Arj Roggenbier, 5 Rights Brewing, Marysville
Style: Roggenbier
Stats: 5.8 percent ABV, 15 IBU
Available: On tap at the brewery, Brat From Deutschland, NYP Bar &Grill and Emory’s in Everett.
My thoughts: In medieval times, barley was fit for a king. Rye? That was for the lower classes. Because of that, rye beers were considered peasant beers, and roggenbiers were the lowest rung on that ladder. Brewed with a grain bill that’s at least half rye and half barley, roggenbiers were made for German field labors.
Nowadays, rye is king. Stumble into any craft brewery and you’ll often find some kind of rye beer, whether it be a rye IPA, pale ale, stout or something else entirely. Rye gives a beer a spicy and almost sour-like flavor to balance out the bitterness of hops and sweetness of complex malts.
Roggenbier, however, isn’t going for style points like a rye IPA. Some grain bills in roggenbiers top 60 percent rye, and with a very muted hop profile, they have a very subtle rye flavor. It’s a very quaffable style.
Made with 50 percent rye, R.J. Whitlow’s Arj Roggenbier is a true-to-style roggenbier. No stranger to authentic German beers — 5 Rights’ Nellie’s Nectar Bavarian Hefeweizen won a bronze medal for German Wheat &Rye Beers at the Washington Beer Awards this past summer — Whitlow balances out the rye with Pilsner, Munich and Caramunich malts, creating a blanket of smoothness for the beer to wash over a drinker’s palate.
The beer pours out almost like oatmeal. Completely opaque, the Arj Roggenbier is a dirty brown color with a fluffy white cap. The rye is very subtle; blended seamlessly with the malts and barley, it almost sneaks up near the end of the tasting experience. Whitlow referred to the malts as “polishing the edges off the rye.” There’s a slight sweetness from the malts and very little hop bitterness.
The key to a good roggenbier, Whitlow said, is keeping fermentation at a low temperature. Not wanting the fruity esters to dominate the beer, Whitlow keeps the temperature in the low 60s during fermentation, which keeps the esters from expressing and allows the grain bill to keep that robust, deep flavor characteristic of dark German beers.
During these bitterly cold winter days, a roggenbier is the perfect salve for ice cold hands and frigid taste buds.
From the brewery: “We are releasing what we hope to be a regular winter seasonal for us. This hearty but very accessible treat features a richness reminiscent of porridge with slight notes of spice, caramel, clove and fruity esters from the rye and yeast combination.”
More new releases
Lost Resolution, Lazy Boy Brewing: Brewed with El Dorado, Azacca and Zythos hops, this balanced IPA has plenty of malt and citrus to go with pear notes. Available at the brewery.
— Aaron Swaney, Special to The Herald
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