Using rye malt

So im trying to create a grain bill with some rye and venture into the world of rye. What are you're experiences with doing an AG with rye malt. I have heard that it can be a real PITA when it come down to the sparging. How can i make my experience better with rye if it does have that reputation of being a PITA? Thanks guys!

Throw a 1/2lb to 1lb of rice hulls in the Mash depending on how much rye you use, you'll be fine.

Rye kernels have no husk like barley does so you definitely need something like the rice hulls to replace those husks for your filter bed. You also might need to crush the rye a little finer since it has no husk.

If you are using a large amount of rye in your mash you might want to consider doing this batch BIAB since the bag itself is the filter and you don't get a stuck sparge because you can squeeze the bag to force the wort out. If you do it BIAB you won't need the rice hulls. It works well with wheat too.

It depends on how much rye you use and the type of rye grains you're adding. If you're rye addition is less than 10% of the total grist, I wouldn't worry about using any rice hulls. Just a very fine crush. You can use a grain bag if you wish but it shouldn't be necessary. There are two types of rye grains found in the brewing world, whole grain and flaked. Whole grain will impart more of that distinct rye spice to the beer, where as flaked is more mellow and sweeter. I prefer using flaked in my rye beer but that's purely a personal preference.

Be ready for a loss of efficiency, just like with wheat. I did a IPA last weekend that had 19% rye in it and took almost a 10% drop in efficiency. My problem was probably that my grain mill is not adjustable, and like previous posters have mentioned, the kernel is smaller than barley and you need a smaller gap to effectively mill it.

I think some of it depends on the thickness of the mash and possibly your sparge method. I batch sparge in a rectangular cooler and have never had any stuck sparge issues. I typically use between 20-30% rye malt. I sometimes use rice hulls, but even when I haven't I didn't have any problems sparging. Using flaked rye may be a different story, but I don't have any experience there. I've found that if you pour the mash water in your mash tun first, then dump the grains in a little at a time and stir as you're adding the grain, it helps to keep things distributed and reduces clumps. I also mash at 1.3-1.5 quarts per pound.

Aside from all that, I love rye and would highly recommend giving it a shot. If you're a little concerned about the sparge, throw in 1/2# rice hulls per 3-4# of rye like the folks mentioned earlier.