Behind the scenes of Balter Black... our latest limited release Black Rice Lager.

There’s something a bit unexpected about Balter’s latest release. It pours black, drinks light, and lands somewhere between a crisp lager and a smooth dessert. It’s a beer built on contrasts, but none of them clash. 

This one came out of the brains and brew tanks of our head brewer James Belsey and the team in Currumbin, who wanted to take a style traditionally seen as heavy and make it sippy-friendly. 

"We always try to have at least one dark beer on tap at HQ," says James, "but up here in Queensland, it’s warm most of the year, so we wanted something with those chocolate and espresso flavours, but way lighter in the body."

What makes Black Rice Lager different?

Black Rice Lager all starts (probably not surprisingly given the name) with rice taking the place of barley. This isn’t your regular sushi-platter stuff though. The flaked rice brings a unique twist to the brew, in colour, taste and texture.

"Barley has loads of enzymes that help break down sugars for the yeast to munch on," James explains. "Rice doesn’t. So we had to get a bit technical in how we mashed it in. It’s a bit of a pain in the arse, honestly. But it was worth it."

Rice needs to be gelatinised (basically stretched and softened) before it can be used in brewing. Without a cereal cooker in-house, the team had to get crafty, using a small portion of barley to coax out the sugars before moving into the full mash. "You’re kind of walking a tightrope to get the balance right," James says.

The Payoff of Black Lager

All that effort results in something that’s surprisingly easy to drink. Lighter on the palate than you’d expect, but still full of character. "It has this taste that reminds me of creamed rice,” says James. “That slight sweetness but with none of the cling."

The body is crisp. The finish is clean. And those roasted malts? They don’t hang around too long. Just enough to tease you into taking another sip. Then another.

Black Lager Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep black with a creamy tan head
Aroma: Subtle roasted espresso, dark chocolate, hints of cherry and molasses
Palate: Light-bodied but full of flavour. Chocolate up front, a little roast on the mid-palate, finishing crisp with a dry rice snap.
Bitterness: Low and smooth. Enough to balance the malt but never steal the spotlight.

If you want the fun rundown, here’s our official take from the tinnie:

Like a biker ballerina, this beer looks as tough as nails but is light on its feet with all the right moves. Surprisingly smooth to sip, its subtle chocolate and espresso notes finish with a pop of cherry and shimmy of molasses–all from rice, barley and hops. Proof you can wear black and still be the life of the party.

Not Just for Stout Fans

If you normally shy away from dark beers, Black Rice Lager might be your gateway. It's built to convert lager lovers who usually tap out when things go opaque.

"I was giving it to lager drinkers at the GABS Festival," says James, "just to see their reaction. Most of them were shocked. They'd never think a beer this dark could drink that light." There are no heavy coffee stouts or cloying pastry porters here. It doesn’t drink like a loaf of bread. No adjunct overload. Just a sleek little number that looks broody and sips breezy.

Hops Inspired By The Black Forest

While Black Rice Lager mostly emerged from the broader trend of Japanese rice beers, there’s a bit of a twist to the tale. It’s a fun little fact that James drew some inspiration for Balter Black from a trip to the Black Forest in Germany. 

James discovered some regional pils on his Euro trip with just the right edge of malt and bitterness. With this in mind he applied the hop/malt balance to a darker style of beer. He was so intrigued, he quizzed the brewers. "They were like, ‘oh, that bitterness and hop presence that’s going on comes from the Tettnang hop we use’. I ended up using that idea to create something for Balter that kept the hops really subtle. You want a bit of bitterness there to balance it, but you don’t want to be tasting it. That was the goal with this beer. Let the rice bring the sweetness but keep the whole thing light and balanced."

And it worked. You get that hint of syrup, a whisper of roast, and a smooth, dry finish that makes the whole thing ridiculously sessionable. It's kind of like meeting someone who looks like they’re into death metal but ends up being an absolute sweetheart.

Sealed In A Tin

This release is Balter's answer to the colder months without going full-throttle into the imperial stout world. "We didn’t want to be part of the noise-for-noise’s-sake crowd," James says. "This isn’t some 12% barrel-aged chocolate-chili-marshmallow monster. It’s just a really well-balanced, well-made beer."

Call it a seasonal reset. A palate cleanser with a shadowy side. A black lager that doesn’t punch you in the face. 

Black Lager is available now from our taproom, select indie bottleshops and venues around Australia from today. Use our Beer Locator find one near you – or give your local a shout and get them to bring some in. Pick one up before they disappear. You might just change your mind about dark beer.