Roggenbier and Other Stuff

Having never had a Roggenbier, I thought I would give it a whack.  Roggenbier is very similar to German wheat beer, just with the wheat replaced by malted rye.  Rye adds a spicy, dry character to a beer, and I can only imagine it pairs very well with continental hops like Saaz and Tettnang.  The yeast is the same, lending notes of banana and clove.  



Brewday went as usual, although the lauter was tough because of the gummy rye.  I even threw a half pound of rice hulls into the grist, but still I got a crummy 65% efficiency.  Oh well - session roggen!  


Tip: Never leave your mash tun to clean the next day.  I just about barfed back into it when I opened the lid and was smacked with a warm gust of sour, barn-nasty air.  


Also accomplished on brewday: I transferred the Hoodlum saison to secondary and gave it a taste - that's going to be one tasty beer when carbed and cold.  A little tangy, super-dry, the right amount of belgian yeastiness, and a hoppy nip make it a refreshing one.  The honey aroma was very slight, and might even get scrubbed completely out by the yeast, but it was worth a shot.  My Not-So-Thai Witbier was a bust.  When I tasted it a few weeks ago looking to enter the Sam Adams Longshot, it was so peppery from the coriander that it was pretty much undrinkable.  I sealed it back up hoping the coriander would mellow a bit, albeit not in time to enter the contest. When I opened it yesterday, a huge citrus smell hit me, but my heart fell when I saw the fuzzy white mold sitting on top of 5 gallons of wit.  It smelled so good while I poured it down the drain!  I guess I can take solace in the fact that this was the first infection in the 20+ batches I've brewed.



Recipe: Roggenbier
Style: 15D-German Wheat/Rye Beer-Roggenbier


Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 6.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 5.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.00 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.00 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG
Expected OG: 1.054 SG
Expected FG: 1.013 SG
Expected ABV: 5.4 %
Expected ABW: 4.3 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 19.5
Expected Color: 13.1 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 74.9 %
Mash Efficiency: 80.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF


Fermentables
German Rye Malt 4.38 lb (42.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Munich Malt 2.45 lb (23.9 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Pilsner Malt 2.10 lb (20.5 %) In Mash/Steeped
German CaraMunich I 0.70 lb (6.8 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Rice Hulls 0.50 lb (4.9 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Carafa Special II 0.13 lb (1.2 %) In Mash/Steeped


Hops
German Tettnang (4.0 % alpha) 28 g Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End
Czech Saaz (3.5 % alpha) 9 g Loose Pellet Hops used 15 Min From End


Other Ingredients


Yeast: Wyeast 3056-Bavarian Wheat


Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (68C/154F)
Step: Rest at 154 degF for 60 mins


Recipe Notes