Radeberger Unveils Braufactum Roog, A Smoked Wheat Ale

Monday night, Oct. 21, Radeberger Gruppe unveiled the first offering of their new craft beer line, Braufactum Roog, at Radegast Hall in Williamsburg, N.Y. Brewmaster Marc Rauschmann was on hand to offer samples of the smoked wheat ale, as well as to discuss both his brewing philosophy and upcoming beers in the Braufactum series.

[pullquote:left] Roog pours a dark reddish-brown with a big tan head, as you would expect of a traditional dunkelweizen. It has a pleasant bready, malty aroma with a hint of smoke. Roog really distinguishes itself with its balanced taste, though. There are plenty of banana, chocolate, and nutty flavors for dunkelweizen fans, with interesting bacon and smoky overtones that never get too overpowering. Rauschmann explained that this was due to them only using 20 percent beechwood smoked malt, as opposed to the higher percentage used in other rauchbiers. The result is a smooth, full flavor that's easy to drink and doesn't really get old thanks to the variety of flavors.

Braufactum Roog is 6.6 percent ABV and will be available on draft in beer bars around New York starting in mid-November. Try it with some fresh pretzels and game sausage, as we did at Radegast. In addition to Roog, seven more beers of various styles will be released over the next year as a part of the series. Good to see Germany's craft beer scene coming to the US with Braufactum!