Brewing All-Grain with Rice

I had a question about the difference between mashing with flaked rice and cooked rice. So here is what I did. I brewed two batches of cream ale like this:

O.G. 1.046
IBU 22
Efficiency 85%
12 gallon

7.17# Pilsner Malt
7.17# 6 Row
3.69# Flaked Rice

Mashed at 149 degrees for 90 minutes
Boil for 90 min
My numbers came out right on.

Second batch I did this.

O.G. 1.046
IBU 22
Efficiency 85%
12 gallon

7.17# Pilsner Malt
7.17# 6 Row
3.69# Cooked Rice

Before mashing I cooked the same amount of rice I bought at the store at a 3 quart per pound ratio for 30 minutes. I prepared my mash then added the cooked rice to the mash when the temperature cooled to about 155 degrees.
I stirred in the mash until I reached 149.
Mashed for 90 min
Boiled for 90 minutes

Numbers came out exactly the same 1.046

Interesting. Please update this when you taste them.

I only use cooked rice and corn, never flaked, seems to make no difference.

Pressure cooking it is supposed to be worth 5% more extract.

If I remember correctly, flaked * is just mashed and cooked * so that the starches are gelatanized for you, much like there should be no difference between flaked oats and cooked oats since basically they are doing the same thing.

When I've used rice, I've used Minute Rice (which worked great!) or done a cereal mash with cooked rice before adding it to my mash.

As long as the rice is gelatinized through making it flaked, cooked (like the cooking I did and the cereal mash) or parboiled like Minute Rice, I don't think it would matter at all.

If Bob will let me have some of our hard-earned wild rice, I plan on doing a wild rice lager and I'll just cook the wild rice first. (I know that wild rice isn't a rice, it's a grass seed, but it's treated the same way in cooking and mashing!)

How many pounds of uncooked rice did it take to make 3.69 pounds of cooked rice?

I have enriched long grain white rice. Ingredients say enriched with niacin, iron, thiamine and folic acid. please let me know if this matters. planning on using it tomorrow.

F.Y.I. These folks https://www.glutenfreehomebrewing.org/ have a nice variety of malted rice.

Thanks for ^that^, I honestly did not know rice could be malted.
I wonder if it changes the rice character at all...like, create some actual character

Cheers!

nh_homebrew said:

How many pounds of uncooked rice did it take to make 3.69 pounds of cooked rice?

I have enriched long grain white rice. Ingredients say enriched with niacin, iron, thiamine and folic acid. please let me know if this matters. planning on using it tomorrow.

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I believe the OP meant, 3.69 lbs dry rice, cooked.

Not 3.69 lbs of cooked rice.

nh_homebrew said:

How many pounds of uncooked rice did it take to make 3.69 pounds of cooked rice?

I have enriched long grain white rice. Ingredients say enriched with niacin, iron, thiamine and folic acid. please let me know if this matters. planning on using it tomorrow.

Click to expand...

I believe the OP meant, 3.69 lbs dry rice, cooked.

Not 3.69 lbs of cooked rice.

I've always used the numbers for flaked and dry interchangeably, but thanks to the OP for doing the test. I personally think the regular rice doesn't have that odd stale taste that you can get with flaked rice, but it could just be in my head.

day_trippr said:

Thanks for ^that^, I honestly did not know rice could be malted.
I wonder if it changes the rice character at all...like, create some actual character

Cheers!

Click to expand...

As I milled some malted rice for a saison I got a whiff of malt. Not bold like malted barley, but definitely there.

I've always assumed flaked rice and dry uncooked rice were interchangeable pound-for-pound; but you have to cook the raw rice. The one time I did a cereal mash with jasmine rice pretty much confirmed that; I got the yield I expected.

Yooper said:

When I've used rice, I've used Minute Rice (which worked great!) or done a cereal mash with cooked rice before adding it to my mash.

As long as the rice is gelatinized through making it flaked, cooked (like the cooking I did and the cereal mash) or parboiled like Minute Rice, I don't think it would matter at all.

If Bob will let me have some of our hard-earned wild rice, I plan on doing a wild rice lager and I'll just cook the wild rice first. (I know that wild rice isn't a rice, it's a grass seed, but it's treated the same way in cooking and mashing!)

Click to expand...

I'm thinking about trying a light lager and want to use some rice to thin it out. Two questions, how much in a 5 gal batch and with minute rice do you just throw it into the mash with the rest of the grain?

Thanks

cmac62 said:

I'm thinking about trying a light lager and want to use some rice to thin it out. Two questions, how much in a 5 gal batch and with minute rice do you just throw it into the mash with the rest of the grain?

Thanks

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I use about 20% rice in a light lager, and yes if it's minute rice or already cooked it just goes right in the mash.

cmac62 said:

I'm thinking about trying a light lager and want to use some rice to thin it out. Two questions, how much in a 5 gal batch and with minute rice do you just throw it into the mash with the rest of the grain?
Thanks

Click to expand...

I used 80% pilsner malt and 20% rice, and fermented with German ale yeast. It turned out really good. Either cook the rice, or use Minute rice or puffed rice. If you cook the rice, don't forget to account for the water it absorbs because you get that back and it will water-down your beer.

I make a Japanese style rice lager and I use 5lbs in a 10 gallon batch.

The first time I made it I cooked the night before and added it to the mash and it absorbed a lot of my mash water so I started adding more water at night so the rice could absorb the water then and not my mash water. I also use a sticky rice that is really gelatinous.

Typically I use 10lbs of 2 row, 4lbs of 6 row and the the rice but the last time I thought I had 6 row and didn’t so I used all 2 row and some amylase.

Yooper said:

I use about 20% rice in a light lager, and yes if it's minute rice or already cooked it just goes right in the mash.

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Thanks Yooper and Bob. I understand there is nowhere to hide any flaws in this beer. I'm using to check my process.

z-bob said:

I used 80% pilsner malt and 20% rice, and fermented with German ale yeast. It turned out really good. Either cook the rice, or use Minute rice or puffed rice. If you cook the rice, don't forget to account for the water it absorbs because you get that back and it will water-down your beer.

Click to expand...

I was thinking about maybe using a kolsh yeast, but since I have what is needed to cold ferment I think I'll use a traditional lager yeast. Maybe Diamond, any thoughts.

Just kegged my all grain batch made with rice. I used 3 lbs of rice which turned to 10 lbs after cooking. 5 lbs of Marris otter. Making a 5 gallon batch. And I steeped 1 lbs of special S brown malt at the boil for 10-20 minutes. And I added about 1/4 cup of black strap molasses. I ended with 1.42 OG and 1.022 FG.
It tastes great! Nice golden color. It's a challenge for me to get gold color... I think it is my water.

Made it. Tasted great. All gone now. The rice made a real mess in the bag. (BIAB)