Is a protein rest needed?

I’m brewing a roggenbier and am curious if a protein rest is needed or recommended by those who have experience. Palmer says most malts are modified enough that they won’t benefit from a protein rest and in fact a rest is detrimental due to lost body and thin watery beer. But, I also read that large amounts of rye adds way too much body making the beer too slick and almost oil like. So, I’m thinking a rest may be a good option. Thoughts?

Before anyone mentions rice hulls, I BIAB so a stuck sparge isn’t an issue.

My recipe is:

37% rye malt
37% wheat malt
9% flaked rye
9% flaked wheat
7% C40
1% debittered black malt

Thanks for your input.

As long as you’re doing BIAB, I don’t think there’s any benefit to a protein rest.

No barley malt? Will this grain bill convert? I’m asking, I don’t know if wheat and/or rye malt will self-convert. Usually a roggenbier has 50-65% rye malt and the rest is barley malt, not wheat. At the very least you are going to want to use a boatload of rice hulls or this sucker is going to stick like nobody’s business.

Yeah, they both should. I know that wheat malt almost always has plenty of diastatic power, and the rye malt I’ve used in the past has enough, although just barely.

I think it will convert fine.

I would skip the protein rest as I’m sure it’s unnecessary. If you do decide to try a protein rest to cut down on the body and head contribution from the protein-rich rye and wheat, then limit it to 5 minutes, or absolutely no more than 10 minutes. But personally, I’d skip it.

Neither of the base malts has any husks. Plus the huge body coming from the rye is going to make the wort run off really slow anyway. I personally like the slick body of a beer with a generous helping of rye. As far as protein rest I don’t think theres any way you’re going to affect the level in any detrimental way. Really you’re more talking about a glucan rest anyway, thats what the slick character from rye is due to.

I just fail to see what subbing wheat for barley in a roggenbier is going to add. Both the rye and wheat are usually added for additional body and genereous head. Wheat is pretty low in terms of flavor, you’ll get the spic rye but no malt backbone to balance.

But what the heck go for it and let us know how it comes out!

Thanks for the input, guys. Just what I wanted to hear. I think I’ll mash on the lower side to help thin it out a little, maybe 150-151F range.

Wheat will definitely convert itself and from what I’ve read, rye can too.