Rye malt

Rye has a very mild flavor. You won't be able to taste it at all really until you hit at least about 20-25% of the total grist. Otherwise all it does is add body, mouthfeel, and the biggest creamiest head you've ever seen in your life. Most people who have never tasted it says it tastes "spicy". Eat some raw rye malt, though, and you'll see just how NOT spicy it is.

 

I made a dark strong ale and wanted an full earth feel to it a few brew ago. Used earthy hops and the rye malt, 2lbs of it or 14%. I had the first bottle this last weekend and will say it was the best beer I have brewed yet. I wouldn't say any of the spice came from the rye, but it lent a slight hint of rye bread in the back of the mouth which is what I wanted. This bottle didn't have much of a head to it, so it will be interesting to see if what dmtaylor says comes true for my brew.

 

I don't get the "spicy" descriptor for rye either. A little "earthy" is how I would describe it.

 

Very much agree. The perception of spiciness in rye is largely a misunderstanding. This is because rye is so often paired with caraway, which is whatprovides the "spicy" flavor that folks are tasting in rye bread, for example.

 

You'll notice it most in the body and head retention, but hardly anything in the flavor. It can also add a sort of slight gray haze to the beer, especially in larger amounts. But at like 14%, you might not notice a very significant effect.

 

I have used 1 to 3 lbs in IPA recipes and defiantly taste it in the body. Also those beers tend to be a bit cloudy when using the rye.

 

Now that we've figured out how your beer is going to taste, let me advocate for rice hulls in the mash to ensure you brew a 2nd rye beer (beta-glucans suck for lautering)...unless of course, you are using rye extract (someone must make it). 17-25% rye (mostly malted and flaked with some crystal and/or chocolate) is the sweet spot for me...think HopRod Rye.

 

My rye beers start at 40% rye, max would be around 60%. Have rice hulls handy for the slow or stuck runoff.

 

Would you say the same thing about flaked rye, or just malted?

I definitely remember rye whiskey having a distinct spiciness to it, but I haven't had it in years.

 

I've not used flaked rye. I imagine the results would be nearly identical, but would need to run a blind triangle to know for sure.

Alcohol is spicy. So are hops. So is caraway. But rye is not.

 

Rye whiskey is a lot dryer/less sweeter than something like bourbon, I think this comes across as "spicy" to a lot of people.

As others said, rye in beer is not spicy at all.

 

In the recent experimental brewing podcast, Denny Conn says he tastes a difference between American and continental rye malts. I'm pretty sure the only one I've brewed with is Weyermann. Denny thinks there is more bite (not sure that is his words) in the American rye malt. Could source of rye be the source of the "spicy" generalization that persists?

Also, I've never felt comfortable with the differences that flaked vs. malted rye brings to the table. Anyone?

 

I've brewed with Weyermann rye malt, Briess rye malt, and flaked rye (always unbranded or "Maillard Malts", but presumably Briess). I haven't got "spicy" from any of them.

 

Fair enough, but if you were to describe the differences among them, what adjectives would you use? I'm less interested in understanding where "spicy" came from and more interested in understanding the differences. Obviously, the best approach is to brew side by sides and taste the differences for myself, but failing that...?

 

Disclaimer: I haven't actually used them interchangeably in otherwise identical recipes. But if I had to compare from disjointed memories...

Weyermann Rye Malt: a little earthy, a little biscuit-y
Briess Rye Malt: earthy(er?), biscuit-y(er?)
Flaked Rye: dry, bready, grainy

ETA: The more I think about it, the more tempted I am to say cracker-y rather than biscuit-y

 

It's definitely a hard flavor to describe, but whenever I taste malted rye, the main thought that goes through my mind is "Damn, this would be a fantastic flavor in a granola bar...or in a bowl of milk." For me, it has more of a cereal grain flavor than barley and wheat.

 

Care to share this recipe kind sir?

 

At work but will throw it up here when I get home tonight. Had another bottle last night and feel I need a slightly different hops to cut down on the hop spice I get, but otherwise it is still one of the best beers I have ever made IMHO.