A question for those with brewing experience.

I've used flaked rice and corn in several beers. I actually prefer what the rice DOESN'T bring to the table. I've found Brown Minute Rice to be fresher and lauter better than the rice available at my LHBS. Someone on here suggested I use rice instead of corn in a Cream Ale and I was duly impressed...will probably never make a Cream Ale with corn again.

 

“Someone on here suggested I use rice instead of corn in a Cream Ale and I was duly impressed...will probably never make a Cream Ale with corn again.” Interesting, so you prefer the non-flavor aspect of rice?

Below is from Jeff Renner’s article on CAP beers (Zymurgy 2000):

“Corn adds more than simple fermentables. It contributes a grainy sweetness and a subtle but distinctive flavor (not to be confused with the sometimes corny flavor dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, which comes from malt). Rice, on the other hand, is neutral in flavor and adds no sweetness, producing a crisper, drier beer. Both are good, but my strong personal preference is for corn, especially when reproducing the rich pre-prohibition style.”

I must confess that I have never brewed a CAP using rice; I have always used 20% flaked maize in my CAPs. I really enjoy the subtle but noticeable grainy sweetness that flaked maize provides in this beer.

Cheers!

 

Rice and corn were used to cut down the protein level in the NA malts to eliminate chill haze in the finished beer. Maureen Ogle is a historian and writer, not a brewing scientist.

How many people know that the Gold winning IPA the the World Beer Cup was from Kuhnhenn? It was the DRIPA. What does that stand for? Double Rice IPA!

 

I have used flaked rice in a couple beers this fall, like the results. For some beers I do like corn. For caps you can use flaked maize with good results. Better results - flavor - comes from a cereal mash, using corn meal, polenta, or grits. The best CAP I have ever had was Jeff Renner's at a club meeting. Jeff is using a pressure cooker, and that adds even more to the mix.

 

That's blasphemy! My last batch of Cream Ale was 30% corn. And it left me wanting more! I'm tempted to keep bumping it up until I cross the threshold of too much. I don't think I'm there yet.

 

I put Amarillos in Saisons, too : )

 

Ah, the beauty of homebrewing. You can do all kinds of crazy stuff!

Cheers!