Hey y’all,
So, I just had a crazy idea. It might not be technically feasible, let alone palatable, but hear me out.
I was on a Google/Wikipedia rabbit hole the other day, and was reminded of the different malt level-based tax designations in the Japanese brewing world. Specifically, in Japan, beer is only legally considered ‘beer’ for tax purposes if it is at least 67% malt. Right off the bat, I imagine this would eliminate some adjunct lagers from being designated as beer, and instead in Japan anything <67% malt is referred to as happoshu. Happoshu was originally brewed to evade higher taxes imposed on ‘beer,’ but my understanding is the tax burden reduction no longer kicks in or at least not as much as it did before until you get to the sub 25% malt mark.
Some additional tidbits about happoshu - it’s often considered a more affordable low end beverage analogous to malt liquor in the US, and some examples I’m sure are cheaply made and responsible for many a wicked hangover. However, much like DogFish Head and others at least briefly attempted to elevate malt liquor to craft status, why can’t the same be done for happoshu?
So, here’s my harebrained scheme: Create a hoppy happoshu (or, dare I say, hopposhu?! 8), because every terrible idea starts with a terrible beer pun, right?!). My concoction will consist of 75% rice and 25% high-enzyme malt. What I think I’m essentially doing is making a mash with adjunct levels comparable to a whiskey mash, but then hopping it like a pilsner. The backbone of this beer/happoshu, to the extent that there is one, will be extremely light and crisp, but hopefully not flavorless assuming I’m sufficiently selective about the type of rice I use.
To be fair, I have brewed sake before, where obviously 100% of the fermentables are rice, and although the gravity level, process and microorganism composition of the complex sake production process are markedly different than what I’m proposing here, by no means does a rice-only ‘beer’ like sake lack flavor. So I’m not particularly worried about making a flavorless beer/happoshu here, I’m more concerned about the technicals.
So, without further ado, here’s my idea:
6 gallon batch
8lbs rice (71.9%)
2lbs 5.9 oz Viking Enzyme malt (21.3%)
6.5oz acidulated malt (to hit my mash pH) (3.6%)
5.7oz table sugar (for priming, and to also to technically bump the total ‘non-malt’ fermentables above 75%).
General plan is to do a cereal mash with the rice and a portion (perhaps 1lb) of the enzyme malt, followed by a regular mash with the paltry remainder of the grain. Sparge and drain as usual, then boil with 1oz of Sorachi ace for 60 minutes followed by an additional 0.5oz of the same at 20 min and flameout. Chill then ferment cold with WLP830 German lager.
Anyone think this would work? I was considering having some UltraFerm on standby to throw into the mash to encourage conversion if the enzyme malt alone proved insufficient, but on paper 75% adjunct isn’t especially outlandish when one considers the world of spirits, so perhaps it won’t be necessary?
And again, I have no idea how any of this will end up tasting, which is definitely the most important thing, so curious for y’alls thoughts on that front as well. Thanks in advance, cheers!