Optimizing Milled Rice Utilization in the Brewing Industry by Overcoming Equipment Barriers Through Cultivar Characterization

Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed fermented beverages in the world. However, barley production is increasingly vulnerable to agricultural and socioeconomic pressures, particularly in temperate growing regions where rising temperatures threaten yield stability. In contrast, rice is projected to experience comparatively smaller yield declines, highlighting its potential as a more climate-resilient starch source for brewing. This opportunity is especially relevant in the United States, where Arkansas produces approximately half of the nation’s rice supply. Large commercial breweries have successfully incorporated rice through the use of cereal cookers, but these systems are often impractical for smaller operations because of their cost and space requirements. In addition, rice supplied to the brewing industry is often sourced as a byproduct of the edible rice market, where multiple cultivars may be blended, reducing consistency and obscuring cultivar-specific effects that influence brewing performance. This manuscript reviews variation among rice cultivars in the physical, chemical, and agronomic properties relevant to brewing and examines how these differences affect extract yield and processability. Particular emphasis is placed on practical strategies to overcome technical barriers, including alternative mashing approaches and the use of heat-stable exogenous enzymes to facilitate the use of milled rice without dedicated cereal-cooking infrastructure.