Facebook distilling group question...

[rickyaifd]

Correct me if I am wrong in this. A member of a distilling group on Facebook was looking to purchase some Rye seed. It was not malted. Am I correct in the assumption that if it is not malted oh, then they will not get the starch to sugar conversion? However, there was mentioned about the use of the amylase enzymes oh, but they would not work with unmalted rye or would they?

[res]

The enzymes you use for brewing work the same as those created in malting.
Short answer, yes enzymes will convert unmalted grain

[bluefish_dist]

The enzymes for conversion from starch to sugar can come from malting or just straight enzymes. If from malt, only part of the mash bill needs to be malted to get a conversion. If you are using some portion of malted barley and unmalted rye, it will convert if there is enough barley. Rye is a glue grain, so it’s harder to sparge, unless doing a rye whiskey, it’s best in small %.

[rickyaifd]

Thanks for the confirmation.

[Demy]

It always takes "workers" to convert the starches, they can be of various origins and types but they are indispensable.

[MtRainier]

I haven't done a ton of unmalted rye nor do I have a lot of experience with what happens to the flavors over time in the barrel, so I may be way off base on this.

I got a 50 pound bag of Danko rye from a local farmer and used it in 10-15% quantities in a few bourbon batches as well as a rye whiskey with 75% rye. I didn't like the taste of what came out. I found the taste of the hearts, while white, to be grassy and unpleasant. I then got some rye malt from Northern Brewer and made a rye whiskey with 75% rye malt and thought the hearts were sweet and nutty.

Could have been my process where I mash, ferment, and distill on grain in a jacketed kettle, or maybe that's just how unmalted rye is before aging and all of that unpleasant flavor turns into the spicy goodness as it ages. But I'm going to stick with malted rye from now on despite it being much more expensive. I know a few local distillers that make 100% unmalted rye whiskey using liquid enzymes which turns out good for them, but I don't know how they do it. I didn't like my attempts.

I always use the liquid alpha and gluco enzymes from ferm-solutions.net, by the way.