Rice vs. Corn Syrup in Beer

Well, over a century ago, Adolphus Busch testified before Congress during the "Pure Food" hearings:

"Mr. Busch, president of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, states that the beer of this company is made entirely of barley malt, hops and yeast, except that some rice is used in order to make a very pale beer of the Bohemian type. This company has never used any corn or glucose or preservatives or coloring matter. Corn does not make a high grade of beer, because of certain oily substances which it contains. They are partly transformed into fusel oil after fermentation. The quantity of fusel oil is not large enough, in Mr. Busch's judgment, to be injurious to health."
"Rice is used not to cheapen beer, but to produce a very pale beer of the Bohemian type. It is twice as expensive as barley malt. Mr. Busch is not opposed to the use of corn, though he uses none himself. He does not think that there can be any good evidence that the use of unmalted grains in brewing is unwholesome."

 

It wasn't stated in the commercials...but 9 times out of 10 corn syrup is made with GMO corn. There's a trend of companies taking GMOs out of their products, so this could've been a subtle nod towards implying that.

Also, it could coincide with their new labeling of nutrition facts and ingredients on the Bud Light. An overall push for 'transparency'.

 

Does AB use solid rice and a cereal cooker for each brew?
Or do they get vats of pre processed rice syrup?

 

I’m willing to bet that it’s far higher than 9/10. I think to get non-GMO corn, it would be a special order item sought specifically for the purpose to claim non-gmo. Unless it’s certified organic, I’d assume every bit of corn I’ve consumed in the last 10 years (or more) has been GMO

 

Vats of syrup. They might make it themselves... I would guess they do, but I don’t know that for sure

 

Yeah, but there is no evidence that GMO corn is any less healthy than non-GMO corn, let alone evidence that fermented GMO corn is any less healthy than fermented non-GMO corn.

 

And several decades earlier, in 1881, The Business Men’s Society for the Encouragement of Moderation asked the local NYC organization of Lager beer brewers:

...so questioning the use of adjuncts is nearly as old as adjunct usage itself in the US.

 

Not according to Peter_Wolfe*:

* Wolfe's bio (same link as above):

 

Interesting... that is not the information we were told in school by an AB brewer, that I’m now going to assume I should not name.

FWIW, this is not the first time that information I was told by a few AB brewers has been disputed with information that is publicly available saying something contrary to what I was taught.

 

But there's still a negative connotation out there, and I have no doubt that that's what the commercials were playing to. It really wasn't all that much about how the beer itself is made.

 

I snickered at the commercial last night, but had to wonder: is a longtime coors/miller drinker even going to care one way or the other? Maybe I'm over generalizing, but from the die hard "this is my brand" people I know, I doubt this moves the needle.

 

Was I the only one that found it a little odd that in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl, Bud was taking shots at craft beer then com the big day, they switch gears to take aim at Coors and Miller?

 

The use of corn syrup by MillerCoors for their flagship brands is only a few decades old, based on old promotional material from the breweries themselves.

"The rice used in Coors brewing process is used as an adjunct to barley malt to give the beer its light body. Most of the rice is grown in California and Arkansas. Refined starch is used along with rice in the brewing process, to help achieve this desired lightness of body."
--- The Adolph Coors Story circa 1980

"Corn grits are liquefied in the grits cooker. Then, the boiling mixture is added to the malt and brewing water while in the mash tun to convert the cereal starches to fermentable sugar."
-- Miller Brewing Co. circa mid/late 1970s

 

Most peoples concerns about GMOs are more to the increased pesticide load the food is subjected to. There is ample evidence that glyphosate consumption isn't a healthy option

 

Yeah I recorded the game, had to work, and speed thru it last nite just to watch the commercials. Cracked me up they laid off of the micro brewers and started after the macros. Will admit the commercials were kinda funny, but also focusing on negative (we do this, they do that and it's bad). More along the lines of scare tactics. Not sure if they will gain any milage there, old guys ain't gonna change after all these years and young people drinking it don't really give a rats ass, look at the other stuff they are drinking, i.e. energy drinks, etc..

 

That was one of my thoughts too. Almost all, if not all, of the macro CoorsMillerBud drinkers I know couldn't care less how their beer is made or how "quality" it is. They're more concerned with getting a bottle of beer for $2.50.

 

I think that if bud light doesn't have corn syrup than maybe it needs to be a mandatory ingredient

 

Same experience here... I'm not going to name any names, but on the opposite side I will say that my best teacher was Jim Helmke who's now at Yuengling. He'd always level with you and give you the straight-up answer to the best of his knowledge while not disrespecting anyone, but with perhaps a wink or a nod or an "I'm not going to say... but...".

 

Bud light is like the worst beer in history and i'm not imbellishing. I'm basically saying if ****** brewed a beer with his piss it would taste better than bud lite. So maybe I don't know Americans are stupid? But, how could that be? We have so many smarty pants in this subreddit.