Roggenbier
Rye, the most distinctive of grains, conjures up strong reactions. Some beer enthusiasts prefer their rye bread with pastrami and a dollop of mustard while others prefer it on someone else’s plate. One could expect no less from a personality-packed dark, pungent grain that grows where other grains simply whither.
Rye can be equally stubborn in the brewhouse, where it is added to the mash in the form of malted or flaked rye. Huskless, like wheat, and high in gummy beta-glucans, rye tends to slow mash runoff.
Although clearly the black sheep of brewing when compared with barley or wheat, rye has maintained some traditional strongholds in the brewing world. The juniper-tinged Finnish brew, Sahti, composed of up to 10 percent rye malt, remains a popular beer for both homebrewers and commercial producers in its native country. Hailing from the rye bread basket of eastern Europe is kvass, the Russian beer made from fermented rye bread. This low-alcohol drink is mild enough to be consumed by the whole family and derives its effervescence from its continuing fermentation at the time of consumption.
A handful of more conventional beers also boast a portion of rye in their recipes. The German beer from Schierlinger brewery called Roggen (German for rye) derives its distinctive character from a whopping 60 percent malted rye, the remainder consisting of equal amounts pale two-row malt and crystal malt. The reddish-brown brew has bitterness of 16 IBU, a color of 16° Lovibond, an alcohol content of 3.9 percent by weight, and an original gravity of 1.048. Hefe-weizen yeast adds a spicy phenolic flavor to this cloudy, bottle-conditioned brew. Michael Jackson describes the rye character of Schierlinger Roggen as “a definite minty, bittersweet spiciness.”
A double-decoction mash ends in an unusual lauter designed to tame the ornery rye malt. Rotating knives break up a purposely thin lauter bed while positive CO2 pressure increases the flow rate through the otherwise tardy grains. Two additions of German Perle hops are made but contribute little noticeable aroma to the beer. Schierlinger Roggen is available in North America through importer B. United International.
Another widely available rye beer started as part of Redhook Ale Brewery’s Blue Line experimental beer series. It was so well received that the brewery added the line to its standard offerings. Redhook takes a subtler approach to brewing with rye than its fellow rye brewers in Germany. Jim Galiardi, brewmaster at Redhook’s Fremont brewery, warns against using too much rye.
“It’s a fine balance between too little and too much,” says Galiardi. “If you go overboard, the rye flavor will overpower the beer.”
He also points out that flaked rye contributes a stronger grassy rye flavor than the malted grain. Redhook rye is a refreshing medium-bodied brew with a hint of rye, a subtle hop aroma, and a yeasty fruitiness. It is an unfiltered golden-colored ale with a crisp, assertive hop bitterness. The approximate grain bill has 10 percent flaked rye, 4 percent wheat malt, and 5 percent Munich malt, with pale two-row filling out the difference. The beer has a bitterness of 35 IBU, a color of 6° Lovibond, an alcohol content of 4.4 percent by weight, an original gravity around 1.052, and a finishing gravity of about 1.012.
The hops used include Mt. Hood for bittering and Hersbrucker for aroma. The yeast used should contribute a mild fruitiness with little or no diacetyl character. Redhook adapted its brewing process for the rye beer by including an 89.6° F beta-glucan rest and thereby cut a few hours off of the lauter time.
Although rye does contribute a certain recognizable character to beer, defining a style might be a little presumptuous. Clearly every rye beer discussed has a very different flavor profile. The rye beer style might be best described as any beer that contains a significant portion of rye. The rest is open to interpretation.
Homebrewing With Rye
Rye extracts are hard to find. Consequently the following beers all require some sort of mashing process. Because the Roggen has 60 percent malted rye, your only option for a clone is an all-grain recipe. To make the lauter easier, it is a good idea to allow a 10- to 15-minute beta-glucan rest at 90° F. Adding a filter aid such as rice hulls, barley husks, or oat husks at a rate of one small handful per pound of rye will also ensure a smooth lauter.
Sehr gut Roggenbier
(5 gallons, all-grain)
The following beer is a lightly hopped amber rye beer reminiscent of Schierlinger Roggen. Hefe-weizen-style yeast adds a distinctive aroma. Try a double decoction at the mash temperatures given.
Ingredients:
• 5 lbs. rye malt
• 1.6 lbs. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
• 1.6 lbs. two-row lager malt
• 0.6 oz. Perle hops (10% alpha acid), 0.3 oz. for 60 min., 0.3 oz. for 30 min.
• 1 pint of liquid hefe-weizen yeast culture (Wyeast 3068 or 3056)
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 3 gals. of water. Raise temperature to 90° F and hold for 15 minutes. Raise temperature 2 degrees per minute for 30 minutes until mash is at 150° F. Hold for 60 minutes. Sparge to collect 7 gals. of wort.
Boil for 30 minutes and add 0.3 oz. hops. Boil 30 more minutes and add second 0.3 oz. hops. Boil 30 more minutes. Total boil time is 90 minutes. Aerate and cool to 65° F. Add yeast.
Ferment at 65° F until finished. Rack and age at 55° F for two weeks. Keg or bottle beer unfiltered.
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
Miss American Rye
(5 gallons, all-grain)
This beer is inspired by Redhook Rye. If you can’t find Hersbrucker hops, try Hallertauer. Have fun with it; the rye’s the limit.
Ingredients:
• 6.75 lbs. two-row lager malt
• 0.75 lb. Munich malt
• 1 lb. rye flakes
• 1.5 lb. wheat malt
• 1.9 oz. Mt. Hood (5% alpha acid), 1 oz. for 60 min., 0.9 oz. for 30 min.
• 1.5 oz. Hersbrucker (4% alpha acid), 1 oz. for 15 min., 0.5 oz. at finish
• 1 pint ale yeast culture
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 3 gals. of water. Raise temperature to 90° F and hold for 15 minutes. Raise temperature 2 degrees per minute for 30 minutes until mash is at 150° F. Hold for 60 minutes. Sparge to collect 7 gals. of wort.
Boil for 30 minutes and add 1 oz. Mt. Hood hops. Boil 30 minutes and add 0.9 oz. Mt. Hood. Boil 15 more minutes and add 1 oz. Hersbrucker hops. Boil 15 more minutes. Total boil time is 90 minutes. Add 0.5 oz. Hersbrucker hops just before cooling. Aerate and cool to 65° F. Add ale yeast and ferment at 65° F until finished.
Age at 50° to 55° F for two weeks. Keg or bottle unfiltered.
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.012
Miss American Rye
(5 gallons, extract and grains)
Because there is less pale malt in the partial mash than in the all-grain, six-row malt is used to increase the total enzyme content.
Ingredients:
• 3 lbs. six-row lager malt
• 0.75 lb. Munich malt
• 1 lb. rye flakes
• 0.5 lb. wheat malt
• 3 lbs. liquid pale malt extract
• 1.9 oz. Mt. Hood (5% alpha acid), 1 oz. for 60 min, 0.9 oz. for 30 min.
• 1.5 oz. Hersbrucker (4% alpha acid), 1 oz. for 15 min., 0.5 oz. at finish
• 1 pint ale yeast culture
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 2 gals. of water. Raise temperature to 90° F and hold for 15 minutes. Raise temperature 2 degrees per minute for 30 minutes until mash is at 150° F. Hold for 60 minutes. Sparge to collect 4 gals. of wort.
Add an additional 3 gals. of water to the kettle to make a total of 7 gals. Stir in the liquid extract while heating the mixture to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes and add 1 oz. Mt. Hood hops. Boil 30 more minutes and add 0.9 oz. Mt. Hood. Boil 15 more minutes and add 1 oz. Hersbrucker hops. Boil 15 minutes more. Total boil time is 90 minutes. Add 0.5 oz. Hersbrucker just before cooling. Aerate and cool to 65° F. Add ale yeast and ferment at 65° F until finished.
Age at 50° to 55° F for two weeks.
Keg or bottle unfiltered.
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.012
