by Mark Meli

Rice in beer? Wait a minute. Beer is supposed to be made from barley malt, hops, and water, right? Well, not always. The truth is that “alternative” grains such as rice have long been used in brewing, and form a major element in craft beer, particularly in Japan, the home of that world-famous rice beer, sake. No, sake is not rice wine, it’s actually beer. Wine is made from fruit, like grapes. Beer is made from grains, like barley, wheat, and rice.

The world’s most (in)famous beer containing rice is probably Budweiser, which has included it in its recipe from the beginning. Many think that the reason is to cheapen costs, but basically that isn’t so. Rice acts to clarify the beer, which would be cloudy as a result of the proteins in the American 6-row barley it uses. Furthermore, European immigrants found so much agricultural wealth in America that they stopped wanting heavy, European-style beer with their big meals. Light was the new way to go, and rice, the sugars of which ferment almost completely, lightens the body of beer.

So much for industrial lager brewing. What about craft beer? Actually, rice is quite popular in craft brewing as well, especially in Japan. The type of rice beer most commonly seen here is “Koshihikari Lager,” very popular in Niigata, though not only there. These tend to be light, pale lagers, without much rice flavor. In fact, it is hard to notice the rice at all in most versions.

To me, ales brewed with sake rice, or better yet, sake kōji (the rice-mold mash), are more interesting. Debate continues over just how much flavor and aroma sake rice adds, but brewers using local or home-grown sake rice have made great strides in creating new beers. My favorite examples are Daisen’s Yago, which uses Belgian-style yeast and tastes something like a strong, un-spiced Witbier, and the Yamabushi Saisons of Shiga Kogen, whose Miyamanishiki lightens the beers in the same way that candi sugar does in Belgian brewing. Much lighter, but equally interesting, is Konishi’s Howaka, a 3% abv Witbier that uses Yamadanishiki to lighten its body. It is super delicate and airy.

Other brewers are experimenting with kōji in their brews, or fermenting with sake yeast. A brilliant beer that does both is Shimane’s Orochi Rice Wine (10%). Of all the beers I have tried, this year’s comes nearest to sake, with rich rice and kōji flavors and a ginjō-like fruitiness from the yeast. It is dangerously drinkable too.

There are many other craft beers in Japan employing specialty rice or techniques from sake brewing. These include Hideji’s Kuromai and Konishi’s Garnet Rouge, both using black rice, Iwate Kura Mochigome Beer with glutinous rice, Kyoto Bakushu Kura no Kaori, which uses sake yeast, and Doppo Omachi Sake Rice Lager. Ise Kadoya has in the past brewed with genmai and ancient rice.

Rice beers were for a time something of a novelty in Japan. They sound Japanese, and could promote local culture, but little thought was given to their character as beer. We have now moved past that stage, into a time when rice beers are taken more seriously as craft. Next time you try a rice beer, pay close attention to how it is using its rice, and to what results are achieved. You just may be surprised.

All Beer Styles articles are written by Mark Meli, author of Craft Beer in Japan.

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.