International Pale Lager Japanese Rice Lager

[Andre3000]

Sticking with 34/70 via WLP830 / Escarpment Labs Isar Lager and fermenting under pressure.

Is Isar 34/70? I don't think it is... Unless you know something I don't?

 

[DaveCS]

Is Isar 34/70? I don't think it is... Unless you know something I don't?

To the best of my knowledge based on discussions I've had with Escarpment, it's "awfully close"

Isar Lager is akin to WLP830 which is akin to Wyeast 2124 which is akin to Imperial's L13 which is akin to Omega's OYL-106 (and obviously Fermentis 34/70).

For a long time our club had been asking for identification of the strains produced by Escarpment and how they compare to other yeast producers (specifically Wyeast, White Labs and Imperial) because we'd like to support our local yeast producer (fresher yeast after all) and we finally received confirmation sometime last year (if memory serves correctly) from Escarpment.

And while Escarpment (or any Yeast producer) would never say the strains are identical - they do say they're comparable or "similar"

 

[ba-brewer]

My rice lager, 5.4% with a 1009 finish gravity for a medium light body. I used S-23 which always comes out a little fruity for me but I dont mind it. A light herbal flavor from saphir for the late hops. The flavor and aroma from domestic 2row is not bad either.

 

[monkeymath]

Just out of curiosity: are these "Japanese Rice Lagers" available in the US imported from Japan?
This thread piqued my interest, but all Japanese beers I could find (in Germany) were brewed in the EU under license, and none of them contained any rice. (Kirin Ichiban, brewed at Weihenstephan, is a really good beer, though).

 

[TheDogsRump]

It's a mix. I'm in Canada and there is Sapporo brewed in Quebec but you can also find Sapporo imported from Japan (usually big cans). Asahi bottles used to come from Thailand but now (I assume because of covid) they come from Italy and are no longer a budget beer because of it, being nearly 5 dollars more. You can usually find large 500ml cans from Japan though. Asahi Black will always be from Japan with the distinct heavy bottles.

I truly don't care for the Canada and Italy licensed brews. No matter how much you try to duplicate it, it's not the same barely or water. In both sake and beer, there is something special about Japan water imo. You always taste the difference.

 

[TheDogsRump]

Just out of curiosity: are these "Japanese Rice Lagers" available in the US imported from Japan?
This thread piqued my interest, but all Japanese beers I could find (in Germany) were brewed in the EU under license, and none of them contained any rice. (Kirin Ichiban, brewed at Weihenstephan, is a really good beer, though).

Kirin is quite malty imo and not really part of the "super dry" club. It's 100% barely to my knowledge. Sapporo also doesn't use rice I believe, few Japanese brewers do in fact. We in the west seem to add rice thinking it makes it "Japanese" lol. That's not to say it doesn't happen, but it's actually not that common in Japanese beer.

 

[ebbelwoi]

Sapporo also doesn't use rice I believe, few Japanese brewers do in fact. We in the west seem to add rice thinking it makes it "Japanese" lol. That's not to say it doesn't happen, but it's actually not that common in Japanese beer.

This is not correct.

Asahi Super Dry and Sapporo Black Label, which are the flagship beers of their respective breweries, as well as Kirin Lager, are adjunct lagers containing rice and corn. Kirin Ichiban Shibori is an all-malt beer.

 

[therealbabadook]

It's a mix. I'm in Canada and there is Sapporo brewed in Quebec but you can also find Sapporo imported from Japan (usually big cans). Asahi bottles used to come from Thailand but now (I assume because of covid) they come from Italy and are no longer a budget beer because of it, being nearly 5 dollars more. You can usually find large 500ml cans from Japan though. Asahi Black will always be from Japan with the distinct heavy bottles.

I truly don't care for the Canada and Italy licensed brews. No matter how much you try to duplicate it, it's not the same barely or water. In both sake and beer, there is something special about Japan water imo. You always taste the difference.

I drank Sapporo while in Hokkaido and have had it here in Nova Scotia (brewed in Guelph Ontario BTW). It's a reasonable facsimile to the real deal - in both draught and canned forms. My favourite recall of Sapporo was in the 2L monster can I got out of a vending machine at a construction site around 2 AM somewhere between Asahikawa and Furano LOL. Icy cold on a hot humid early August morning! The Stella Artois brewed in Edmonton is off a bit but I find the London Ontario brewed Corona not too bad.

 

[bwible]

We in the west seem to add rice thinking it makes it "Japanese" lol.

Budweiser is made with rice

 

[therealbabadook]

Budweiser is made with rice

Yup LOL!

 

[monkeymath]

Budweiser is made with rice

No, it isn't.


Oh WAIT, you mean the American fake Budweiser! Yeah, whatever.

 

[therealbabadook]

Yup LOL!

As is Heineken if I recall...

No, it isn't.


Oh WAIT, you mean the American fake Budweiser! Yeah, whatever.

Budvar..Czechvar...the real deal if you're not using rice...

 

[ebbelwoi]

As is Heineken if I recall...

Water, malted barley, hop extract.

 

[beerisgirl]

Holly Rice Cream!!!

 

[bwible]

No, it isn't.


Oh WAIT, you mean the American fake Budweiser! Yeah, whatever.

Yes Anheuser Busch Budweiser. No offense to the real European version.

They also claim its beechwood aged. You’d get the same effect at home by taping a wood chip to the outside of your fermenter.