Wookie Rye Roggenbier

Here's a rare style of ale that went on tap last week at Fox River in Oshkosh.

Wookie Rye is a Roggenbier, otherwise known as a rye beer. This one was made from a mash composed of 60% rye malt. All that rye comes across in a pronounced way. The malt flavors edge their way toward chocolate. People often talk of getting a spicy character from rye but to me, the flavor is closer to that sweet, molasses bite you find in brown sugar. 

The beer has a silky texture and plenty of mouthfeel. At 17 IBUs there's just enough bitterness for balance without it getting in the way. Wookie is 4% ABV, though you'd never guess that. It's a nice beer for this time of year when you want something a little more satisfying without having to down too much alcohol. Definitely a beer worth checking out.

A Bit of Back Story
There's a reason you don't see brewers producing a lot of rye beer. It's because modern brewing equipment doesn't favor the gummy, protein-rich wort that results from mashing rye malt. It makes for a long brew day.

"Runoff was problematic, as you might expect," says Drew Roth, head brewer at Fox River. "The sheer amount of syrup it produced from the proteins was truly impressive, both in the kettle and in the mash tun. The wort could only be described as slick."

That's the modern dilemma of brewing with rye. The flavors produced are rich and complex, but it's just so much damned work.

Prior to the 15th century – when European country brewers were still using wooden tubs for mashing – beers made from rye were common, especially in Bavaria. roggenbier was among the last of the Bavarian ales to have a place at the table in southern Germany. They were almost washed, however, by the 15th-century tsunami of South-German lager. The death knell for Bavarian roggenbier came with the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, which prohibited the use of rye malt in beer (long story short, they wanted to reserve rye as a food source).

So here you have it once again, a true rye ale in Oshkosh. Get it while you can. Oh, about that name, Wookie Rye. It's a hat tip to the Star Wars exhibit now at the Oshkosh Public Museum. Here are Drew Roth's notes on the beer. Prost!