rye pale ale help

I'd say you're on the right track, given your stated goal. Here's the grain bill from a recent Pale Ale with Rye that I made...

Crisp Maris Otter: 59%
Munich (9 L): 14%
Rye Malt: 14%
Briess C40: 9%
Victory: 5%

I wonder about your flaked rye in addition to the Rye Malt. Any particular reeason for both types?

 

Regarding your hops: I am suspicious of Mosiac in this recipe. I get tropical fruit from it . . . is this what you want in a rye ale? Have not used Galaxy, but notes on it are more of the same. If you know you like this fruity flavor/aroma you have the right mix, but I would lean more toward the old standbys like Simcoe/Centennial/Cascade/Willamette. For steeping, consider an addition well after you stop the boil.

I routinely make odd-sized batches and recommend you bite the bullet and buy a small digital scale. They are less than ten bucks and you can measure 0.15 ounces of hops as easily as 1.0 ounce. Also ideal for priming sugar and water-treatment chemicals . . . and you get a free postal scale to boot.

 

With your 60% 2-row, you could use 40% flaked rye and have no conversion problems. Not saying you should go that high, just that the conversion issue doesn't need to be a consideration.

 

Using different rye grains will give you a more complex rye flavor. The unmalted rye will give you a more aggressive rye flavor.

I'd rethink some of the ingredients. Not sure I get the reason for the honey malt. Not very common for pale ales and I think you're getting flavors going in too many directions with the choice of hops plus rye plus the honey malt. If you're looking for a touch of sweetness then a small amount of crystal malt might be a better fit (with or without the munich). Also not sure I buy into the hop selection. I've had beers with rye and really fruity hops like those you have selected but I'm not sure it screams out as a good combination in a pale ale. That might just be my preferences. I know there are rye pales and rye IPAs with a variety of the newer hops. I'd suggest spending some time thinking about exactly what you want this beer to be and work up from there on your recipe.

 

I would say so.

 

I love complicated hop profiles. Sounds like you are familiar with Mosiac . . . but thinking Galaxy might not offer much of a contrast. I feel the Big M would go nicely with the C-Hops/Simcoe/Willamette . . . I find two hops work so well I often add three.

 

I don't think there is just one right answer to that. How much hop flavor/aroma do you want?

 

It sounds like you're just doing a bittering addition and a flameout addition.

I'd say 0.25 oz at flameout in a 1.5 gallon batch would not give you a hop bomb, but should survive into the bottle. I wouldn't be afraid to go a little higher either.

 

Unless your Citra and Mosaic have lower alpha acid content than is typical for them, this would to be very bitter for a 1.5 gallon batch of pale ale. You really need to run your numbers into some sort of brewing software/calculator.

 

You're talking about a Pale Ale, like an Amercan Pale Ale (not an IPA or DIPA), right? Yes, 80 calculated IBUs would be a bit high. Plus, your flameout addition will also add some bitterness.

 

Disclaimer: skimmed the posts

Nix the Honey AND the Munich for a Pale Ale showcasing Rye (IMHO)