Japanese Rice Lager recipe formulation

[BugAC]

I was planning on brewing a japanese rice lager in the next week or 2. However, i've never brewed the style, and i'd like to use local Jasmine rice. The current recipe i have is based off of this brulosophy recipe:

https://brulosophy.com/2021/05/13/bru-it-yourself-japanese-rice-lager/

7 lbs Weyermann Pils
4 lbs Jasmine Rice

Per the article, a cereal mash was recommended. What are your thoughts on this process, and what is the recommended process?

Following instructions from the Milk the Funk wiki, I performed a cereal mash by combing all of the rice with 20% of the barley malt and about 1/3 of the heated brewing liquor in a separate pot, which was held at 158°F/70°C.
The rest of the barley malt was incorporated into the remaining brewing liquor and left to mash at my desired temperature.
After 25 minutes, I brought the cereal mash to a gentle boil and stirred it constantly over the next 30 minutes to prevent scorching before adding it to the main mash.
The combined mash was left alone for another 20 minutes before I removed the grain basket and proceeded to boil the wort.

I've read some other ways of handling rice in the comments such as:

instead of a cereal mash I just cooked the rice the day before and extended the mash time to 90 minutes at 154-155.

What is the proper way of handling rice?

In addition, i was planning on using Sorachi Ace, but i'm seeing many comments that it lends to a dill like flavor. I was considering using either Saaz or Hallertau Mittelfruh in lieu of Sorachi Ace.Thoughts?

 

[hungupdown]

Cereal mash instructions: Mix the raw cereal adjuncts, ideally fine ground, with 15% 2-row barley malt by dry weight (10% 6-row).
Mix with hot water (4-6 l/kg) to produce a fairly thin mash. Targeting the gelatinizing temperature range, and hold in range for 20 minutes. This will allow the amylase enzymes supplied by the malt to convert stray starch molecules and begin to loosen the remaining starch granules.
Raise the temperature to a gentle boil, and hold it for 20-30 minutes. As you do this the mash will go from a grainy mixture to a pretty sloppy gelatin mess that should coat the back of your spoon.
Cool, then add to main mash.

Gelitainization temperature range for rice is 154-172 F (68-78 C).
This is the highest, of all the grains, so only at its low end, would you get much benifit from enzyme activity. Maybe that's why some recommend just boiling.

I've only used rice at lower percentages. Add just use flaked rice, which is easy to dry mix with the other grains (for good AIO system flow), before mashing.
But at high percentage rice, the extra work needed to use raw rice, might be worth the costsaving.

For my AIO, I'd want to mix the cooked cereal mash slop, throughout the other grains before mashing. No idea how that could be done!
Mixing cooked rice grains, then doing a long mash, sounds easier.

Would be good to hear how you get on.

 

[Halfakneecap]

I was planning on brewing a japanese rice lager in the next week or 2. However, i've never brewed the style, and i'd like to use local Jasmine rice. The current recipe i have is based off of this brulosophy recipe:

https://brulosophy.com/2021/05/13/bru-it-yourself-japanese-rice-lager/

7 lbs Weyermann Pils
4 lbs Jasmine Rice

Per the article, a cereal mash was recommended. What are your thoughts on this process, and what is the recommended process?



I've read some other ways of handling rice in the comments such as:



What is the proper way of handling rice?

In addition, i was planning on using Sorachi Ace, but i'm seeing many comments that it lends to a dill like flavor. I was considering using either Saaz or Hallertau Mittelfruh in lieu of Sorachi Ace.Thoughts?

Just make sure you account for the water used in your cereal mash, or if you just boil the rice to a mush.

I do lots of rice lagers in summer. I've done cereal mashed rice, but now just flaked rice. So much easier. Though you may get flavour with jasmine rice.

The proper way is either way you choose out of those two options. They'll both work.

 

[worlddivides]

I've never seen a Japanese rice lager with Jasmine rice (which is mainly used in Southeast countries like Thailand) or a Japanese rice lager with Sorachi Ace (Even Sapporo's Sorachi 1984 beer, which is a showcase of their Sorachi Ace hop, is an ale. On the other hand, Sapporo's Black Label lager uses Hokuto Ace, which is a very different-tasting hop with a similar name).

That's not to say that your recipe won't taste good, though. While Japanese rice and Jasmine rice taste worlds apart, I'm not sure how much of the Jasmine rice's flavor would carry over into the beer. The main rice I think of in regards to a Japanese rice lager would be Koshihikari (a popular rice in Japanese food in general), but flaked rice is used a ton as well. With Sorachi Ace, though, I don't think that's the kind of hop I'd want to use if I was going for a Japanese rice lager flavor. My two cents, at least.

 

[hottpeper13]

Technology Brewing and Malting has rice gelatinizing at 189*. I use the amount of water you would use to make the rice as if it was a side dish. I soak overnite then heat to 190* or so, let sit 20 min. then cool ( I use ice) so when I add the Pilsner malt it is ~143*, rest 20 min then up to 160*, rest 20 min. After these rests the grist looks like soup, very loose and can boil with cover on at low flame only stirring a few times in the 30 min boil. The most important part is getting the rice gelatinized before adding any enzymes.
I do it this way because the boiling of the sugar darkens the wort so the beer doesn't look like bud lite.
Hops are a drummers choice, but i use noble ones.

 

[BugAC]

Just make sure you account for the water used in your cereal mash, or if you just boil the rice to a mush.

I do lots of rice lagers in summer. I've done cereal mashed rice, but now just flaked rice. So much easier. Though you may get flavour with jasmine rice.

The proper way is either way you choose out of those two options. They'll both work.

Thanks for the info. The more i look into it, i think i'm just going to use flaked rice. I'm in Louisiana, and we grow a lot of rice here, specifically jasmine rice. However, i'm not sure if their is enough flavor from the jasmine rice to make it noticeable enough to make it worth the hassle of a cereal mash. I also use an infusion mash tun system, so trying to "reverse engineer" the amount of water, and temperature steps to dial it in seems like a pain. I'm not opposed to doing anything the "hard way", considering i decoct and do turbid mashes for my lambics, but this just makes it not as appealing. Luckily, i ordered enough grains for 2 different beers, so i can brew the other one this weekend while i wait on the flaked rice to come in.

 

[worlddivides]

I think using flaked rice is a smart move. I just wanted to add that using noble hops will get you a more Japanese rice lager taste than using Sorachi Ace, so I'd vote for using Saaz or Hallertau Mittelfruh (I'd probably lean more for Hallertau, but either would taste great). I like Sorachi Ace as a hop, but I just don't think it's one to use for a Japanese rice lager, at least not a typical-tasting one. It sounds like you might not have tasted it before, but Sorachi Ace has a very peculiar flavor. Like lemon, maybe even lemongrass, and some say dill, some say cilantro. It's very citrus, but also very herbal, but in a somewhat unusual way. That dill-like flavor is not something you find in many other hops.

 

[Indian_villager]

I hear you on flaked rice is easier, however it also has a staling potential.

Here is my grain bill
6lb Pilsner
12oz Vienna
2Lb of Rice (about 9 cups)

I just recently made my first rice lager with basmati rice and let me save you a heap of trouble. Don't bother with the cereal mash. All you need to do is gelatinize the rice and then dump it into your mash tun with the rest of your grains.

Do you have an Instant Pot or some other form of pressure cooker that can fit the amount of rice you want? If so just cook the rice in the pressure cooker with 1:1.2 (v:v, rice:water) low pressure 10 mins and then let it sit for 10 mins for natural release (as in leave it alone and wait for the safety pin to drop so you can open it). Don't bother washing the rice, the extra starch is actually useful for this.

Just as the timer runs out on the actual pressure phase on the instant pot get your mash together with your malts and water and target a protienish rest around 136F. As soon as the pin drops(~10-12 mins) on the cooker dump the rice and any residual juice into the mash tun, you should end up somewhere around 149F, at least that is how it worked on my system, you may have to heat depending on your stuff. If you recirculate let the whole thing sit for 5 mins before turning on your pump.

Optionally if you want to boost your success rate, glucabuster, https://www.morebeer.com/products/cellarscience-glucabuster-placeholder.html

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Minute Rice. Open box, dump it in the mash. Done.

Flaked rice needs to be fresh and can stale over time. Minute Rice keeps for a very long time.

 

[Halfakneecap]

Thanks for the info. The more i look into it, i think i'm just going to use flaked rice. I'm in Louisiana, and we grow a lot of rice here, specifically jasmine rice. However, i'm not sure if their is enough flavor from the jasmine rice to make it noticeable enough to make it worth the hassle of a cereal mash. I also use an infusion mash tun system, so trying to "reverse engineer" the amount of water, and temperature steps to dial it in seems like a pain. I'm not opposed to doing anything the "hard way", considering i decoct and do turbid mashes for my lambics, but this just makes it not as appealing. Luckily, i ordered enough grains for 2 different beers, so i can brew the other one this weekend while i wait on the flaked rice to come in.

I now use flaked rice from the Indian aisle in the supermarket. Same thing, but 1/2 the price as flaked rice from a brewing shop.

 

[BultyBrewer]

I've been brewing all-grain for about 6 years now (6-10 brews/annum, all bottle carbonated). My brewing club had an Asian theme this brew, so I had a crack at this recipe one Friday evening - a fairly standard NZ motueka pilsner but with 30% jasmine rice (& will ferment at ale, not lager temp - which I understand is doable with Saflager). I used jasmine rice, which I precooked (boiled) for approx 50 minutes (1.1kg rice: 4L water) and cooled to 70 degrees before introducing.
Unfortunately I ran in to issues - my son woke up with a fever and started spewing when I began the mash! I was distracted and forgot to take the pre-boil OG and, in doing so, I think I over-sparged (I should have tested the pre-boil gravity but instead I just poured the original recipe calculated Sparge Water in). After I got my brew back on track and was crash cooling (coil connected to the hose) - the exit end of the cooling coil split from the hose fell off & I had Water pouring all over my kitchen! Felt like a disaster haha

Short answer is that I tipped the yeast in a wort with a SG of 1.027 (17pts below target). Looks like I have made approx 20 litres of a New Zealand Bud Light!

I think my mash was okay but the Sparge Water was my issue. Working with rice was fine, although it adds extra effort to the brew day. I will have another go at this I think - will be interesting to see what the beer is like (although I don't like light beer)

Motueka Rice Lager Brewing Recipe Sheet

Style:
- Lager (Crisp, dry, light)
- Batch Size: 23 L (6 gal)
- Estimated OG: 1.045-1.048
- IBUs: ~28-30
- ABV: ~4.8-5.0%

Grain Bill (Total: 4.54 kg):
Pilsner Malt: 3.4 kg (crushed)
Jasmine or Long-grain Rice: 1.14 kg (precooked by slurry boiling)
Rice Hulls: 0.3-0.35 kg (rinsed)

Rice Preparation (Gelatinization):
1. Rinse rice thoroughly.
2. Boil rice in ~4 L water until soft (45 min).
3. Cool to ~70C before adding to mash.

Mash Schedule:
Strike Water Temp: ~74C
Mash In Temp: 66C for 60 min
Mash Out: 75C for 10 min (optional)
Sparge Temp: 75C until pre-boil volume (~28-30 L)
Include rice hulls mixed evenly during mash-in for lautering.
Stir well after adding rice porridge.

Hop Schedule (Motueka, ~7.5% AA):
60 min: 11 g (bittering)
30 min: 10 g (flavor)
Motueka Rice Lager - Brewing Recipe Sheet
5 min: 10 g (aroma)

Yeast & Fermentation:
Yeast: Saflager W-34/70
Fermentation Temp: 20C
Water & Volumes (Adjusted for Rice Cooking Water):
Total Water Needed: 31-33 L
Rice Cooking Water: 4 L (included in mash water)
Strike Water (additional): ~10 L
Total Mash Water: ~14 L (4 L rice slurry + 10 L strike water)
Sparge Water: 17-18 L to reach ~28-30 L pre-boil volume

Assumptions:
Grain absorption: ~1 L/kg
×Boil-off: ~4 L/hour
Trub + transfer loss: ~1.5-2 L

Additional Notes:
Irish moss at 10 min for clarity
Oxygenate wort before pitching yeast.
Cold crash before bottling.