing?

Thanks

Matt

 

[ProblemChild]

Idaho 7 is a hop that goes great with rye.

Clean citrus is nice against the snap of rye

 

[dstockwell]

How about Crystal Rye.

 

[mikeoholic]

I like to add a little chocolate malt to my rye beers 1oz chocolate to 1lb rye. Try some northern brewer as a hops. It kind of plays into the some of the same flavor profile as the rye.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I just brewed a roggenbier with hefenweizen yeast - still carbonating in the keg, but I am severely disappointed in it. "Muddy" is a great way to describe the taste. It is probably too light in SRM for the style (SRM 7-9, instead of 14-19). In retrospect I would be tempted to go darker with rye - something like a slice of pumpernickel bread in a glass.

As for rye pale ale, I have had several nice ones - but I would estimate rye is probably not more than 10% of the grain bill, and light hops with a clean fermenting yeast. Mikatonic's Catchpenny is currently in my fridge - 20 IBU, SRM 3-4.

I just brewed a rye IPA, so we'll see how that goes.