Beer School

Beer Styles: What is a Rye Beer?

Rye beers: the diverse, malt-forward beer. Learn about what a rye beer tastes like, how it’s made and more.

Beer Styles: What is a Rye Beer?

About Rye Beer

Rye beers are a specialty type of beer known for their roasted malt flavours.

They can be made using lager or ale yeast and the roasted malt results in caramel flavours. The style has medium hop bitterness. It’s a very diverse beer style, so it’s often explored by brewers by adding adjunct ingredients like herbs, spices, fruit and so on. Rye-style beers can contain a variety of flavouring, alcohol content, colours, carbonation, hop presence and more.

 

 

Rye Beer Style Essential Information:

 

Appearance:

Rye beers can come in a variety of colours. They are typically dark amber to dark brown in colour, however, some come in lighter colours like copper or straw. (Typically with an SRM between 1 and 40).

 

Flavour profile:

Dark & Roasty or Sweet & Malty.

 

Flavour & Aroma of Rye Beer:

Ryes are known for their dark, malty and roasted or sweet flavour profiles. Typically these beers are known for an abundance of caramel or biscuit-y flavours. Ryes have a varying hop presence, it is dependent on the brewer.

 

Rye Beer Palate & Mouthfeel:

Ryes are a diverse beer style. You can expect a variation in carbonation and body.

 

Alcohol Content of a Rye Beer

The alcohol content of ryes also are dependent on the brewer.

 

What Foods Pair Well With Rye Beers?

Ryes pair well with desserts like bread pudding and meats with strong flavour like jerk chicken.

 

How to Serve a Rye:

Ryes are best served at 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 8-12°C) in a Vase glass.

 

 

Now that you know all about rye style beers, Learn more about other beer styles.

Refer to our beer style guide covering over 40 types of beer or check out some of the most popular styles below:

Amber & Dark Ale
Barleywine
Belgian IPA & White India Pale Ale
Berliner Weisse
Black or Cascadian Dark Ale
Bock
Double or Imperial IPA
Golden or Blonde Ale
Golden or Pale Lager
Gose
Gruit Beer
Hefeweizen
India Pale Ale (IPA)
Pilsner
Porter
Saison
Sour or Wild Ale
Stout
Strong Ale
Weizenbock
Wheat Beer

 

Related Posts

Beer School

What is a Cicerone? A Beer Sommelier Explained

What is a Cicerone? Learn more about what it is, how to become one and how are they expanding the world of Beer.

Beer School

East Coast IPA vs West Coast IPA – What’s the Difference?

What is an East Coast India Pale Ale? What is a West Coast India Pale Ale? Find out the similarities and differences between an ECIPA and WCIPA.

Beer School

Does Beer Freeze? At What Temperature Does Beer Freeze?

Summer or winter, there’s always a way to accidentally freeze your beer. We did some research and here’s what we can tell you about frozen beer, and what you can do to prevent your beers from freezing.

Beer School

Beer Terms: How To Describe Beer Like A Pro

A quick and easy reference to the beer terms you need to know when describing a beer. Now you’ll never be at a loss for words and always be part of the beer discussion.

Beer School

What are Chili (Chile) Beers?

No matter how you write it, chili, chilli or chile, these beers give a punch of heat which comes from the addition of chili-peppers, habaneros, or jalapeños. This Picante beer style isn’t for the weak of heart (or stomach); so, let’s turn up the heat and learn about the hottest trend to hit craft beer…