Rice vs. Corn Syrup in Beer

Remember when 7up started the whole caffeine is really bad in soda thing? Coke and Pepsi all reacted with caffeine free sodas.
Now you can get mega expensive caffeine at most big city corners (coffee).
I give the beer ingredient thing a much shorter life. When you degrade your competition you are degrading your brand also. Consumers get easily confused and will not buy either and then end up going back to their respective brands after all because that’s what they do.

 

You're missing the whole point. AB brews other lines with corn syrup. They haven't hidden that. I'm pretty sure all of the big guys use corn syrup in their value or sub value brands . . . because it's cheaper and easier to do so. The point is that miller coors are using the same cheap ingredients in their "more premium" flagship brands and price matching/competing with AB. Despite whether anyone wants rice over corn syrup or not, it IS more expensive and more time and energy consuming to brew with an actual grain than a pre-processed syrup.

 

Depends on the style bro. Rice isnt always looked down upon. A lot of good cream ales out there with things besides barley in them.

A lot of Genny Cream ale fans on here from what I can remember. Maybe they have gone, but I think too many so called "beer people" take themselves way to seriously these days.

 

Well, I'm waiting for the official announcement that SN uses a potato-based dextrose for bottle-conditioning - making SNPA the perfect St. Patrick's Day beer - green label and potatoes!

In its heyday (1970s-1980s, when that beer alone was selling nearly 1M bbl/yr), Genesee Cream Ale was brewed with corn grits, as well as hop extract:

---What's Brewing Inside Genesee, Roch. Times-Union, 1980

Wouldn't be surprised, after a few ownership changes, if they've switched to corn syrup. Current GCA website is vague, saying only "corn".

Traditional US cream ales (not the flavored stuff from "craft" breweries) were brewed with corn, rice or no adjuncts - just like US lagers of the era. Utica Club Cream Ale (like the Pilsener) used both rice and corn grits at the time of the above Genesee quote.

 

I'd be more concerned with the alcohol in the beer...

Donuts aren't healthy either.

 

I think it was because the Heineken is about as close to NA as you might get in a Light Beer -- 3.3 ABV. And yeah, it's no Spaten Helles or even Pilsner Urquell (also pretty low ABV), but I am pleasantly surprised at how drinkable and satisfying it is.

 

Yeesh, MillerCoors could make one helluva counter ad by bringing that up...basically says ABInBev is indirectly lying...

 

I just saw a Miller Lite ad on Yahoo Finance, my sound wasn't on but the copy was something along the lines of "Same Great Taste" then "Only 96 calories" then ended with "No High Fructose Corn Syrup".

 

I actually don't mind this beer either, and at 3.3% ABV it's a great session beer. I also don't mind Amstel Light at 3.6% ABV. I'd take either over the other light beers.

 

I used to like Amstel a long time ago, but I tried it recently and didn't find it the same. Probably just me, but Heineken fits my low-carb needs better than any of the other lights or NAs out there.

 

If I want to drink rice I will drink Saki- GMO corn syrup is poison-(flat out) I am nostalgic for Rheinheitsgebot act of 1516

 

I think this crowd is more concerned with the acronym "DDH" than "GMO".

 

You're assuming that said beer is fermented to dryness, which I'd have to say almost no beers are. Some of said corn syrup will be eaten by the yeast but likely not all of it, and again why not simply use a different food source for the yeast. I expect something like that from the big piss water brewers I'm saddened and disappointed to learn that ANY craft brewers would use corn syrup and wish that any beer using it was required to have a label to let consumers make an informed choice.

 

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but Corn Syrup (corn sugar and water) is in the realm of 100% fermentable. So if you add it to a beer and the beer has no other issues, i.e. bad yeast or such, then you can be pretty much assured that it will all ferment out. The sugars that remain after fermentation are those sugars that the particular yeast you use cannot break down are extracted from the malt (or other adjuncts) during the mash. These sugars lend beer it's sweetness. As others have mentioned, adding sugar to some styles of beers (belgian, hi abv stouts, ipa) are frequently done by craft brewers.

 

Yeast will consume the simple sugars first, then go on to maltose, and so on. So yes 100% fermentable.

I will add that dextrose is used by some craft brewers to help dry out the beer.

Belgian brewers use sugars. British brewers use sugars. My only issue is if the useage level gets too high.

 

The Reinheitsgebot was introduced simply to ensure adequate balance of grain supplies between the brewers and the bakers. It had nothing to do with quality of beer. A similar law was in place in the UK but this was to make tax collection easier. All malt was taxed so beer had to use no other source of fermentable material.
All-malt brewing does not guarantee a better beer. British brewers knew this when they petitioned to "free the mash tun" and of course Belgian brewers have earned a lot of respect for what they do without this sort of restriction.

 

Maple Bourbon barrel aged corn syrup

 

So what's your problem with corn syrup? Sounds like you have something against it that you haven't mentioned, since you seem offended by it. I expect it is used over other fermentables due to availability and cost as is likely the case with rice.