Rye....a success story

Grain bills and instruction for all manner of alcoholic beverages.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
tugboatbilly
Novice
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:44 am

Rye....a success story

Post by tugboatbilly »

Since I've been distilling as a hobby I have tried a little bit of everything....vodka (neutral spirit), brandy, rum, whiskey and sour mash, scotch (smoked peat barley),gin....and of course rye.

I have really spent a lot of time and thought on rye. my goal was to make something as good as my favorite commercially produced Bulleit Rye. I am happy to say I have finally reached my goal. A few weeks ago I met up with a bunch of golfing buddies for a few rounds (including golf! =0)) and they asked that I bring some of my special stuff with me. as we are all rye drinkers there just happened to be a bottle of Bulleit kicking around so we did a little double-blind taste test to see where I was at. I was happy to see that nobody could tell the difference or preferred my rye over Bulleit. a boost to my ego, maybe!

I drove home with a big smile......still thinking about how to improve upon my next run.

cheers!
User avatar
kiwi Bruce
Distiller
Posts: 2324
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:38 pm
Location: Transplanted Kiwi living in the States

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by kiwi Bruce »

GREAT!...can we have the recipe too...maybe...pretty please!...just asking?
Getting hung up all day on smiles
User avatar
Still Life
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1545
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:24 pm
Location: Great State Of Missouri

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by Still Life »

I went with a (corn &) rye recipe I created a couple months ago.
Does yours, too, have that wonderful earthy, black pepper & spice flavor unlike anything else?
tugboatbilly
Novice
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:44 am

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by tugboatbilly »

well it has a very spicy yet smooth rye flavor....it's awesome.

sure, i can definitely share the way i make it:

6 pounds flaked rye
2 pounds cracked corn
1 pound malted 6 row caramel
1 teaspoon acid blend
1 teaspoon gypsum
1 teaspoon amylase enzyme

after making the mash i let it ferment and settle out for about a month......then run it off. i age it on dark toasted french oak at 130 pf for a few months, or until the flavor is where i want it. then i cut it to 93 pf and bottle it.
Antler24
Trainee
Posts: 979
Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2014 8:00 pm

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by Antler24 »

Another recipe to add to my "must try" list, heck that list getting long!
Swedish Pride wrote:
get a brix reading on said ball bearings and then you can find out how much fermentables are in there
User avatar
Gaffatron
Novice
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:39 pm

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by Gaffatron »

do you run it through the still twice and use backset?
StillerBoy
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:27 pm
Location: Ontario

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by StillerBoy »

thanks for providing the receipe.. I am assuming that the grains bill is for 6 gal.. and how were your grains prepared, milled down or just crushed, again, assuming they were mashed at 180 F or so (because of the mention of the enzyme, and for how long..

Mars
" I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my knowledge and understanding "

– Albert Einstein
tugboatbilly
Novice
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:44 am

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by tugboatbilly »

gaffatron......i do use backset from previous runs........i only run it once making careful cuts and let the aging do the rest. the non aged rye is good as well but i prefer the oak infused flavors.
tugboatbilly
Novice
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:44 am

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by tugboatbilly »

stillerboy......everything is milled and i use craked corn. i mash between 160-165 and add alpha amylase to ensure conversion but its not necessary. long chain sugars are less fermentable which i find leaves the rye with a little sweeter note. i tried mashing at lower temps 130-150 for short chain sugars for higher alcohol after fermentation and those runs turned out very good as well.

i've been away from distilling over the winter due to some work on the house and the brew room being in disarray but i'll be mashing next week. sorry for the long delay for the reply.
Birddog
Novice
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu May 31, 2018 8:50 am

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by Birddog »

That is almost exactly the recipe I use for my Rye as well. The only difference is that I also use a pound of malted caramel rye and my 6 row is not caramel. It does not taste like Bulleit, but still smooth and spicy. I don't use amylase enzyme either. I have never had a problem with full conversion with my mash.
User avatar
Bushman
Admin
Posts: 17988
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:29 am
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by Bushman »

I love my rye whiskey, probably in my opinion the best thing I make. I use Jimbo's Single Malt AG recipe as my method substituting the malted barley for Malted rye. The Carmel in your recipe intrigues me!
User avatar
HDNB
Site Mod
Posts: 7360
Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2014 10:04 am
Location: the f-f-fu frozen north

Re: Rye....a success story

Post by HDNB »

so i made 100% malt rye and put it in a new oak barrel, which has been in an outside metal shed since January. it's been unseasonably hotter than hell the last while and even hotter in that shed.
the spirit is so soft and velvety at first it seems to have no flavour. mid palate comes on with huge sweetness and finishes with a big and long lasting pepper.
i just had a quick sip after tempering it to 45% i have not really had a chance to critique it since i was in the still shed all day my senses are shot today anyway.
long live rye!
I finally quit drinking for good.

now i drink for evil.
Post Reply