EMMERBIER

Pronunciation guide for English-speakers:
Pronouce it as if it were an English word: "emmer-beer"

Definition:
Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) belongs to the spelt family, a group of hard-kernel heirloom wheats. It is a cross between Einkorn (Triticum monococcum), the oldest known wheat variety, and wild grasses. Emmer thus ranks among world's oldest cultivated plants. It was first used for both bread- and beer-making by the Mesopotamians in what is now southern Iraq at least 10 thousand years ago. Both Einkorn and Emmer are the forerunners of all modern wheat. Further crossing of Emmer with wild grasses produced a grain called Dinkel, (Triticum spelta), also a spelt variety, which is also still used for beer-making by a handful of breweries, including by Neumarkter Lammsbräu, the world's largest 100% certified organic brewery (see Dinkelbier).

Wild wheat varieties, like Emmer, have a small kernel size, which gives the grain a relatively large proportion of tannin-rich husks. These must have given the first beers plenty of astringency. Emmerbier is usually dark amber in color, with a rustic, nutty, spicy-astringent, tannic aftertaste, which makes Emmerbier particularly suited as a red wine substitute at the table. It goes extremely well with game, dark meats, and roasts.

Related beer styles:
Weissbier, Dinkelbier