Riedenburger 5-Korn Urbier

Brewed by Riedenburger Brauhaus
Style: Specialty Grain
Riedenburg/Altmühltal, Niederbayern, Germany

Surprising beer, I didn’t expect it to be that good. Hazy orange amber colour, a good beige head. Aroma of orange peels, with some cocoa and honey, with some earthy notes. Light body and mostly sweet and creamy flavor. Taste of caramel, citrus tones, fruits and bread and the earthy notes. I can’t find the rustic taste they advertise, besides the earthy thing, but I’m more than impressed by this beer, maybe it was unexpected?

Bottle 33cl. Pours an appetising amber coloured cloudy brew with a small but durable white head. Grainy clear smell, citrus notes, high fermentation yeast. Very complex and massive taste although only 5% ABV. Very pleasant, interesting and unconventional. Recommendable!

Opaque orangey-amber. Finger of bone-coloured foam. Aroma is slightly fruity (lemon, mango), slightly grainy (multigrain bread, not altogether unexpected in this brew), with mild spice (coriander seed). Body is full for its size, slightly creamy, with rounded malt flavours of granola – kind of oaty, with fresh raisins (not the raisiny notes from candi sugar, but real honest-to-God raisins). Palate starts slightly sweet, but gets drier towards the end. There is a vague nuttiness, and hints of minerals. Fresh, if slightly watery, backbone. For once a beer where the water actually does taste like it comes from a mountain stream born of glacial runoff.

One one hand, this is a relatively dull amber beer. One the other hand, there is something distinctive lurking under the surface – a beer I’ve never seen before. This beer perhaps benefits from analysis, but I can’t shake the impression that beneath the textbook exterior is a really good idea looking to break out.

Bottle. Chocolate and rye malt aroma. Hazy amber with moderate head. Chocolate malt flavor with a hint of rye. Almost like a porter with the way it tastes and feels in my mouth. Very good.

Bottled. Very aromatic, floral, some herbs, hint of cookie. Cloudy, brown color, beige creamy head, good lace. Neutral start but fruity, malty, floral, light herbal finish. Smooth/soft mouthfeel. Wasn’t expecting this at all. Not complex but very flavorful and great palate.

(Bottle 33 cl) Very beautiful - and slightly hazy - amber colour with a nice head, that never really disappears. Incredibly malty from the five different grains in this beer as indicated in the beer’s name. Impressive! Very soft and sweetish from the loads of malt with a very discreet bitterness. Massive sediment - not typical for Germany. And this beers keeps surprising: it’s both organic and top-fermented. Excellent. 030305

Bottle purchased in Berlin

Pours an elegant hazy orange amber with a beautiful nearly-white head. Mild malty aroma, somewhat dusty. The flavor is likewise initially mild and malt-driven, but there’s a complex delight in here that grows with each sip. It’s all about the grain; oats and wheat, mild brown bread with a drop or two of caramel layered over an ever-so-slightly sour base that hints of lemon and apple. Smooth creamy moutfeel. Hard to put a precise label on why this is so appealing, but it’s an extremely drinkable, enjoyable beer with a lovely rustic something lurking beneath its subtlety.

Aroma of citrus, grassy hops and some caramel malts. Hazy, orange coloured with a thin off-white head. Taste is slightly sweet and more sour in the end. Grassy hops, citron, some caramel notes. Very fresh and nicely. Nice fresh/dry palate. Enjoyable brew.