Touch of Rye Pale Ale

[Norris!]

So I want to brew this Sunday, but would like some feedback.

1 Briess Rye Malt lme 1.5kg

750g wheat dry malt

250g light dry malt

250g dextrose

250g choc malt

10g warrior 60min boil

15g centennial &amarillo at 10 min

35g centennial & amarillo at flameout 15 min steep then cool

50g of each dry hop

Joystick yeast expecting 1.044 OG and 30.4 IBUS

I wanted to get a darker shade to the brew so I added the choc malt, but do I steep or do a mash? If I mash do I have to add other grains? The high amount of wheat is to help with head and body and to give it a better mouthfeel than just a summer slammer, but not too much. Any feedback is welcome. It will be a 10l boil at 1.040.

Cheers

Norris

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

You can do either, but 250g of chocolate malt will turn it into a dark ale. You'd only need about a tenth of that to darken it a little. How much do you want to darken it? 

If it was me I'd just chuck it in with the wheat malt, I'm guessing you're doing a small mash with that. 

[Norris!]

Sorry just edited it to show it as wheat malt extract.

I wanted it lighter than an Oktoberfest but darker than a stone and wood Pacific ale. Just wanted some color to it to bring some interesting elements to it. A 1/10 so just 25g? I know that color range is about as wide as it gets, but yeah just another element to the brew.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, you'd only need about 20-25g at the most of choc malt to get that sort of color. Either that, or steep 200g medium crystal which would achieve the same thing with added flavor.

[The Captain!!]

What’s the percentage of rye in the rye lme?

I’d go with the 25 odd grams of Chocy malt too, it’ll be fairly coffee like otherwise. 

Or as Kelsey says 200g of crystal. 

[Norris!]

it had 20% rye with 10% crystal 40 I think. Sweet appreciate it guys. Yeah I don't want any flavour just a change to the color. So glad I asked for advice or I would of had a black ale that tasted like coffee and oranges...hmmm yeah nah.

[Beerlust]

Be careful with the Briess Rye LME Norris. It already has some light crystal as part of the mix equating to approx. 18 EBC per tub.

I actually contacted Briess a while back about possibly releasing a more pure mix that produced a lighter more flexible LME, but despite a nice reply from them, & that it would be looked into, nothing has changed unfortunately.

It's actually a proprietary blend they produce for a major company.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Norris!]

I am trying to work on my grain knowledge and add little bits here and there to see what happens. I have done fairly similar recipes in the past but never with rye.  I was going to do a mash with rye malt then saw this briess rye lme and decided to give it a try.

Lusty I thought about dropping the choc malt because of the crystal in it but assumed, wrongly maybe, that it would not have to much of an effect. Assuming things always leads to great things I find. hahah. I might just drop the choc malt and just go with the briess lme and have a full extract brew, simple as.

[ben 10]

choc has nothing to do with crystal, they are different things that serve different purposes.

i often use some roasted barley for colour.

[Norris!]

Nice Ben, thank you for explaining that.  I think I might as well toss in the 25g and see what happens. I want to ensure some color change. I have to keep reading about these grains and crystals. I feel pretty good about my hop knowledge and recipe construction, a little, but I know next to nothing about grains and what they contribute. Ah the rabbit hole.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, I usually add about 10-15g black patent to my lagers to get them from pale straw to a more golden color. Doesn't affect the flavor. 

With pale ales I use 300g medium crystal as I like the flavor it brings and it deepens the color a little as well. 

I do a brown ale a couple of times a year (or will be after experimenting this year and being happy with it), in that I use 200g choc malt partly for color and partly because it brings a little roast flavor to the brew.

[ben 10]

i put 20g in a beer today and yesterday for colour. i fooked up and used 200g in a beer for a mate, he got a black saison out of it! was still good though. i find choc actually giving some choc flavour in large amounts in a stout. @Norris! grab a kilo of roast barley or black patent and use it for colour adjustment. 

[Norris!]

You da Man Ben!

[Beerlust]

6 hours ago, Norris! said:

I am trying to work on my grain knowledge and add little bits here and there to see what happens. I have done fairly similar recipes in the past but never with rye.  I was going to do a mash with rye malt then saw this briess rye lme and decided to give it a try.

Lusty I thought about dropping the choc malt because of the crystal in it but assumed, wrongly maybe, that it would not have to much of an effect. Assuming things always leads to great things I find. hahah. I might just drop the choc malt and just go with the briess lme and have a full extract brew, simple as.

If you want to understand the full impact of any new grain in ANY partial mash/extract brew, use that pure grain in your partial mash, not from an extract base at least to start with. Some grains require only minor adjustments for certain wanted outcomes that becomes difficult to do from extract, so being able to alter that by grain weight in a mash is useful. Rye falls into that category (IMHO).

All the main base malts are covered well now in extract form, & I have stayed in partial mash/extract territory longer than most because I understand what I need from specialty grains etc. that I can produce enough wort from in a partial environment & mix with my base malt extracts to create the styles & malt derived flavours I want across the board.

My advice would be to do a partial mash using pure rye malt as part of the grist. Just make sure to have a decent water to grain ratio given the noted starch release of this grain that has caught a few brewers out using thinner mash consistencies.

All the best with the brew Norris.

Lusty.

[Norris!]

Thank you Lusty. I already bought the Briess but in the future I think your right. If I try the rye again it will be in a partial mash and I will try to make sure it is not too thick and gets stuck.

Truly appreciate the advice Lusty which I will be using from here on out.

 

[Beerlust]

You're pumping out some good stuff these days I reckon Norris. I love your enthusiasm for your brewing & your particular interest in hop varieties.

I'm looking forward to swapping a few beers with ya in the future. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Norris!]

I do to Mate. I have taken a slight hiatus do to work situations and job interviews and wife's 40th. But I will be brewing on Sunday no matter what. You might get a Christmas present!

Cheers

Norris