Malted rye only mash

Casey_jones

Can I use only malted rye to try and make vodka? I'm going to add yeast of course but will the yeast be able to make a reasonable amount of alcohol from just rye? My aim is to make vodka through a reflux? Also can I get away with using malted rye instead of malted barley for a corn wash mash? I'm lost.

still_stirrin

Why rye?
Have you ever brewed before?  Rye is a challenging cereal grain to use for beer because of the glucans.  Without a lot of experience, you will have your hands full.
But, to make a “vodka” out of 100% rye malt is a “recipe for disaster”.  Rye malt will have a lot of flavor and certainly will complicate the vodka’s delicacy.   I would use malted wheat for a cereal grain based vodka.  It is not near as sharp in flavor and is much easier to brew with.
What is your motivation to use only malted rye?  I’d like to hear “the rest of the story”.
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Sporacle

Casey, I would not use an all Rye as your first stop.
As SS has said it would not be ideal, have a search for all Rye in the search function and you'll get some indication of the problems that you may encounter.
Can you run an all Rye through a reflux, of course you can. There may be easier options though

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6-Row-Joe

I wouldn't and surely not for vodka.I don't drink alcohol, I drink distilled spirits.
Therefore I'm not a alcoholic, I'm spiritual.

tombombadil

Yaaa... search the forum for threads on how difficult it is to work with rye.
It might be a good idea to start with one of the tried and true recipes.

Ben

I am a little confused on your topic... the title says rye only, the text says rye and corn. Malted rye does have exceptionally high diastatic power. So you could use it as just a portion of a grain bill to convert a lot of corn, zero barley malt necessary.
High temp enzyme does make the initial corn gelatinization much easier.:)