life of riley rye ipa
brewed: 30/09/15
pitched: 17/10/15
bottled/kegged: 02/11/15
subsequent batch info: not really a massive fan of rye in a beer. it's nice, sure, but i don't think i'm in love with it. i might tweak it in future and see some day.
ingredients:
84% joe white traditional ale
10% weyermann rye malt
4% joe white crystal
2% weyermann carapils
23 ibu columbus - 60 mins
31.8 ibu amarillo - 20 mins
22.4 ibu centennial - 10 mins
0 ibu (10gm) columbus - whirlpool
2g/l columbus - dry hopped for 4 days
2g/l centennial - dry hopped for 4 days
0.25 teaspoon yeast nutrient - 15 mins
0.5 tablet whirlfloc - 15 mins
WLP013 - london ale yeast
process:
batch size: 11L
steps: 2
mash: 90 mins - 65, 10 mins - 78, sparge at 78C
boil: 60 mins
chill method: no chill
ferment temp: 18.5C
d-rest: yes
chilled: 1C
estimated OG: 1.058
actual OG: 1.064
estimated FG: 1.015
actual FG: 1010
estimated %abv: 6.4
actual %abv: 7.2% (eek!)
ibu: 77.2
brewing notes:
30/09/15 - had a fun brew day with this one today. i miscalculated my mash water, and so decided to add a sparge step. lo and behold, i bumped up my efficiency to 75%. i think i'll be doing this from now on also with the mini batches, as it allowed me to mash with less water which was a lot easier for stirring and not spilling.
very excited about this beer as it's my first beer with rye added. i made sure there was definitely a big rye amount (10% of the total grain) so i could determine what it brought to the beer. apart from that, i used a LOT of big american hops so am really pumped to taste this once it's ready to go.
17/10/15 - pitched this today. after umming and arring about the yeast, i went with WLP013 as it showcases both the hops and yeast and i really want that with this beer. the hops are very important as it's an ipa but the addition of rye means i really don't want the hops to be the only standout feature of this beer. looking forward to getting this bad boy in the bottles soon.
11/11/15 - decided that i wanted to keg this beer. i don't remember what made me decide this, but i wanted to have this beer ready sooner than in another 4 weeks. ended up adding some finings too, but don't know well i did it so we'll see soon. keep an eye out for pictures!
tasting notes:
22/11/15 - had the first proper taste of this beer tonight and hot damn! it's a beauty. the rye brings a mild peppery-spiciness, the hops bring a firm citrusy bitterness (albeit not as much fruity amarillo as i'd have liked), and the yeast brings a slight nuttiness to the table. all very interesting contributions which pair beautifully. an easily-drunk beer too, disguising the alcohol volume of 7.2% - extremely sessionable. overally, i'm really impressed with how it's turned out. i was reluctant to try rye, after having it in only a few beers, but i can safely say i'm happy with it's contribution to this ipa. additionally, it was the first time i'd used london ale yeast for the job and i'm also appreciating it's flavour. it's a ripper of a yeast and adds a dimension unlike the neutral american strains. in love!
20/12/15 - after subsequent tastes of this one, while i'm a fan, i'm not a massive fan enough to warrant a re-brew. it was nice, and very complex, but the rye seemed to add a fullness, or gummy-ness to the beer which i couldn't be bothered changing the mash schedule for.
brew day / beer pictures:
pitched: 17/10/15
bottled/kegged: 02/11/15
subsequent batch info: not really a massive fan of rye in a beer. it's nice, sure, but i don't think i'm in love with it. i might tweak it in future and see some day.
ingredients:
84% joe white traditional ale
10% weyermann rye malt
4% joe white crystal
2% weyermann carapils
23 ibu columbus - 60 mins
31.8 ibu amarillo - 20 mins
22.4 ibu centennial - 10 mins
0 ibu (10gm) columbus - whirlpool
2g/l columbus - dry hopped for 4 days
2g/l centennial - dry hopped for 4 days
0.25 teaspoon yeast nutrient - 15 mins
0.5 tablet whirlfloc - 15 mins
WLP013 - london ale yeast
process:
batch size: 11L
steps: 2
mash: 90 mins - 65, 10 mins - 78, sparge at 78C
boil: 60 mins
chill method: no chill
ferment temp: 18.5C
d-rest: yes
chilled: 1C
estimated OG: 1.058
actual OG: 1.064
estimated FG: 1.015
actual FG: 1010
estimated %abv: 6.4
actual %abv: 7.2% (eek!)
ibu: 77.2
brewing notes:
30/09/15 - had a fun brew day with this one today. i miscalculated my mash water, and so decided to add a sparge step. lo and behold, i bumped up my efficiency to 75%. i think i'll be doing this from now on also with the mini batches, as it allowed me to mash with less water which was a lot easier for stirring and not spilling.
very excited about this beer as it's my first beer with rye added. i made sure there was definitely a big rye amount (10% of the total grain) so i could determine what it brought to the beer. apart from that, i used a LOT of big american hops so am really pumped to taste this once it's ready to go.
17/10/15 - pitched this today. after umming and arring about the yeast, i went with WLP013 as it showcases both the hops and yeast and i really want that with this beer. the hops are very important as it's an ipa but the addition of rye means i really don't want the hops to be the only standout feature of this beer. looking forward to getting this bad boy in the bottles soon.
11/11/15 - decided that i wanted to keg this beer. i don't remember what made me decide this, but i wanted to have this beer ready sooner than in another 4 weeks. ended up adding some finings too, but don't know well i did it so we'll see soon. keep an eye out for pictures!
tasting notes:
22/11/15 - had the first proper taste of this beer tonight and hot damn! it's a beauty. the rye brings a mild peppery-spiciness, the hops bring a firm citrusy bitterness (albeit not as much fruity amarillo as i'd have liked), and the yeast brings a slight nuttiness to the table. all very interesting contributions which pair beautifully. an easily-drunk beer too, disguising the alcohol volume of 7.2% - extremely sessionable. overally, i'm really impressed with how it's turned out. i was reluctant to try rye, after having it in only a few beers, but i can safely say i'm happy with it's contribution to this ipa. additionally, it was the first time i'd used london ale yeast for the job and i'm also appreciating it's flavour. it's a ripper of a yeast and adds a dimension unlike the neutral american strains. in love!
20/12/15 - after subsequent tastes of this one, while i'm a fan, i'm not a massive fan enough to warrant a re-brew. it was nice, and very complex, but the rye seemed to add a fullness, or gummy-ness to the beer which i couldn't be bothered changing the mash schedule for.
brew day / beer pictures: