Rye beer is a beer in which

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

is substituted for some portion of the

malted Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, most ...

barley. ''Roggenbier'' is a beer produced with up to 60% rye malt. The style originated in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, southern Germany, and is brewed with the same type of

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

as a German ''

Hefeweizen Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German ''Weizenbier'' and Belgian ''witbier''; other types include Lambic (made with wild y ...

'', resulting in a similar light, dry, spicy taste. In the United States, rye beer is produced by homebrewers and

microbreweries Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

. In some examples, the

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...

presence is pushed to the point where they resemble American India pale ales (IPAs). This style is often called a

Rye IPA Rye India pale ale is a style of rye beer with a strong hoppy character, comparable to India pale ale. In this beer style, malted rye grains in the mash ingredients add a tangy or spicy character to the beer. History Rye was a traditional brew ...

, or "Rye-P-A". Finnish ''

sahti Sahti is a Finnish type of farmhouse ale made from malted and unmalted grains including barley and rye. Traditionally the beer is flavored with juniper in addition to, or instead of, hops;

''is produced by brewing rye with

juniper berries A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry, but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which gives it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especial ...

and wild yeast. The traditional Slavic''

kvass Kvass is a fermented cereal-based low alcoholic beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour and sweet-sour taste. It may be flavoured with berries, fruits, herbs or honey. Kvass stems from the northeastern part of Europe, w ...

'' is made using rye bread that has been

steeped Steeping is the soaking of an organic solid, such as leaves, in a liquid (usually water) to extract flavours or to soften it. The specific process of teas being prepared for drinking by leaving the leaves in heated water to release the flavour a ...

and fermented.

Roggenbier

, rye

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, ...

was used for brewing beer until the 15th century. After a period of bad harvests, though, it was ruled that rye would be used only for baking

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

, thus only barley was to be used for beer; see the law known as the ''

Reinheitsgebot The ''Reinheitsgebot'' (, literally "purity order") is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by Wil ...

''. ''Roggenbier'' disappeared for almost 500 years. In the late 1980s, the Spezialbrauerei Schierling near

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

created the first modern ''Roggenbier'', Schierlinger Roggen, using a modified, patented mashing regimen to cope with the effects of the highly viscous rye wort. 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 Pumpernickel (; ) is a typically heavy, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye grains ("rye berries"). At one time it was ...

bread. Typically, at least 50% of the malts used to make the beer are made from rye.

References

{{Beer Styles Beer styles Rye-based drinks