I brewed this Red Rye Ale recipe yesterday with my buddy Dave.  It’s a reprise of my first all-grain recipe from a few seasons ago.  Since then I’ve really gained an appreciation for rye ales, and wanted to see if I could improve upon the original.

This was also an opportunity to try some new techniques and kit.  Dave brought along his sparge arm, and I wanted to try out a new heat shield for my burner rig.  This is also the first time I’ve included rice hulls in the grain bill.  For his part, Dave had not yet worked with rye, and was interested to see how it worked out. (Flaked rye can be a sticky mess sometimes!) He also got to see the CFC in action.  Things worked out beautifully, and we nailed our target numbers spot-on.  24 hours after I pitched the yeast there’s a rolling, slow and steady fermentation. Smells wonderful.

Technical specs for those interested, 12SRM, estimated 60IBU at 5.5% ABV.