Rice Mash Method

[Slim M]

I currently use a single infusion biab method. I have used adjuncts only in the form of flakes so it’s pretty easy. But I’m thinking of trying regular non flaked rice. Got a couple questions about how others are doing it.

1. How do I calculate strike water with something cooked separate and already saturated?

2. Can it be cooked the night before and be left out covered and used the next morning? This would let it equalize to room temp of grain.

3. I’ve done cereal mashes before but not since going biab. I think I’ve seen or read others are adding directly into the mash precooked. Is a cereal mash needed when using less 30% as total grain bill?

 

[Miraculix]

You just take a big pot, throw in the rice, cook it till it's overdone. Use enough liquid that it's still like a soup at this point.

Do full volume biab, set up your bag, throw in the rice including the cooking water, top off with water till you have the desired amount, heat it up to strike temperature, add the malts, mash, done. Rice doesn't have to be crushed before cooking (I was wondering that once).

 

[GoodTruble]

Just curious - why do you have to cook the rice in advance (mashing temps not high enough, I'm guessing) and could you just add the drained water from the rice boil to the mash and not the rice itself?

 

[hottpeper13]

Rice gelatinizes at 189* . To do a true cereal mash you bring the rice and water to 189*+ let rest 20 min(same as cooking time) then I chill it to 150* add 1 lb of pils malt,rest 10 min, bring to 160* rest 10 min. At this point it's like soup and the enzymes have broken down so you can't tell it was rice. Bring to boil lower to simmer,cover and I cook it 20 min to darken a little. While the cereal mash is resting at 160* I strike in the main mash at 143*. When done I add the cereal mash to the main mash to achieve 160* rest 30 min, you know the rest.
Forgot volume. I use the same amount of water in the rice as I would for cooking it to eat,that way you've accounted for the liquid as it's all absorbed.

 

[IslandLizard]

Here's a very recent thread on the same topic:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/rice-lager.728563/

 

[Miraculix]

Rice gelatinizes at 189* . To do a true cereal mash you bring the rice and water to 189*+ let rest 20 min(same as cooking time) then I chill it to 150* add 1 lb of pils malt,rest 10 min, bring to 160* rest 10 min. At this point it's like soup and the enzymes have broken down so you can't tell it was rice. Bring to boil lower to simmer,cover and I cook it 20 min to darken a little. While the cereal mash is resting at 160* I strike in the main mash at 143*. When done I add the cereal mash to the main mash to achieve 160* rest 30 min, you know the rest.
Forgot volume. I use the same amount of water in the rice as I would for cooking it to eat,that way you've accounted for the liquid as it's all absorbed.

Sounds like overcomplicating things to me. Just boil the rice, add it to the mash, including the water, job done. You just have to make sure to hit your temperatures of the mash when adding the boiling hot rice. You can obviously cool down the rice to mash temperature with cool water before adding it to the mash.

 

[Slim M]

Sounds like overcomplicating things to me. Just boil the rice, add it to the mash, including the water, job done. You just have to make sure to hit your temperatures of the mash when adding the boiling hot rice. You can obviously cool down the rice to mash temperature with cool water before adding it to the mash.

What if you cooked it the night before and let it cool overnight? Wonder if that would be a problem?

 

[Miraculix]

What if you cooked it the night before and let it cool overnight? Wonder if that would be a problem?

No, should be fine. I just don't see a reason why I would want the generated heat to cool off, if I could use it to heat the mash water to strike temperature instead.

 

[Slim M]

No, should be fine. I just don't see a reason why I would want the generated heat to cool off, if I could use it to heat the mash water to strike temperature instead.

I get your point but sometimes I’m really pressed for time with everything I have to juggle these days and the more prep I can do the night before the better sometimes.

 

[IslandLizard]

What if you cooked it the night before and let it cool overnight? Wonder if that would be a problem?

Not a problem at all. The longer the rice is soaking the more its structure breaks down, making them easier accessible to the enzymes in the subsequent mash to degrade the starches. There's a point of diminishing returns, but extended soaks won't harm anything.

 

[Bill Tong]

1. Use flaked rice in Beersmith for calculation. Subtract about half the volume of water you use for the rice from your mash water volume. You can always add water to the boil if you are under, or boil bit longer if you are over.

2. Yes, i have done this. Very convenient. Also shortens the brew day.

3. I have never bothered with a cereal mash. As others have said here just cook the rice until it's nice and mushy.

Also, it might help to add some rice hulls if you are recirculating.

 

[Miraculix]

1. Use flaked rice in Beersmith for calculation. Subtract about half the volume of water you use for the rice from your mash water volume. You can always add water to the boil if you are under, or boil bit longer if you are over.

2. Yes, i have done this. Very convenient. Also shortens the brew day.

3. I have never bothered with a cereal mash. As others have said here just cook the rice until it's nice and mushy.

Also, it might help to add some rice hulls if you are recirculating.

Sounds like a good plan.

Just one comment regarding flaked rice. It is more expensive than, for example, parboil long grain rice and it still benefits from cooking prior to mashing. Some people here made trial runs and the result was that flaked rice only gets partially gelatinised when added directly to the mash without pre-cooking it.

So my takeaway is that I prefer using cheap parboiled long grain rice and just cook it for twenty minutes to half an hour before doughing in. I throw the boiled rice and water directly into the cold strike water before doughing in and use it to heat the strike water up.

And one last thing, RICE IS SUCH AN UNDERRATED BREWING ADJUNCT!

I literally had one beer of my latest brew which was a 20% Rice 80% pale MO cream ale-ish type of beer. 35 IBUs, cascade only, bittering and Whirlpool additions. US 05.

14 days in the fermenter, and four days after bottling (!!) it is crystal clear and completely drinkable. I do not know what rice does to the proteins in the beer but there was a massive amount of hot break foam when boiling the wort. Much more than MO pale alone produces.

I think this might contribute to the really fast clearing.

ANd most importantly, the beer already tastes really really good. Basically, it tastes like it should.

Two thumbs up for brewing with rice!

My next beer will be something like 30% rice, 30% vienna or munich and rest pale MO, just to see if I can get a beer with strong foam this way.

 

[day_trippr]

The barley is needed as a source of the saccharification enzymes that rice - and "sugar water" - do not provide.
Without those enzymes you will simply end up with rice soup...

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

I want to make a neutral from rice. All the information I get is to use brown rice and barley malt. Would it be possible to use a sugar water mix as a malt? Also not sure whether they boil or steep at around 150F. Any ideas would be appreciated. I will do it anyway and post the results, but some help would put me in the ballpark of getting right.

I'd use white rice. Gently boil the rice (at least 3 cups water to 1 cup rice) until the rice grains are soft and tender - 20+ minutes. This will completely gelatinize the rice. Then cool to about 150°F and add amylase enzyme, or glucoamylase if you don't want any residual dextrins, Wait for about 60 minutes, then cool and ferment. You could use an iodine test to potentially reduce the hold time. Let it go about 10 minutes after you get a negative iodine test on a sample containing some of the rice grains. This should assure complete conversion of the starches to sugar.

Brew on

 

[InspectorJon]

I am planning an IPL or Cold IPA as my next brew and researching the use of rice. I see people lobbying hard for a cereal mash using malted barley, temperature rest and then boiling and others that say to simply boil the rice. What is the difference in outcome between the two processes? Boiling seems a lot simpler. I have a lot of rice already and don't want to go buy minute rice.

Any significant different result between glutenous rice and jasmine rice for beer? I have both.

 

[ba-brewer]

Any significant different result between glutenous rice and jasmine rice for beer?

Glutenous rice seems to be a short grain rice and jasmine a long grain, long grain rice can have a higher gelatinization temp than short grain rice. Jasmine does have an distinct aroma seems like used in large enough quantity(20%???) some might come through in your beer.

 

[day_trippr]

We have been big fans of Basmati for a couple of decades now, I wonder what a Basmati beer would smell and taste like...

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

We have been big fans of Basmati for a couple of decades now, I wonder what a Basmati beer would smell and taste like...

Cheers!

Buttered popcorn and bananas. From tonight's endeavors

 

[day_trippr]

Popcorn for sure, but banana? Interesting.

btw, if you're using glucoamylase I don't think you need to bother with the "regular" amylase enzyme...

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

Popcorn for sure, but banana? Interesting.

btw, if you're using glucoamylase I don't think you need to bother with the "regular" amylase enzyme...

Cheers!

Probably correct. I'm making this up as I go along. I had not intended on adding the gluco - in fact, I forgot I had it - I saw it when I grabbed my alpha amylase from the fridge. Without thinking I just added both. I'm attempting to make sake (rice wine) without bother with koji, which is a very risky part of the process.

I added the enzymes while the rice was still warm (and thick and glutinous and sticky). It turned very liquidy in just an hour. I added yeast and nutrients today and it's bubbling away already.

 

[IslandLizard]

I added the enzymes while the rice was still warm (and thick and glutinous and sticky).

Warm(er) temps will surely speed up the conversion, but how do you get the teaspoon of enzymes to mix thoroughly in that large volume of thick, sticky rice mash?

 

[passedpawn]

Warm(er) temps will surely speed up the conversion, but how do you get the teaspoon of enzymes to mix thoroughly in that large volume of thick, sticky rice mash?

Right. I was worried about that too. Rice was really sticky. I added enzymes to a couple of cups of water. Then some elbow grease. But man it attacked the rice! I measured about 150F so that is a very effective temp for those enzymes.

 

[passedpawn]

The next day I was gonna add yeast. I was wondering how I would get it mixed in properly. No problem!