Thoughts on a not-quite-roggenbier recipe

SailorTodd · May 23, 2012

I want to try a rye ale for my next brew, as close to a roggenbier as I'm willing to tread. Only real difference is I'm not quite touching the rye percentage of a traditional roggenbier (>50%). What do you think? Check it out:

4lb Weyermann Rye
2lb munich
2lb 2-row
2lb 6-row
1oz perle @ 60min
.75oz perle @15min
.75oz perle @2min
WLP380 Hef IV yeast

May or may not do a protein/beta glucan rest of 120f for 20 (recommendations?), then mash at 152ish for 60, and batch sparge into a 60 min boil. Ferment around 68f for 2ish weeks then bottle condition.

SailorTodd · Jun 14, 2012

Chirp chirp chirp

Roggenbiers don't seem to be too popular. Saw another post from more recently that barely got any response, and that only after prodding.

Haven't brewed this yet, but I plan to. Still looking for thoughts on the recipe and mash schedule. Especially the beta glucan rest. Anyone with successful experience doing beta glucan rests?

Also, how much weight of rice hulls should I add to the mash?

drewskies_brewskies · Aug 31, 2012

How'd this turn out? I'm brewing a Roggen this weekend and was also planning on doing a protein rest @120-122 and mashing @154.

SailorTodd · Sep 2, 2012

Sorry, this may be getting to you too late, but hopefully not. It turned out pretty good in the very end. By that, I mean that despite many precautions, from the beta-glucan rest to rice hulls and hot mash-out, I still ended up with a stuck sparge. I think with my setup (only a 12" bazooka strainer rather than something more, like a false bottom) a stuck sparge was inevitable.

120 may be a bit high for the rest. I read in my research for mashing rye that beta-glucan rest is done a bit lower, around 110 to 115. It is to break up the beta-glucan, a cellulose structure that is partially responsible for rye's stickiness. The protein rest at 120 breaks up some of the amino acids that are responsible for body and head retention. [citation needed...]

Also, my beer was lighter than the style technically calls for, and a bit cloudier than is my personal taste, giving it a sickly light brown rather than a crisper brown look of a dunkelweizen that roggenbier is supposed to be at least nominally similar to in appearance. I had added .5lb each crystal 120 and carared that I didn't call for in this original recipe. If I did it again I'd also add a bit of chocolate malt or a palm full of carafa to darken it more, add whirlfloc to clear it up just a tad (understanding that the Hef IV yeast would still leave it pretty cloudy). Or I'd leave out any attempt to darken it and make it look more like a hef than a dunkelweizen, understanding that it technically goes against the style.

As far as the beer turned out flavor and aroma wise, it is a crisp and spicy beer with medium mouthfeel and a hint of sweetness. I can't really taste the hops, but taste the rye earthiness and a hint of clove from the yeast. The aroma is sweet with a heavy clove scent. Not my style of beer all in all, but faithful to what it is supposed to be.

drewskies_brewskies · Sep 4, 2012

Thanks for getting back to me. I ended up resting at 122F and mashing at 154F, mashout @168F. Initially I had a stuck sparge, but I think I was recirculating too quickly. I gave it a quick stir and slowed down and that fixed it. I was wondering if you experienced any efficiency issues? My grist was 50% rye (I brewed JZ's recipe from Brewing Classic Styles). I seem to recall John Palmer saying something about mashing rye in the high 160s to get full conversion, but figured I'd get there during my mashout and 2 batch sparges. I did a 90min boil and only ended up with 53% brewhouse efficiency. Could the amount of rye be the culprit? I'm usually in the 70-75% range.
Thanks!