I (finally) got a hold of a 6 pack of "Samurai" by Great Divide and absolutely loved this beer. I know there is a stigma attached to rice in beers, but I feel like Samurai would change the minds of many if they could just try it. I have no experience using rice in homebrewing so I decided I would ask on here. I am not looking to make a clone but I am intrigued by the style since I do not have the equipment for lagering. I brew all grain.
Some questions and comments:
1. What % of the grist should rice be if I am aiming in the ballpark of 5.5-6% ABV, 9 SRM finished product ?
2. Do I approach this like a hefe where it is basically just a combination of base grain and wheat, or in this case rice?
3. Do I cook the rice and then mash it with the rest of my barley? I assume it must be plain white rice... not jasmine white or anything fancy. I do not know how much fermentables I can get out of these.
4. I am aiming to get a good amount of the estery, fruity smells out of the rice that appears in sake and many hefeweizens... that being said what sort of yeast is appropriate for this? I have a personal love for WYEAST 3638.
Some questions and comments:
1. What % of the grist should rice be if I am aiming in the ballpark of 5.5-6% ABV, 9 SRM finished product ?
2. Do I approach this like a hefe where it is basically just a combination of base grain and wheat, or in this case rice?
3. Do I cook the rice and then mash it with the rest of my barley? I assume it must be plain white rice... not jasmine white or anything fancy. I do not know how much fermentables I can get out of these.
4. I am aiming to get a good amount of the estery, fruity smells out of the rice that appears in sake and many hefeweizens... that being said what sort of yeast is appropriate for this? I have a personal love for WYEAST 3638.