Why Budweiser Is Brewed With Rice Instead of Barley

The Process looked at why Budweiser Beer is brewed with rice instead of barley, noting that they made this rather choice not because it was the most expensive, but because barley’s protein chemistry makes the brew cloudy.

Rice isn’t a shortcut. It’s an expensive solution to a chemistry problem. Most people think rice is just “cheap filler,” but it actually costs more than corn. The real reason it’s there? American barley has way too much protein. If you don’t use rice to absorb it, the beer turns out cloudy and thick.

They also talk about the history of Anheuser-Busch, the partnership that would go on to make Budweiser and other St. Louis beers, the specific fermentation process of Budweiser, and how difficult it is to ensure the taste never varies.

You’re drinking a moving  formula designed to taste like it never changes. That sameness isn’t laziness. It’s  the hardest thing in brewing – making  a living recipe hold still. Rice in beer. Not a shortcut.  

Not a cost cut. A solution to a chemistry  problem most people don’t know exists.