Rice lagers aren’t exactly new and there have long been readily available mainstream offerings but in the craft beer industry anyway, they have been enjoying some extra time in the sun recently. Typically, such beers use a substantial amount of rice in their overall malt bill to dry them out and ensure they’re particularly lean or fresh, with the rice added as an adjunct alongside barley. You won’t find any of that grain in the Two Bay’s rice lager (or any of their beers for that matter), with their Japanese-inspired rice lager using millet malts alongside unmalted rice.
The limited release is their first for 2022 and to get the hit of citrus, the gluten-free brewery used a hop mix of Talus, Mandarina Bavaria and Motueka for a subtle touch of mandarin. Here those citrus elements come in the shape of both a slight zest akin to the fruit’s skin while there are also some elements of mandarin flesh before the rice’s leaner and dryer elements cut through.
Will Ziebell
NB: Mandarin Rice Lager is headlining TWØBAYS' nationwide Free The Taps that are held as part of Coeliac Awareness Week. You can find out where your nearest one is by heading here.
Published March 16, 2022 2022-03-16 00:00:00
