[charlie]

I have brewed 14 batches of Rye Pale Ale since January 2018. Batch 1 was 15% rye, and that was followed by several batches at 20%. Batches 8 through 13 saw it rise from 25% to 30%, and batch 14 (the most recent) at 35%. I have thoroughly enjoyed the beer, and though I'm not using rice hulls I have never had a hint of a stuck sparge (but I suspect that 35% is pushing it with both hands and both feet ;-).

I understand that rye is a subtle flavor, and that I should avoid anything that will hide it, but I'm wondering if there's something I can do to make this beer shine even brighter. Suggestions are welcome.

TIA,
Charlie

[denny]

Are you using rye malt or flaked rye?

[charlie]

Are you using rye malt or flaked rye?

Rye malt, no flakes. The LHBS gets rye malt both from Briess and a company called Proximity.

[dmtaylor]

I can only guess as to your hopping regimen, but I'll assume my next advice would be to cut your late hops down in half or just 33% as much, to make the rye flavor really shine through.

[Steve Ruch]

I made a rye porter a few years ago and added caraway seeds to steep.
I gotta brew that again.

[Visor]

   I live in the land of Rye and use more of it than many commercial brewers, even at 100% rye [which I have done a few times] you'll probably never get a beer that strongly exhibits the flavors that are attributed to rye - at least by the maltsters, i.e. fruity & nutty. What you definitely will get, and eventually come to start  noticing is beer that has a fundamentally different mouthfeel than rye-less beers. My perception is that the more solid foundation of a high percentage rye beer changes the flavor contributions of all the ingredients [ya, I know, that sounds like a load of psycho-babble horse nonsense], maybe like the difference between using water colors on a canvas versus on a brick wall.
   As for percentages, I've done probably 70 or so brews using various amounts of rye, from my experience anything over 30% or so you're risking a seriously stuck mash without rice hulls. That's not a hard and fast rule, I've gotten away with a 60% rye beer and no hulls, and had train wrecks with 40% rye beers with plenty of hulls. I've done a few stepped mashes with attempted glucosidase rests with the idea being to improve lautering porosity, but have yet to hit the intended temp range for the rest [all the infusion calculators I've found are totally FU].
   FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

[charlie]

I made a rye porter a few years ago and added caraway seeds to steep.
I gotta brew that again.

That sounds like a good match! I'm going to look into it.

Charlie

[goose]

I have found that adding more rye to a beer adds a peppery note to the beer.  Although that is not a bad thing, it can get a bit overpowering if you use too much.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[dmtaylor]

  FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

THIS.  NOT spicy.  NOT caraway.

[denny]

  FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

THIS.  NOT spicy.  NOT caraway.

Of course not caraway...that's a totally different thing. But I definitely get spicy.  I have gone as high as 60% rye.  2ho problem lautering, but I didn't really care for the beer.  Also, I do a huge amout of late hops in my rye IPA and it doesn't cover up the rye.

[rodwha]

I had an excellent rye witbeir from a brew pub which, of course, made me want to brew one, and is the reason I tried my first partial mash. I’ve never been able to get that rye taste using up to 33% rye malt. I’ve been thinking of trying caraway seeds myself.

[Steve Ruch]

 I used caraway to mimic the taste of dark rye bread.

[Iliff Ave]

  FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

THIS.  NOT spicy.  NOT caraway.

Of course not caraway...that's a totally different thing. But I definitely get spicy.  I have gone as high as 60% rye.  2ho problem lautering, but I didn't really care for the beer.  Also, I do a huge amout of late hops in my rye IPA and it doesn't cover up the rye.

what's considered a huge amount of late hops?

[denny]

  FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

THIS.  NOT spicy.  NOT caraway.

Of course not caraway...that's a totally different thing. But I definitely get spicy.  I have gone as high as 60% rye.  2ho problem lautering, but I didn't really care for the beer.  Also, I do a huge amout of late hops in my rye IPA and it doesn't cover up the rye.

what's considered a huge amount of late hops?

For me, 2-3 oz. dry hops

[Iliff Ave]

  FWIW, the All Rye beers are really weird to drink, they have the viscosity of about 20 weight motor oil and the bubbles rise to the surface in extra slow motion. Surprisingly little in the way of unique flavors though.

THIS.  NOT spicy.  NOT caraway.

Of course not caraway...that's a totally different thing. But I definitely get spicy.  I have gone as high as 60% rye.  2ho problem lautering, but I didn't really care for the beer.  Also, I do a huge amout of late hops in my rye IPA and it doesn't cover up the rye.

what's considered a huge amount of late hops?

For me, 2-3 oz. dry hops

Ok. Just making sure. Thanks