Qustion on rice extract

[BeerSlut]

I am going to try and make a decent American style light lager. A number of my friends (and my wife) don't like the stronger ales and lagers. So I told them I'd give it a shot. I have seen several recipes and of course they all call for rice extract solids. But, some are saying 1 lb. of rice, others are saying 2 lbs. All of them suggest 3-4 lbs of a light LME. My questions is, what does the rice do to the flavor or make up of the beer? What is the difference going to be between using 1 or 2 lbs? (Other than $5 more!)

I have searched all over, and there is not a lot of info on rice.

Thanks

[brewmonkey]

The difference in the weight is going to be basically potential alcohol.

As for what rice does for beer. Not much other then add fermnetables as it has no dextrins (or VERY little) to aid in body, mouthfeel or head retention. Since it is solids and not flakes I don't know about adding color but the flakes add little if any color. You might percieve a sweetness from the solids but I have not used them myself so...

Basically adjuncts like rice and corn are used to add fermentables and nothing else to beer. When used in their raw forms they are generally cheaper then the malt used for the rest of the beer which is why the big guys are steadily making their use a bigger part of their grist.

[BeerSlut]

Thank you for the quick reply. I all makes sense to me now. I am going to try this and see how it turns out.

Have a day!