My Red Rye IPA Questions

[bryancorbett2]

Okay this might be a long post, but that is because I want all the details out there. I have brewed two batches of my own all grain red rye ipa beer. I am happy with the taste, aroma, and color. If I changed anything else, I might use a less rye (1 lb less), but that is a separate issue. It is a little on the bitter side but I am okay with that.

I brewed the first batch on 3/29/13. Here is the recipe and the stats.

Expected OG 1.075, Expected FG 1.019, 71 ibu, 17 SRM

Actual OG 1.040, Actual FG 1.012

60% - 8 lb 8 oz - Rahr 2-row
25% - 3 lb 8 oz - Weyermann Rye
11% - 1 lb 8 oz - Briess Caramel 60L
4% - 8 oz - Briess Carapils
1% - 3 oz - Briess Roasted Barley

hop schedule:
60 minute - 1 oz - Columbus
30 minute - 1.5 oz - Cascade
1 minute - 2 oz - Glacier
Dry hop - 2 oz Cascade

I brewed again on 5/27/13. Everything was the same except I changed the 1 minute hops to cascade. The reason I kept everything the same was I had such low readings the first time and I wanted to see if it was because I didn't hit my temps the first time around. I might have been a little low on the sparge temp and possibly on mash (when I say a little low I mean 1-5 degrees). But when I brewed the second time I know I hit my temps on the money.

Here are the readings for the second batch (all the expected gravities were the same):
Actual OG 1.048, Actual FG ?? (not time yet, still have a few weeks left)

Here is my mash and sparge schedule which I kept the same for both:

Mash 5.3 gallons to 154 degrees for 60 minutes.
Sparge 4 gallons to 165 degrees for 15 minutes.

Let me say that I have never had a problem with stuck sparges or anything. Never used rice hulls. I wonder if when I mill my grains at northern brewer I need to use a different setting for the Rye? Either way I don't seem to be getting my sugar conversion. Alcohol is way lower than what the hopville/brewtoad calculated. I know that they will usually be lower anyways, but not this much lower.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! If I missed anything let me know!

 

[IslandLizard]

I suspect your milling to be too course. Your 2nd batch looks a little better but still nowhere near your targeted 1.075.

Looks like a good recipe, but why so much Crystal?

 

[bryancorbett2]

Thanks for the reply. I did it a little bit for color but also for a little bit of sweetness to go with the spicy malt. I think when I do this again, I would probably lower the amount of rye and maybe drop the caramel 60. Like I said, it was a very drinkable beer, with good head retention, a nice spicy but also bitter flavor. This is part of the fun of brewing though, tweaking things until you get it right on!

 

[Beer-lord]

I've made a few RyePA's but never with more than 1 1/2 pounds of rye malt in 5 gallons. I've always wanted to add more but have been thinking it'll be too much. But, are you sure you're mash temps are right? I only ask because a while back I got a new pot and didn't think about the thermometer that came with it and it was 14 degrees off and caused me a problem with my mash.

 

[IslandLizard]

You did get 100% of your bitterness, but only 2/3 of your malt/alcohol, so that gives you a skewed impression of the recipe's intend.

I like the rye amount in what you have and perhaps would use a bit more to be adventurous. A longer mash may help somewhat too, but the grade of crush seems the culprit overall.

What did your milled grains look like? Have you compared that to other brews you've done. Most of these LHBS stores tend to crush very course to prevent stuck sparges, but you'll take a big hit on efficiency at the same time. You should ask to mill them twice, but that still may be too course if the gap is just too wide. Any chance you can mill your own, or have a friend who can?

I just started milling my own and must say there is no comparison to what my 2 LHBS's have given me. I did partial mashes so far, and working on my cooler mash tun to do AG next.

 

[bryancorbett2]

Well most of the grains look fine, but it must be the rye that is the issue. At northern brewer we get to mill our own and you can set the mill at whatever setting you want. I should just make sure the settings are correct next time and mill the rye separately.

 

[GuldTuborg]

You can grind that rye as small as you like. There are no husks to destroy. If you can't get a fine enough setting on the mill, run it through twice.

 

[forstmeister]

Rye is a very small kernel. Crank it down and smash it. You may want to reduce the % of rye if you do though. It will be very noticeable when crushed properly.

 

[bryancorbett2]

That is a very good point.