Broyhan

Overall Impression This beer is named after its creator, Cord Broyhahn, who first brewed it in 1526 in the brewhouse of Hans von Sode in Leinstrasse, Hannover. Broyhahn is a top-fermenting beer, could be pale to dark, poorly attenuated, lightly hopped beer brewed from barley malt and wheat malt. It has a winey aroma and a pleasant sweetish yet acidic taste.

Aroma

Light malt aroma, caramel-like, bread crust aroma, no esters, very short duration. It could have some winey notes.

Appearance

Pale to brown ale, clear color, thin white head, Head retention could be low.

Flavor

Medium-high malty sweetness, medium caramel perceivable, no hop bitterness, lactic sourness could be low to medium, some acetic sourness could be detected. Balance should be forward sweetness.

Mouthfeel

Low attenuated, so body could result medium-high, despite it being a low-alcohol ale. Carbonation should be medium-high.

Comments

Sour and sweet combination of a session ale, no bitterness involved in this balance. Historic versions could be very light or very brown.

History

It was first brewed in Hannover but spread throughout north Germany. The reality is a little more complicated than that. Broyhan was brewed over a wide area for a long period of time and took many forms. As the ancestor of Berliner Weisse, it should come as no surprise that Broyhan was a sour beer, though; as the analyses in the table show, the level of acidity varied. It ranged from the mouth-puckering levels of a lambic to mildly tart. The level of attenuation was quite poor and, combined with a low OG, resulted in a beer of only 2 or 3 percent ABV. Broyhan is mentioned in technical literature in the early years of the twentieth century and was presumably still being brewed then. It probably finally disappeared around the time of World War I.

Characteristic Ingredients

Whatever grains were used, they would be in the form of Luft-Malz, or air-dried malt. Some versions did contain wheat malt or oats, and the exact composition of the grist probably depended on what grains were available. Others contained small amounts of hops and some ground spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and coriander seeds.

Style Comparison

Same alcohol range but maltier and less sour than a Berliner Weisse, as malty as a Dark Mild or but sour and less fruity.

Vital Statistics

IBUs 10 – 30 SRM 5 – 25 OG         1.030 – 1.045 FG         1.015 – 1.022 ABV 2.0 – 4.5%

Commercial Examples

Gilde Brauerei Lüttje Lage

Contributor

Angelo Ruggiero

Additional Sources

Historic German and Austrian Beers for the Home Brewer (book), Shut up about Barclay Perkins (website)