Roggenbier!

OK, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I tried my first Roggenbier on Monday night. Essentially Roggenbier is a Dunkelwiessen made with rye instead of wheat. Rye, while familiar, generally sees little use in mainstream homebrewing and you'll certainly have to go out of your way to find a commercial example in your local bottle shop. This example was a coppery brown. Rye was noticeable but not overstated, and the typical weizen yeast profile of spice and banana was obvious but not dominant (leaning toward spice as opposed to banana). It is a darker beer, but has a moderate Original Gravity and is quite drinkable, so it should be a good one for the upcoming summer months. Thanks to Dan Sherman of DOZE for sharing his fine creation. BJCP lists Paulaner Roggen and Bürgerbräu Wolznacher Roggenbier as style examples for those interested in searching. Bear Republic of Racer 5 fame has their Hop Rod Rye, though this isn't a Roggenbier (more of an IPA with Rye). Looks like the only real option for a Roggenbier is to fire the burners and get brewing.