Purple Hefereisen

Not to be deterred by my failed millet mash, I brewed up an entirely different beer today, using an ingredient I've been meaning to try for a while: purple rice.

Purple rice, also known as "forbidden black rice" is one of my favorite grains. It's not very well-known and should NOT be mistaken for wild rice, which is also black. Wild rice is a very long grain with stiff toothsome texture and a nutty flavor; purple rice is a short grain sweet/sticky/glutinous rice (not *glutenous*, though!). It has a unique sweet almost fruity flavor unlike any other grain I've ever had, and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it for a while.

Well, my girlfriend's birthday is coming up in a month, and she asked me if I could brew her a special beer. That got my mind working, and I decided I wanted to brew something kind of fruity in a belgian/weissbier sort of way. This is what I came up with:

3 gallon batch

Malt and grain bill:
2.5 lbs of purple rice (steeped at 180°F for 30 min)
2 lbs sorghum extract (@5 min to flameout)
1 lb rice syrup solids
1 lb blackberry honey (@5 min to flameout)
2 oz maltodextrin

Hop schedule:
0.5 oz Liberty at 60 min
0.5 oz Liberty at 15 min
0.25 oz Cascade at 10 min
0.25 oz Cascade at flame-out
0.25 oz Liberty at flame-out

Herbs:
1 tsp fresh ground coriander seed
1/4 tsp fresh ground long pepper berry
Zest of 1/2 a lemon and 1/3 of a sweet orange

SafBrew T-58 yeast

The purple rice added a LOT of color. I mean, the wort came out looking like beet juice, a nice reddish purple that I expect will lighten as the trub settles out. If you can find this stuff, it's usually cheaper than quinoa and adds just a ton of color, not at all like wild rice, which looks black but adds almost nothing to the color of the wort.

I was proud of myself, as my brew time has gotten much shorter--setup to cleanup in under 4 hours!

Not one to want to waste anything, I decided to toast the rice afterward for use in my upcoming attempt at a Russian Imperial Stout. I think this rice, once toasted, will taste rather chocolaty, and might go nicely with the chocolate-roasted buckwheat I made today during brewing downtimes.

Wow, you are a creative Brewer man. Nicely done on the combination of flavors. Are you a chef in the meat world?

I assume this was your normal 3 gallon batch size?

I ain't no chef but I do love to cook, my adventurous flavor combinations usually work better in beer than in food though! Then again, my (gluten-free) chinese five-spice pancakes are legendary amongst my friends....

Racked to secondary today. I don't plan on keeping it there more than a few days, because it's been at FG for a week already and I really just want to help it clear faster. The hydrometer sample was friggin' fantastic, it came out literally *exactly* how I was imagining it. Smooth, drinkable, and a nice mild sweet citrus flavor and a delicate hint of berry. And the color is truly gorgeous...this one is going to need pictures. This is one for SWMBO, and as long as I don't f*** it up between now and bottling somehow, I think it's gonna be a real crowd-pleaser.

Did the rice contribute any ferment-able sugar or was it just for color?

igliashon said:

Then again, my (gluten-free) chinese five-spice pancakes are legendary amongst my friends....

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Sounds delicious; how about sharing that recipe?

sly333332003 said:

Did the rice contribute any ferment-able sugar or was it just for color?

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The rice was mostly for color and flavor/aroma; purple rice is very aromatic in a sweet fruity way. I doubt it contributed anything fermentable.

rlbois1 said:

Sounds delicious; how about sharing that recipe?

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Not much of a recipe, TBH; I usually use 3 parts Pamela's mix with 1 part buckwheat flour (or sweet potato or mesquite flour), and add chinese five-spice mix (cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, star anise, fennel seed) to taste, some chopped bananas and walnuts, lots of vanilla extract, black sesame seeds, and a little toasted sesame oil. Serve with grade-B maple syrup.

Any update on this brew?

Aw, dagnabbit, I'm usually so good at follow-up!

Yeah, bottled about a month ago, was fully carbed for her birthday on the 22nd, and was a definite winner. Gorgeous color, I'll try to post pics next time I drink one. The body is just a bit too heavy, though, and it may be over-carbed for my tastes. I tried to carb it like a hefeweizen but that may be too much. It definitely causes some herculean burps, and feels heavier than most of my other beers (even the stout!). But it's also still young, so we'll see. I haven't cracked one open in a week or so, maybe I should?

When I do it again: I'll throw some amylase in with the black rice to cut the starches, and up the cascade hops (or replace them with amarillo and/or citra) and up the spice additions. Might also switch out the liberty for palisades. I'd also like to try to find a fruitier yeast, the T-58 gave a spiciness but not really any banana like you'd find in a proper hefe. I've heard bad things about Munich and WB-06, but maybe they're worth a shot anyway. This is definitely one for a rebrew.

igliashon said:

Aw, dagnabbit, I'm usually so good at follow-up!

When I do it again: I'll throw some amylase in with the black rice to cut the starches, and up the cascade hops (or replace them with amarillo and/or citra) and up the spice additions. Might also switch out the liberty for palisades. I'd also like to try to find a fruitier yeast, the T-58 gave a spiciness but not really any banana like you'd find in a proper hefe. I've heard bad things about Munich and WB-06, but maybe they're worth a shot anyway. This is definitely one for a rebrew.

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Ok, how much are you thinking on the amylese? Are the hop changes to up or reduce the bittering or hop flavor? Are you thinking the palasides will give a more floral? How much more spice?

Im thinking of doing this one or one close...

The amylase, I'd add a tsp right after removing the steeping black rice, but before bringing to a boil. The hop changes are more to up the aroma and flavor; to be more specific, I'd like more fruit in the nose and the initial taste. Here's *exactly* what I would do, for the hop changes:

0.5 oz palisades, 45 min
0.5 oz palisades, 10 min
0.5 oz cascade, 5 min
1 oz cascade, flame-out

Another option I'd like to try with this recipe is doing all pacific gem. But I have no experience with this hop and can't recommend that you try that. The above hop schedule I'm much more confident in.

Spice additions, I'd do more like an oz of crushed coriander, and the peel of a whole orange.

I feel like a peeping tom but can you post a picture? I'm curious as to what color the rice imparted. My dark roasted quinoa really, really, added a lot of color in my last batch.

+1 on the pic!

+2

Alright, alright...now you all can quit buggin' me!




I really wish I knew why this beer makes me so gassy...I suspect something to do with the fact that I didn't cook the rice before steeping it, but it could also be the T-58 (I hope not, though! Love the flavor this yeast imparts!).

Looks fantastic! SWMBO, commented that it wasnt very purple... As for gas... Are the yeast fermenting your belly yet?

Well, the purple is pretty subtle, you only really get it when the light shines through it. It was much more purple before it cleared.

Sorry for the zombie thread ...

Hey igliashon, I wanted to thank you for this recipe and idea. I made up a batch with double the rice and some changes to the hops based on what I had in stock. Its been my best beer so far!! There is a subtle cherry taste that is awesome and the colour came out a really dark red.

Thanks for posting it up,
BC