Roggenbier is a German rye beer style. The color ranges from dark gold to amber. The aroma has notes of spices, fruity esters, cloves and possibly roasted malts (in darker versions of the style). This may be apparent as cocoa or chocolate, caramel, toffee or biscuit smells. The taste should follow the aroma. The feel should be light to medium bodied. ABV should be 4.9% to 5.5%. IBUs should be quite low at 10 to 15.
History from Wikipedia:
"Until the 15th Century, it was common in Germany, particularly in Bavaria, to use rye malt for brewing beer. However, after a period of bad harvests, it was ruled that rye would only be used for baking bread, (thus only barley was to be used for beer, see the German law known as the Reinheitsgebot). Roggenbier virtually disappeared for almost five hundred years. In 1988, it reappeared in Bavaria.
The modern version of roggenbier is typically about 5% ABV and is fairly dark in colour. The flavour is grainy, often having a hearty flavour similar to pumpernickel bread. Typically, at least 50 percent of the malts used to make the beer are made from rye."
|