All rice recipe?

[Driftless]

Hello,

As some of you know, I am trying to teach Chinese how to brew using all local ingredients... Two questions:

1) Anyone have thoughts on an all-rice recipe? Or a mostly-rice recipe? I guess this might be called Sake - but thats more rice wine. I want rice beer!

Barley can be come by, but unmalted... so, if we are to tackle malting, and roasting, it needs to be as simple as possible at first. I want to make sure it is straightforward and fun for the people who might keep me in brewing supplies...

So, therefore question #2

2) How about a lead on a good light, pale, not too hoppy brew (the Chinese love Bud...) with a very simple grain bill. And no lagering yet... (though I think they will find me a fridge if I ask...)

Thanks!

Try explaining all grain brewing through an interpreter to a man who's first question is "what do we need barley for?" and you understand why the world needs beer.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

First you get a giant spoiler, then you lower your keg to the ground. Next is a stripe or some chinese symbols....

 

[Orfy]

You can't make beer from rice. AB seem to think they can but they can't.

You can ferment rice but it will not be beer.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

You can't make beer from rice. AB seem to think they can but they can't.

You can ferment rice but it will not be beer.

Thats a little harsh- Rice in a light lager isnt necessarily a bad thing. Its not "true" beer. However to keep a beer light in body its not a bad adjunct.

 

[Orfy]

Don't get me wrong, you can use SOME rice to make beer but no ALL rice.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

SOME rice

so true-

Ive considered it in just trying to up the ABV in lighter beers

 

[Orfy]

I like beer with malt and body so it's not something I'd use for the beer I like to make.

 

[Driftless]

Hmmm... unfortunately the chinese believe that light clear beer is a sign of purity and quality.

I changed the original post a little bit to maybe get a different direction going.

 

[zoebisch01]

In Sake, the Koji mold is what does the conversion necessary for fermentation with yeast. As stated before, if you want beer you really don't want to be using rice in any large percentage. But don't let that discourage you. Personally, I'd really dig my heels in and not just think outside of the box, but eliminate it .

Just about any food product can be fermented. The trick is, making it taste good . You know, maybe you should seek old locals and find out what they have traditionally made, and take it from there. You might be able to make some type of hybrid fermented beverage.

Also, I'd imagine there is a possibilty that you can encourage Barley to become a 'local' product (assuming you aren't in the heart of a city )! If you can cleary show the value of the beer to the people then you might bolster enough interest to have them grow Barley.

 

[zoebisch01]

Hmmm... unfortunately the chinese believe that light clear beer is a sign of purity and quality.

Nothing wrong with that . You can easily make light, clear beer. In fact, if you do eventually look into malting the place to start would be along the lines of a Pils malt. Simply stay away from anything that has color to it to begin with. And you can easily add simple sugars (find whatever is used locally the most) and go up to %20. In fact the classic Tripel is mainly Pils malt and Sugar. It is very light in body and color.

 

[Orfy]

Unfortunatley allthoughh I don't like Budweiser I have to admit for what it is it is a really god product and done well.

2 good places to find information is to look on the Wiki for Pale lager and Listen to the Jamil show on the brewing network he's done a show on light lager and pilsner.

If I was going for it then I'd use at least 50% barley maybe 25% rice and 25% barley syrup. Go for an IBU of around 10 and use a clean fermenting ale yeast.

It will be beer of a kind.

 

[Driftless]

Also, I'd imagine there is a possibilty that you can encourage Barley to become a 'local' product (assuming you aren't in the heart of a city )! If you can cleary show the value of the beer to the people then you might bolster enough interest to have them grow Barley.

Actually, thats more true than you know... They really want to brew beer, and if necessary they might just clear some jungle for a barley field. Its either that or a rubber plantation.

 

[brewhead]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake

Sake is also commonly referred to in English as "rice wine", but the characterisation implied is not accurate. Wine is made from the single fermentation of plant juices. Sake is produced by multiple fermentation of rice, which is more similar to how beer is produced.

 

[Evan!]

Sake is also commonly referred to in English as "rice wine", but the characterisation implied is not accurate. Wine is made from the single fermentation of plant juices. Sake is produced by multiple fermentation of rice, which is more similar to how beer is produced.

Yeah.

What?

I don't know how many fermentations YOU go through with your beer, but me, I only ferment it once.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

If you bottle carb you ferment twice.
Sorry had to.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

but that doesnt make that make anymore sense.

 

[Revvy]

I don't know if you noticed this thread... It's along the same lines...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=46897

 

[cheezydemon]

I admire your ambitions, it doesn't matter if it turns out to beer or near beer. I remember someone saying that they had found some 5 grain syrup in an asian market. I wonder what grains are in it?

 

[brewhead]

Yeah.

What?

I don't know how many fermentations YOU go through with your beer, but me, I only ferment it once.

do you use malted grains?

 

[beenjammin]

as someone mentioned earlier, maybe you should be asking around for already well established fermentation traditions...maybe someone around brews rice beer? what about millet? there might be some things about their culture you don't know about and/or they haven't told you...

 

[david_42]

Rice beer is common in India and then there's Happoshu in Japan. The key element is making the starch to sugar conversion. You'll have to either malt some of the rice or the barley OR find a source of alpha amylase. The alternative is to look into sake making, but only do a single fermentation. (The multiple fermentations are actually a stepping process where successive batches of rice are added to the fermenter.)

Once you have malted rice, you can follow any Blonde or Mild recipe.