Ingredients

[S3ute]

Hello from Brisbane.

I have just come back from the USA and was wondering over a Christmas Bud or ten again why most of the US volume beer brands include rice as one of the ingredients? I believe most of our brewers stick to just water, hops and barley.

I recall reading years ago in an article on boutique American beers that it was just a sneaky cost cutter and a sign of lesser quality. However, like everyone else in the world making beer, the US brewers such as Budweiser claim to be producing "the finest and most flavoursome brew produced regardless of expense known anywhere in the world". Ridiculous claim, of course, and many Australians likely regard American beer as little better than dishwater, but the large brewers are surely not totally stupid and wouldn't shove something into their product that would limit its quality for no sensible reason other than shaving a few cents off the cost of materials.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

[simonmelb]

G'Day,

Just like the big 2 brewers here use cane sugar (and manufactured syrups derived from it) to mainly reduce costs, the US guys use rice and corn. Also, all 3 give the beer a light body, light colour and a dryer finish compared with using 100% malted barley as the main fermentable.

Cheers
Simon

[Carnut1100]

Real beer vs cheap consumer product....
The big brewers also use super high alpha hops to give the bitterness level they are after with less hops, also means less aroma.

[jazzaD1]

or they use hop extract

at a recent tour of the james boags brewery in launceston, the tour guide claimed they added white sugar as an ingredient because "it produces a product that australian beer drinkers want"

yet in homebrew circles it is pretty much frowned upon, especially if brewing from grain

[S3ute]

Hello again from Brisbane.

Thanks also for setting me straight on my original query on why the large US brewers would add nominally quality reducing ingredients into their recipes. It sits comfortably with what I now recall the boutique beer article was stating - in fact, it was the reason that I originally bothered to read a Budweiser label and noticed the "rice" component of the listed ingredients.

Well, the mainstream beers in the States may not be world beaters from everyone's perspective, but (IMHO) the places where you usually drink it can be a hell of lot of fun. I'm particularly thinking of the likes of Billy Bobs Honky Tonk in Fort Worth's Cowtown.........

Cheers,

[Disco44]

Hello again from Brisbane.

Thanks also for setting me straight on my original query on why the large US brewers would add nominally quality reducing ingredients into their recipes. It sits comfortably with what I now recall the boutique beer article was stating - in fact, it was the reason that I originally bothered to read a Budweiser label and noticed the "rice" component of the listed ingredients.

Well, the mainstream beers in the States may not be world beaters from everyone's perspective, but (IMHO) the places where you usually drink it can be a hell of lot of fun. I'm particularly thinking of the likes of Billy Bobs Honky Tonk in Fort Worth's Cowtown.........

Cheers,

I,ve always liked Millers,much better to me then Budwiser,it is dishwater.
John.

[Carnut1100]

The home brew kits tell you to add sugar but I never do when I use them.
They make a decent starting point but I use malt extract and extra hops and it comes out alright.

[S3ute]

I,ve always liked Millers,much better to me then Budwiser,it is dishwater.
John.

John.

Hello again and I hear what you say.

Back when I was a student in North America in the late-70s I also thought that Bud was dishwater.

Probably still is, but I seem to have acquired a genuine taste for the stuff. During my last trip at Christmas it was selling in my corner deli for $8.99 a 12 pack and a schooner equivalent at Hooters on NFL nights is $2. So, a reasonably powerful incentive to drop the standards.....

Cheers,

[d@rk51d3]

By drinking Bud, or going to Hooters?

[S3ute]

By drinking Bud, or going to Hooters?

Hmmm.

A bit of both I guess.

The corporate slogan is "Tacky, yet unrefined"............

Cheers,