Rice, corn, and wheat: a quick rant

You know the self-congratulatory rant: "We are a CRAFT BREWERY, and we don't use rice or corn."

Of course, that same righteous brewery will proudly make a wheat beer. Wheat —itself only a few notches above flavor-neutral— that will, in the mash,  dilute the flavor of barley.

Is then saké —100% rice beer— an inconsequential beverage? Not quite.

Beer is not solely the ingredient; it's what the brewer makes of it.