Feedback on a Rye IPA, would be appreciated.

Recipe looks fine by me... I'd be slightly hesistant about a half pound of honey malt in there, considering you are using a pretty rich base malt combo there, unless you are wanting some sweetness on that back end to work with that english hopping schedule. Spicy dirt comes to mind with the rye and those hops!

The flaked rye is a good addition, it'll give you more of that concentrated spicy rye flavor. You could probably up it if you wanted to get more rye flavor.

Might also suggest some rice hulls in there for some insurance. I didn't use any when I did a black RyePA, but I just had 2 pounds of Rye malt in there, and some midnight wheat. I didn't have issues, but obviously it's not that case all the time.

Mash temp looks good, the rye will give you a perceived dryness to the beer despite not being all that dry anyways. Those hops will also have that dry taste on it, so keeping some residual body there will help.

 

Just a few comments about your late hops/dry hops.

I personally have only used Cluster hops for bittering. I am uncertain what flavor/aroma the Cluster hops at 10 minutes and Flame-out will provide.

I dry hop my English Bitter Ales with 2 ounces of EKG (14 days of contact time) along with 1 ounce of EKG at flame-out (with a hop stand). I can just barely discern the aroma of EKG from those 3 ounces of aroma hops. I would not discourage your utilization of EKG for dry hopping but I will caution that you will not get much aroma from the EKG (and I am not sure how that will ‘work’ with the Cluster that was added at flame-out).

Please report back on how your IPA turns out.

Cheers

 

Those hops and the rye just have that earthy spicy, dry astringent taste.. I can almost taste it describing it.. So thats why I was just tossing that out there. The honey malt might help balance it, so thats why I said it's probably a sound recipe. I'd probably just sub in some C-20 myself for the honey malt, at the same percentage. I think it would round it better.

 

I'd keep the honey malt, as you don't have any crystal malt in the bill. I'll admit that I like my APAs and IPAs on the sweeter side and not bone dry like most. I also find rye overwhelmingly strong in a lot of commercial beers. Sweet and spicy wins the day.

 

What's your thinking behind the hop schedule? You are using a clean bittering addtionand an aroma addition that has often been described as harsh and urine-like. But aren't you concerned that those middle addition Goldings will muddy those cat-pee aromas?

 

I never used the hop, so mostly I was kidding around. I believe it was Randy Mosher in Radical Brewing who steered me away from it long ago. But really, I should try it myself before passing judgment. I know that some have used it to recreate the classic American Pils. I've been meaning to try it as a bittering hop the next time I make one (which won't be anytime soon), but was planning using a Hallertau type for aroma.

 

Rye can be a problem, so have rice hulls at the ready. Do a long beta glucanase rest in the 104-110F range to help reduce the tendency to stick.

 

A comment on the hops. I don't get as much earthiness from EKG as I do other British hops. Cluster can be catty, but not as bad as Simcoe and a Citra. When fresh, Cluster has a floral spicy aroma, and with a black currant taste. Oh, Cluster is the classic old time US hop, not British.

 

Wouldn't waste the GP and MO on a rye beer...the rye will stand out more at that % better with reg ole NA 2 row.
Cluster/EKG would not be my first choice for this beer...having said that...should be interesting and quaffable. Cheers

 

“So, I was thinking of substituting the Cluster with Centennial...but I'm not sure what else to use. I really don't want a great deal of citrus in this brew...” Well, to my palate Centennial is a potent hop with flavors/aroma of citrus. If I did not want a great deal of citrus I would not brew with Centennial Hops.

There is a kit beer for a Denny Conn Rye IPA at Northern Brewer. Below is the hopping schedule for that beer:

--1 oz Mt. Hood (First Wort Hop)
--1 oz Columbus (60 min)
--1 oz Mt. Hood (30 min)
--1 oz Mt. Hood (0 min)
--1 oz Columbus (dry hop)

It is an interesting combination of a hop not typically used in an American style IPA (i.e., Mt. Hood) and one of the American C hops (Columbus). I personally do not homebrew with Columbus because I have had a few commercial beers that used Columbus for late and/or dry hopping and those beers tasted dank to me. Maybe the combination of Mt. Hood at the end of boil and only 1 ounce of Columbus for dry hopping will provide a flavor/aroma which is complementary to Rye malt?

Below is what Denny writes about his beer:

“Wry Smile Rye IPA was created for my wife’s yearly birthday party; my lovely wife prefers an IPA that lets you know it's got some hops. I started with a relatively straightforward American IPA recipe, and changed one thing at a time through 12-15 test batches until my wife and I agreed that the beer was perfect for our tastes. I’m happy that so many other people have found it perfect for their taste, too! When you pour the beer, the citrusy/floral aroma of the Columbus dry hops tickles your nose. When you take a sip, the beer opens with a bit of spicy hop flavor from the Mt. Hood first wort hops. The next thing that hits you is a slap in the face of bitterness from the Columbus. The flavor finishes with a back of the throat spiciness from the rye. The combination of rye and Wyeast 1450 Denny’s Favorite 50 gives the beer a nice full, silky smooth mouthfeel. I hope Wry Smile will be the hit at your house like it has at mine!”

Cheers!

 

“Centennial is supposed to have less citrus than other "C" hops, which is why I'm considering it.:

Between Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra and Columbus, Centennial is the most potent citrusy hop to my palate. I have read several people post that Centennial tastes like grapefruit to them. My palate is not specific to grapefruit vs. other citrus flavors (e.g., orange) but there is no doubt that for me Centennial = potent citrus flavor/aroma. Needless to say but to your palate there may be differences.

Cheers!

 

I'm with Jack on Centennial and strong grapefruit flavors. Bramling Cross could be interesting here. I'd describe it as fairly herbal/dark fruity. Similar to how Cluster flavor additions were described above, but I've never gotten any cattyness from it.

I'm actually planning on doing a Rye IPA this weekend too, with a heavy-handed does of Centennial because I think the grapefruity bitterness could be pretty good with rye's spicyness.

 

Below is the description of Centennial hops from Freshops:

“Centennial
8-11% Flowers & citrus most evident. A medium aroma with mid to high bittering value makes it a dual purpose choice. Ales, IPAs”

Regardless of what is written somewhere, what is most important is your own taste buds. Drink a very fresh Bell’s Two Hearted. That beer is solely hopped with Centennial hops. To my palate, Two Hearted is dominated by citrusy flavors/aroma.

Cheers!