Bürgerbräu Wolnzacher Roggenbier

Brewed by Bürgerbräu Wolnzach
Style: Specialty Grain
Wolnzach, Germany

Tons of huge chunks swim at the bottom of this muddy brown dirty lake water. Big off-white head is foamy and well laced. Surprising aroma, very intense, vinous. Spicy! Juniper and pepper scents on a soily background. You’ve never smelled anything like that. Orange, caramel and clover notes. As if it were not enough, there’s a decent hint of those hallertau sliding on the rye malt. On the tongue, it’s very mineralic, surprisingly sour, earthy and full of that weird spiciness. Huge and thick mouthfeel, viscous, creamy. Perfect fitting carbonation of big bubbles. I sure wouldn’t buy this in any quantity (unlike some of their other beers!), but this is a great try.

This poured a cloudy light brown color with a frothy light brown head. The aroma is actually that of rye bread with some spicy tanginess. It’s got a fizzy, alive mouth-feel and tastes of rye, spices, a hint of lemon, and a some yeasty fruitiness. Tasty, with a crisp, slightly tart finish.

Very cloudy with an off-white head. Yeast and rye smack you pretty hard. This beer grew on me a bit as I drank it but it’s not exactly one of my favorites.

Hazy amber with large head and lots of big bubbles in the beer. Aroma is malt, some yeast, and maybe a hint of rye (or is that my imagination?). Flavor was malt/yeast, no noticable rye. Tasted like a weissbier.

Light brown color, VERY cloudy. Think coffee with cream and sugar. Large to medium sized, quickly dissipating head. Aroma is rye bread, and citrus. Medium bodied rye beer. Malts are bready and yeasty, lots of lemony citrus flavors as well. Sort of herbal and earthy. Very smooth, easy drinking beer. This is the best rye beer I’ve tasted so far. As close to ‘liquid bread as I’ve seen. Kind of like it. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Initially pours as an entire half liter glass of foam despite me being careful. Eventually it settles to no head whatsoever and no lace to boot. incredibly murky. It looks like a glass of sweet cider. Nose is nice and spicy, almost wheaty with a bit of tartness. Flavor, as it tends to, follows aroma but is a bit duller than the aroma. Silky smooth mouthfeel but somewhat lacking in carbonative zip. A disappointment after the hell but what isn’t?

This was a pretty good beer. It tasted alot like a wheat beer and had alot of free-floating sediment. I thought I would taste more rye flavor but I did not. Try it if you get the chance.

500 ml. brown, tall European bottle. No freshness date seen. Poured out a hazy, orangish / amber color, with a small white head. The head was loose and not well formed. I poured it off slowly to keep the crud in the bottom of the bottle. Be warned: this beer has major sludge in the bottom of it. I left it behind, because I don’t drink the dregs. Aromas are of Jewish rye bread, lactic wheat malts, slight Brettanomyces funk, and a wet wool blanket. Tastes are a strange combination of vanilla, oak barrel, lactic wheat malts, cherries macerated in rum, and Belgian funk. Medium mouthfeel. Finishes dry and crisp. Not bad for my first Roggenbier.