Rice Lager

New research points toward much greater potential for rice malt in brewing—with varieties that provide color, character, and brewing specs that aren’t so different from barley.

This crisp and dry Japanese-inspired lager is brewed with rice and hopped with Perle, Tettnanger, and Saphir. pFriem Family Brewers describes it as having aromas of “Shiso plum, fresh bread, and violet” with “sparkling notes of fresh green tea and wildflowers.”

Josh Pfriem, founder and brewmaster of pFriem Family Brewers, shares tips on how to dial in your mash process and support great foam retention in light, crisp, internationally inspired lagers—including a finishing touch of Tetra hop extract.

Josh Pfriem, founder and brewmaster of pFriem Family Brewers, lays out their approach to hopping Japanese- and Mexican-style lagers, including related flavor considerations for malt, pH, and sulfur content.

From Misfit Outpost in Cypress, Texas, this beer celebrates South Asian flavor in the form of sweet, creamy jackfruit, which adds its tropical accent to a light, crisp, rice-lager frame.

You don’t need an industrial Japanese brewery—nor even an all-grain homebrew system—to make a clean, light-bodied, refreshing rice lager ideal for sushi and summertime.