Evaluating the costs of alternative malting grains for market adaptation: a case study on rice malt production in the U.S

Abstract Climate change, import restrictions, and global conflicts are significantly impacting brewing raw material supply and costs. To shield the malting and brewing industries from these disruptions, alternative crops to barley must be explored. Rice presents a promising option, yielding twice as much per hectare as barley and showing greater climate resilience. Monte Carlo simulations estimated the economic and agronomic impact of using rice for malting. While rice malt is more expensive to produce, it remains an attractive gluten-free alternative. Beer brewed from 100% rice malt costs 33% more than barley-based beer but reduces acreage requirements by 50–67%. Using rice malt as an adjunct can lower production costs by 2–12%. This methodology can estimate malting costs for other grains and locations. Unlike barley, rice is widely cultivated, this work highlights the future competitiveness of rice as a viable malting material for countries reliant on unstable barley imports.