USA
August 29, 2025
Traditional beer ingredients include water, hops, barley malt and yeast.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas are showing that one of the state’s top commodities, rice, has a place in beer. Scott Lafontaine, assistant professor of food chemistry in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, is leading the effort. He’s joined by Christian Schubert, a visiting German postdoctoral researcher from the Research Institute for Raw Materials and Beverage Analysis, officially known as Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei.
Supported in part by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), their work shows that rice can play a pivotal role in developing both flavor and what’s known as extract yield, the amount of fermentable sugars extracted from grains in the brewing process.
The project aims to better understand aromatic rice quality so that varieties developed by U.S. breeders can continue to compete with imported rices like Jasmine and Basmati. As part of that work, Lafontaine’s team is screening hundreds of types of rice for important beer brewing features such as how much sugar can be extracted and the temperature at which starches are released, known as gelatinization temperature. They also are studying aroma profiles to understand how they might affect the beer’s final smell and taste.
The goal is to generate a comprehensive chemical and sensory database — one that could serve multiple industries and reveal hidden potential in rice for applications beyond the dinner table. Brewing has emerged as one of the most promising new uses for rice, with certain aromatic and low-gelatinization varieties showing strong performance in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beer formulations.
Arkansas is the nation’s top rice grower, accounting for about 50 percent of U.S. rice production. Traditionally, rice breeding programs supported by USDA and the International Rice Research Institute have been focused on high head rice yields—a higher percentage of intact, long kernels after milling—as well as lower glycemic table rice varieties. However, beer brewers often search for different traits.
While rice with higher head rice yield and low-glycemic traits is better for food, Lafontaine said these traits are not good for brewing beer because they are less efficient in extracting the sugars needed for fermentation. Also, rice with lower gelatinization temperatures, which require less heat to become ready for brewing, could save energy and make it more cost effective for small, craft brewers to use raw rice.
“This research is timely because current trends in rice breeding may unintentionally work against brewing needs if brewers are not proactive in cultivar selection,” Lafontaine said. “Without intentional sourcing and closer collaboration with rice breeders, brewers risk losing access to cultivars best suited for brewing performance.”
NIFA National Program Leader Dr. Vance Owens said the Arkansas research is supported by NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science Program.
“When USDA NIFA funds research like the work being done by the University of Arkansas team, it opens new opportunities for both farmers and businesses,” Owens said. “And these opportunities offer new markets for their products and potentially increased revenues.”
As the demand for innovation in brewing continues to grow, securing access to the right varieties of rice will be essential for ensuring continued efficiency and product quality, Lafontaine added.
Rice offers distinct technical and sensory benefits for beer, Lafontaine said.
Benefits for ‘near beer’
In the U.S., nonalcoholic beer is classified as having 0.5 percent or less alcohol by volume. International standards range from 0.05 to 1.2 percent, with “alcohol-free” beer typically defined as under 0.05 percent.
Nonalcoholic beer can be produced through several methods. These include removing alcohol after fermentation or controlling fermentation using yeasts that do not fully metabolize malt sugars. Lafontaine and Schubert’s work focused on using the yeast Saccharomycodes ludwigii (S. ludwigii), which cannot ferment maltose, the primary sugar from barley.
Unlike barley, milled rice has naturally lower levels of unwanted, distinctive smelling compounds called aldehydes often found in nonalcoholic beer. By limiting aldehyde formation during fermentation rather than removing them afterward, brewers can reduce costs and improve product quality.
The research team also explored how rice-brewed beer is perceived across global markets. Using ARoma 22, a Jasmine-type aromatic rice developed by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station’s rice breeding program, the team brewed several nonalcoholic beer formulations with S. ludwigii.
Sensory panels in Arkansas and Germany revealed distinct preferences. Arkansas participants favored a 30% rice to a 70% malted barley mix, while German participants preferred the inverse.
The researchers suggest that a 50-50 blend may offer the most universally appealing profile.
Flavor analysis showed that higher rice content revealed buttery, vanilla and creamy notes. Additionally, higher rice content was linked to increased levels of larger alcohol molecules, which contribute positively to mouthfeel without raising the alcohol content above the legal nonalcoholic beer threshold.
Essentially, rice-based worts (the pre-fermentation liquid that results from the mashing process) can make nonalcoholic beer taste more like full-strength beer. Fermentation also occurred faster with increased rice content, thanks to its higher levels of simple sugars such as glucose and fructose.
Nonalcoholic beer is poised for growth as consumer demand for healthier alternatives grows, Lafontaine said. While nonalcoholic beer accounts for about 5 percent of the German beer market, it currently comprises just 1 percent in the U.S. market but is expected to expand significantly, Lafontaine added.
‘Tool for innovation’
Another misconception, particularly among craft brewers, is that rice always has a high gelatinization temperature, which would make it challenging to use. Gelatinization is critical to brewing because it frees starches from grains that feed fermentation.
Lafontaine noted that certain varieties have lower gelatinization temperatures, making them easier to process.
“Rice isn’t just neutral filler. It’s a tool for innovation,” Lafontaine said. “It’s time we move beyond outdated perceptions and recognize what rice can offer in creating beer that’s sessionable, efficient, and aligned with both tradition and the evolving preferences of today’s consumer.”
The Brewers Association defines a “session” beer as one with alcohol by volume under 5 percent, prioritizing drinkability and balance over high alcohol levels and intensity.
Grain power
A second study, led by master’s student Matthew Aitkens, focused on how rice variety affects brewing efficiency in terms of extract yield.
This project analyzed 74 different types of rice to see how much sugar they could release for brewing beer. The best ones for brewing beer had less amylose, a starch. They also cracked more easily, facilitating sugar release during the mashing process. Mashing is the first step in brewing beer, where grains are soaked in hot water to convert starches to sugar.
“Identifying cultivars with higher extract yield can enhance brewhouse efficiency and reduce raw material requirements,” the study concluded.
This is an important finding, Lafontaine said, because the economic implications are considerable. Improved extract yield means less grain is needed to produce the same volume of beer, which can help brewers cut costs, reduce waste and scale production more sustainably.
Lafontaine added that this research highlights the importance of workforce training. NIFA funding has allowed students like Aitkens to gain experience on a wide range of equipment and analytical techniques, ensuring that Arkansas continues to develop a skilled talent pipeline to support the state’s agriculture and food industries.
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