Finally came across an example of a Rye IPA, so I bought one. It was between okay and good. Maybe not the best example of the style. Quite dark in color.
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I bought 5 pounds of rye, havent used it yet because of mixed reviews, some say its harsh
When I visited
@Bigbre04 he had a Rye IPA on tap, and the flavor was prominent and… different. Kind of different like old speckled hen is different, but not the same kind. One could call it harsh - I wouldn’t - but I can see how some may not find it delicious.
Might be worthy of a small batch, just to try.
I've experimented with probably the better part of 20-25 pounds of rye over the last year. Generally and dependent on what beer style you're tinkering with...
10-12% of the grist - flavor should be barely noticeable, but you should reap some extra head retention.
12-18% of the grist - flavor can manifest on the palate, again depending on style, intro, mid or finish. It will be a light spicy addition.
18-25% of the grist - flavor is noticeable in most light color beers; well, formerly light color because you'll start picking up a red hue from the rye with increasing amounts if it's anything more than a pale grist. In amber and darker expressions, the rye can hide a little more easily, like say a red ipa, brown or porter. Cascadian dark ale is a good fit.
25% + under 50% it's prominent but if you don't know what you're tasting, it's a curiosity. It can interfere with hops in a few ways. First, it can 'mute' perceived bitterness. Secondarily, as the percentage of the grist goes up, that spicy character can manifest on the finish and provide a 'bite' from the rye malt that does not always play well with hops that tend to tropical notes or citrus notes.
50%+ You have Roggenbier. It can have a very copper hue, malty and lots of spice on the palate. It's not like black pepper spice, more restrained but plays well with most noble hops.
The tricks to rye are how you mash with it and what you're using it for. I use it for a little character I find missing in some pale expressions, and some extra head retention. Mashing can be a chore in higher numbers with many recommending a beta-glucan rest. Honestly, I've gotten better results from single infusion adding rice hulls and a few dashes of beta-glucanase - h/t
@Bigbre04
FWIW, I have it in
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1621506/ic6cs-left-coast-ipa at just under 20%. It's too much and when I redo it, I will sub in peasant 2 row or pils. I was able to pick up the rye on the finish, at the same time as all those wonderful C hops and they shouldn't have any competition there. It's not harsh, or bad, and this is without a doubt my best W/C, I just want that canvas for the hops. Nobody else has picked up on that aspect or said anything about it so maybe I'm nitpicking.
cheers
