Nürnberger Rotbier - Creating from Memory

[DerNaschkatze]

Hey all,

While in Nuremberg, I had an amazing beer, called a Rotbier, at a brewery called Altstadthof that was hands down one of my favorites that I'd had there. It was malty, caramel-y, tasted like a deeper and more complex märzen, but not quite in the dunkel territory yet. Best of all, it was a bright ruby red. It was somehow something that would fit both a hot summer day and a cool fall night. I had to get my hands on it again! So why not brew it?

Based on the parameters that they give on their website (https://www.hausbrauerei-altstadthof.de/brauerei/nuernberger-rotbier/), I threw the recipe below together.

Nürnberger Rotbier
5.5 Gallons
Yeast: Omega Kölsch (not ready for lagers yet)
Temp: 7 days at 58F, 3 at 65F, cold crash, and bottle
18 IBU
13 SRM
OG: 1.048
est. FG: 1.010-1.012
-11 lbs German RedX Malt
-1 oz. Hallertauer @ 60 min
-0.5 oz @ 20 min

 

[JaymzMF]

Hey good luck. Love your profile picture!

 

[Vale71]

Rotbier is more like a bottom-fermented Altbier. So a Pilsner malt base with just enough Röstmalz to give it a reddish hue, lowish IBUs and a traditional lager fermentation.

 

[DerNaschkatze]

When talking to the brewers there they mentioned that they use "Rotmalz" as their specially roasted malt. I wasn't sure quite what to make of that so I went with what I could find - German Red X Malt. Since it could be used entirely by itself, we went ahead with it (I suspect its a mixture of pilsner and roasted malts to get the color).

The heyday of Rotbier was also before lager yeast was used, so we compromised with a german ale yeast at lower temps (Though I know it's now a lager). Either way, the green beer tasted great at bottling, so we'll see after the conditioning how it went!

 

[ebbelwoi]

There was a discussion about Franconian Rotbier on one of the German forums a few months back: https://hobbybrauer.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=20842

 

[Vale71]

When talking to the brewers there they mentioned that they use "Rotmalz" as their specially roasted malt. I wasn't sure quite what to make of that so I went with what I could find - German Red X Malt. Since it could be used entirely by itself, we went ahead with it (I suspect its a mixture of pilsner and roasted malts to get the color).

The heyday of Rotbier was also before lager yeast was used, so we compromised with a german ale yeast at lower temps (Though I know it's now a lager). Either way, the green beer tasted great at bottling, so we'll see after the conditioning how it went!

Red X Malt (from the Best Mälzerei) is its own base malt, i.e. not a mixture. It's a pretty recent addition and the exact process through which it achieves its color is a trade secret. It's impossible for it to have been available as far back as the 18th Century so if historical accuracy is desired then it shouldn't be used.
If you used an ale yeast at low temps then you just made an Altbier, which is a style in itself which I love BTW and is alone worth a trip to Düsseldorf.

 

[DerNaschkatze]

There was a discussion about Franconian Rotbier on one of the German forums a few months back: https://hobbybrauer.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=20842

Interesting read, especially that they use sour malt. Also fun to practice my german in this context! Thanks for the link!

And yea, I know that the "Red X" wasn't around then. From what I've read and even studied a bit, it seems back then there wasn't quite anything like what we have in pale and pilsner malt so it was probably something similar to Munich or Vienna that was used. Hard to really say though, but I guess true historical accuracy (if that can even be said) would be something like that. I know what they do today is different from this, but it's an easier-to-brew approximation.

If you used an ale yeast at low temps then you just made an Altbier, which is a style in itself which I love BTW and is alone worth a trip to Düsseldorf.

I made sure to hit Düsseldorf, Köln, Bamberg, Leipzig, etc. while there to get the full range of styles today. So cool! Definitely going to look into brewing something like a Schwarzbier and maybe even Gose eventually!

Prost!

 

[Vale71]

Long live Bayerischer Bahnhof!