2008 SUMMER COMMUNITY BREW
Well, I'm really liking this spiced rye concept. & I'm pretty much all Partial Mash brewing.
So, brewchez, what would be the simplest mash schedule for a newbie, stovetop, extract brewer to get a decent Summer Spiced Rye?
I would suggest a 50/50 of American 2 row and malted rye. I like the idea of using the kolsch yeast as well. It should leave it hazy and maybe a little fruity. A little fruity form the yeast mixed with the spicy rye character...mmm. Maybe throw in some citrusy American hops in the finish like cascades, amarillo or the like and this could be pretty good.
Brewski wrote:
So, brewchez, what would be the simplest mash schedule for a newbie, stovetop, extract brewer to get a decent Summer Spiced Rye?
It depends really, there are a couple rye type styles to cover.
Rye beers are like wheat beers. You can use 10-50% rye. The Roggenbier (rye beer) recipe from Jamil Zainasheff calls for like 50% Rye with a partial mash of over 10lbs grain. The famous RyePA from Denny Conn is more of a pale ale with rye in it and it uses ~20% Rye.
The roggenbeir uses a hefeyeast and the pale ale uses an American Ale yeast.
I don't think one pound of rye is really going to make a beer with any noticable rye character.
I guess I would start with a partial mash of 2.5lbs Rye 2.5 pounds Pilsner malt. At 70% efficiency that would yield maybe ~130 gravity points for 5 gallons. Then add another 3lbs of Extra Light DME for another ~130 points. SO that would be a 260 point beer, and in 5 gallons that would be ~1.052 OG. You could steep (or add to your mash) you favorite blend of crystal malts for a couple more points and or some interesting changes.
But this is just me thinking alound and trying to collaborate. I don't even know if that would be a good beer. I haven't brewed with rye. I jsut wanted to point out the limitations of trying to do a rye beer from 100% extract with grains standpoint. We can definately tweak something a bit and make it work.
If people want to go rye then we can work to refine the process abit.
Partial mash is fine with me. Hopefully this week, I'll get around to doing something with that cooler full of mashtun parts sitting in the corner of the room.....and then I can just do AG batches and really have some fun.....
andrew jensen wrote:
I would suggest a 50/50 of American 2 row and malted rye. I like the idea of using the kolsch yeast as well. It should leave it hazy and maybe a little fruity. A little fruity form the yeast mixed with the spicy rye character...mmm. Maybe throw in some citrusy American hops in the finish like cascades, amarillo or the like and this could be pretty good.
I would shoot for a 50/50 mix too personally. However, you can't really pull of a 50/50 as a partial mash though.
Sounds like we may need to steer away from a rye beer if those using mostly extract are going to excluded. How would Flaked Rye react? I have been led to believe it is much easier to work with and can be steeped to add dryness and slight aftertaste to lighter styles of beer without overloading the beer with rye flavor . Is this way off base?
brewchez wrote:
Not to burst the extract brewers bubbles, but if we are going to do a rye or a cream ale then we'll have to do partial mash. Rye really needs to be mashed (along with the flaked corn for a cream ale).
So some DME and a steep of rye isn't going to cut it.
Just throwing it out there for people to consider.
You can certainly try a beer with a rye steep and get some flavor. I just don't want to see seveal people dissapointed if the beers don't live up to expectations.
I'm up for whatever everyone decides. If anyone has experience brewing with Rye malt or flaked Rye now is the time to chime in. If steeping doesn't get the results we want maybe increase the amount of Rye to steep or consider a simpler style. A good drinking beer is more important, IMO.
DC
We can do Spiced Rye Summer Ale......
Steep some rye, say 2.5 Lbs.
Add some extra light extract, say another 4-5 Lbs
Add spices, lots of spices : Coriander, Anise, Grain of Paradise, etc..
Add hops..I love Noble hops so much, I still say we go Noble......
Add yeast.....WLP001 or any Ale yeast would work too.....
??????
I mean, we could do a bigger steeping / mash of the rye. Extract brewers could use a large grain bag, put in the rye, let it mash / steep for an hour, than pull the bag and sparge / rinse it...start with that as base before the DME is added......and then brew as normal...
I don't want to discourage anyone from rye beer. I am sure that we can get a good recipe together than everyone here willing to do a partial mash can do. Its really not hard.
My only intent for pointing out the limitations with was to be sure we didn't put out our extract only brothers and sisters.
ricka182 wrote:
We can do Spiced Rye Summer Ale......
Steep some rye, say 2.5 Lbs.
Add some extra light extract, say another 4-5 Lbs
Add spices, lots of spices : Coriander, Anise, Grain of Paradise, etc..
Add hops..I love Noble hops so much, I still say we go Noble......
Add yeast.....WLP001 or any Ale yeast would work too.....
I mean, we could do a bigger steeping / mash of the rye. Extract brewers could use a large grain bag, put in the rye, let it mash / steep for an hour, than pull the bag and sparge / rinse it...start with that as base before the DME is added......and then brew as normal...
When I first mentioned the Rye beer this was closer to what I had in mind. A light and refreshing summer beer that would have some dryness on the finish because of the rye. I guess I should have been more specific. I also did not realize there were limitations to using rye grain. Years ago, I tasted a light body, fairly high carbonated and light colored beer at a local brewery that was billed as using rye in the mix to provide a dry , clean finish.
Does flaked rye have to mashed as well?
Ricka182- I like that recipe...