Rice improves flavors for non -alcoholic beer, reduces fermentation time and can contribute to the stability of flavors.
Credit: Father John / CC by-NC-SA
He and his team – including Christian Schubert, a post -doc visiting the Research Institute for the analysis of raw materials and drinks in Berlin – repressed their own non -alcoholic beers, ranging from those made with barley malt 100% to those made with 100% rice. They carried out a volatile chemical analysis to identify specific compounds present in beers and assembled two sensory tasting panels (one in the United States, one in Europe) to assess the aromas, flavors and feelings in the mouth.
The panelists have determined that the beers sold out of rice had fewer Wort flavors, and the chemical analysis revealed why: lower levels of aldehyde compounds. Instead, other sensory attributes have emerged, including vanilla or butter notes. “If a brewer wanted a more neutral character, he could use non -aromatic rice,” wrote the authors. In addition to the 50% barley / rice beers at 50%, this would produce non -alcoholic beers likely to use consumers more widely.
The panelists also noted that the higher rice content has caused beers with a feeling in the fat / creamy mouth – characterized because the higher rice content was correlated at increased levels of larger alcohol molecules, which are known to contribute to a pleasant feeling. But that did not increase the alcohol content above the legal threshold for non-alcoholic beer.
However, there were cultural preferences. American panelists did not bother Worty’s flavors as much as European tasters, which could explain why the former chose brewed beers with 70% barley / 30% of rice as an optimal mixture. Their European counterparts preferred the opposite ratio (30% barley / 70% rice). The explanation “can reside in the sensory expectations shaped by the brewing traditions of each region,” wrote the authors. Fermentation has also occurred more quickly as the rice content has increased due to higher levels of glucose and fructose.
The second study focused on the test of 74 different rice cultivars to determine their extract yields, an important variable with regard to an effective brewing process, as higher yields mean that brewers can use fewer cereals, thus reducing costs. This revealed that cultivars with a lower amyloida content cracked more easily to release sugars during the crushing process, producing the highest yields. And some varieties also had lower gelatinization temperatures for greater ease of treatment.
International Journal of Food Science, 2025. DOI: 10.1080 / 10942912.2025.2520907 (about DOI)
Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 2025. Doi: 10.1080/03610470.2025.2499768
