Malt & Grain

What grain goes into a Rhön beer? Mostly barley, malted for brewing, since malt is barley that has been germinated and then dried, unlocking the starch needed for brewing. Across the Rhön tri-border region, brewers emphasize sourcing their grain locally wherever possible.

The “Wir sind Rhöner Bier” initiative points to the Rhönmälzerei in Mellrichstadt for this. Grain from the surrounding area is malted there, and members say this keeps transport distances short and money within the Rhön. How much any individual brewery actually sources from there isn’t always disclosed.

Rother Bräu has focused on organic brewing since 1989. According to the company, it was among the first breweries to launch an entire range of organic beers. In malt terms, organic means the barley comes from certified organic farming, while the brewing process itself follows standard methods.

Malt shapes the color and flavor of the region’s flagship beers. Pale beers like Pils use gently dried, light malt that tastes of bread crust and biscuit. Dark beers like the Kreuzberger Klosterbier get their color from more heavily kilned malt — dried longer and hotter in the kiln. This produces roasted notes of bread crust, nuts and a touch of caramel.

Wheat or rye play almost no leading role in the Rhön’s flagship beers. Where wheat beer is brewed, wheat malt is part of the mix, but for the region’s classic Pils and dark beers, barley alone does the job. At both Kloster Kreuzberg and Rother Bräu, the same raw material sits in the silo — it’s the roasting that determines the character.