For those who think rice has no place in beer...

[newportstorm]

...check this out. Was just browsing the list of beers at this Saturday's Extreme Beer Fest and came across this wild rice beer from Smuttynose:

"Wild Rice Beer (5.5%)
Brewed with a grass, no not that one, a wild rice. Not a large beer, but different than anything you've ever had before. 30 IBU, with end of boil Sterling hop additions to accentuate the beer with a cherry flavor - and there are no cherries used in the production of this beer!"

That will be one of the first ones I sample. Hopefully, chazwicke and bruno78 also partake so we can get more than one opinion on this unique craft brew. I'll be honest, I swear. I hold Smuttynose and its brewers in high regard - let's hope they don't disappoint with this brew.

Cheers!

[davesarman]

One of our local brewpubs, Barley John's, has been making a very nice wild rice beer for a few years now. It's an amber ale with a very nice nutty flavor to it. I think he even does an "extreme" version of it that is triple fermented and comes out at something like 20% abv, although I've never had that version. A lot of wild rice is harvested in northern Minnesota, so you see a lot of dishes made with it here. Put some of it in a homemade soup sometime, you won't regret it!

[steveh]

My favorite Micro, Capital, used to make a Wild Rice Beer, light and tasty with decent body - made from Wisconsin and Canadian grown rice. I'd have one glass and awake with a raging headache the next day.

I vote: NO RICE.

S.

[studentofbeer]

sake is pretty good, and it's all rice, although in general i prefer to keep rice in sake and barley in beer. that beer sounds interesting tho, so Im curious to hear the report.

[davesarman]

Minnesota wild rice is dark, long grain and very flavorful. Not like the bland, white, Minute Rice type many are probably thinking of. When cooked, wild rice has a very nice, nutty, earthy flavor to it.

[steveh]

When malted and fermented, it still drives a railroad spike through my forehead. :(

S.

[brewmonkey]

I have used rice in my beers many times. Sadly it has gotten a bad name from people who are Uber beer snobs. In fact some of my best selling beers were brewed with rice. It was a great beer for getting people to see that craft brewing is capable of making beer with it as well I saw many of my regulars who would thumb their noses at macros using it but they would drink mine.

It is all on how you use it in the recipe.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by davesarman
Minnesota wild rice is dark, long grain and very flavorful. Not like the bland, white, Minute Rice type many are probably thinking of. When cooked, wild rice has a very nice, nutty, earthy flavor to it.

No doubt! Wild rice is very tasty and makes a great stuffing at Thanksgiving...

[chazwicke]

I did not sample this one at the fest. Newport or Bruno, Did you get a sample?

[Bruno_78]

Nope, I don't remember seeing it.

[chazwicke]

Me either. I would like to have tried it though.

[newportstorm]

The beer I'm holding in the picture of us together is the Smuttynose/Portsmouth Brewery Rice beer. Very tasty. Dry, grassy, a bit fruity - I didn't get "cherries" as described, more like juicy citrus (yet, not overpowering like Cascade hops). Not an easy beer to pin down. Very similar in profile to the Offshore Rye Knot beer...if you sampled that at the fest. A very tasty beer that would be a good quencher.

Cheers!

[dynasty]

Hey guys, Where can I find this rice beer or any pure rice beer?? I have allergies to wheat, bran, barley, oat, malt. It sux. All I really drink is vodka.

Thanks.

[dynasty]

Ok never mind the last post. i found the site and found the distributors. Many places in my area.

[HogieWan]

the beer discussed above isn't made from just the rice, so you'd have problems with that, too. You probably need a gluten-free beer (http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7758). If you're a homebrewer, or want to be because of the limited choice you have, I found this page (http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/gf/) with recipes and info.

[dynasty]

Thanks so much! This is great. I'm definately going to try to brew my own gluten-free beer.
Tahnks again :)

[HogieWan]

let us know how it turns out.