Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different
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Other than the fact that it probably won't be as warm as you may want it to be, what is the issue with under the bathroom sink, as long as you have the cheesecloth + lid?
Yes, I was one of those people
Ostomo517
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Other than the fact that it probably won't be as warm as you may want it to be, what is the issue with under the bathroom sink, as long as you have the cheesecloth + lid?
Yes, I was one of those people
Besides the tons of extra bacteria?
Spinrathen
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I am fermenting mine in a closet, but I really would not see any problem doing it in a bathroom. Assuming you aren't opening it a bunch nothing can get in.
Ostomo517
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If air can get out bacteria can definately get in
Its not a toilet
I don't feel real strongly about leaving it there, but what's really the difference between it and a closet other than a pipe running through it?
user 83772
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Assuming that the folks fermenting their rice in their bathrooms clean those bathrooms like they clean the rest of their houses, there isn't going to be "tons of extra bacteria".
Spinrathen
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co2 is escaping after the space in the jar is full, creating a co2 bubble that expels anything making it impossible for things to get in. That is my understanding of how the yeast eating sugars and expelling co2 and ethyl alcohol works.
Its not a toilet
I don't feel real strongly about leaving it there, but what's really the difference between it and a closet other than a pipe running through it?
You would probably be fine... but why risk it?
user 83772
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Yeah, calrose has been used with mixed results. So far the best performer seems to be the Thai Jasmine rice suggested by @sonofgrok in the first post.
OP
OP
I would tend to agree with Osmoto. The cheesecloth airlock is far from 100% efficient and I could culture even the air in your bathroom and you would probably be surprised at exactly how much bacteria is in there.
Ever heard the saying "dont s&$*@ where you eat"? I also wouldn't brew where I s%$&@. But ultimately it is your call. lol
Ever heard the saying "dont s&$*@ where you eat"? I also wouldn't brew where I s%$&@. But ultimately it is your call. lol
bottlebomber
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Whippy said:
I don't think it makes a difference. I cooked mine as normal and my results were identical to everyone else's who had success.
saramc
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I have cultured air from bathrooms, including under the sink, of well cleaned bathrooms in residential, office and hospital settings....you really do not want to ferment in your bathroom unless it is never used. We had thirty students obtain five samples from each setting across a 300 mile radius, with office/hospital having samples collected from no more than two bathrooms in the same building but never the same bathroom. We were all quite grossed out, and residential grew more organisms than the other two.
Did you also sample the other rooms in the buildings in comparison and not just the bathroom? I bet you would find just as much bacteria in the other parts of the buildings as you did in the bathrooms. Bacteria is everywhere, especially on that thing you are moving your cursor with. Bathrooms tend to be cleaned more thoroughly than other parts of a building so wouldn't be surprised if some of the more "scary" stuff was found outside of the restroom...
WesleyS
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japroto said:
Although I still would never ferment anything in a bathroom in use or under the sink, it is an interesting subject. There's are all kinds of nasties floating around everywhere. For the most part people use disinfectant/antibacterial cleaners in bathrooms and kitchens but not a lot of other places in their home. So there are probably places some might consider "safe" but might not be much cleaner. Just a chain of events can bring it there. You flush the toilet with the lid up and the spray carries stuff into other rooms through the air. You walk into your fermenting room with the same shoes you walk around in outside and in public. It's hard to keep everything out.
I did 2-4 cup batches yesterday and brewed a wheat beer. Took the last running and thought what the hell and through a yeast ball in with it. Started fermenting within a few hours. Well see how it turns out.
saramc
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Yes, actually we did another lab and sampled living rooms/common rooms/waiting rooms in the same buildings that the bathroom samples were collected in and the organism list was not as large. Samples were collected the same time by another set of students, but same course, same instructor. It was concluded that confined space, humidity potential and activity which takes place in a restroom versus other sample setting was the reason there was such a difference in organism collection. We got an A for the assignment.
OP
OP
You sir. Are awesome.
This is fascinating but could we possibly take this private?
OP
OP
Its also a matter of type of bacteria. Bathrooms (even the clean ones) have a lot of bacteria associated with fecal matter like E. Coli. After you drop a deuce, that "clean" bathroom still smells and spraying a little Lysol isn't going to disinfect everything. Especially in nooks and crannies like where the wood meets at the edges and corners of your bathroom cabinet. Bathrooms (especially under the sink) tend to also be more humid which can contribute to microbial growth.
Anyway, this isn't a "how sanitary is your bathroom to brew in" thread. It's a rice wine thread. So brew it, drink it, and be merry! Moving on...
Ostomo517
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Just a fyi on yeast dosing. Ive noticed the giant size differences of yeast balls we all have found. Im making another batch today and am going with what I successfully used last batch which was 4 balls for 5 cups of dry thai rice. The ones I use are 1 gram each. Im pretty sure Ive seem ppl use waaaaay more than this on batches perhaps contributing to a strong yeasty smell and or flavor. Happy brewing!
trbig
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So with many people fermenting their rice wine in bathrooms, this discussion does pertain... so what exactly is the problem?
And... two more days until I get to harvest my first batch!
OP
OP
See my posts and Sara's above. Hope yours is awesome!
Ostomo517
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So was it gross??? Lol
saramc
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Anyone tried the black rice yet? I bought some, steamed it and ate it instead of fermenting it.
saramc
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I think the reason many of us are using a larger qty of yeast ball is because many Asian grocers and some translated directions have recommended two 10gm balls(which have been the size that everyone found until the miniball discovery) per kilo of raw rice. I now use 20gm/kilo and have yet to have an issue with yeasty end product.
I think you and BattleGoat have the mini yeast balls, the ones with a diameter smaller than a dime....what does one, or four or five, of them weigh out of curiosity?
Ostomo517
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They weigh 1 gram each.
Ostomo517
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I suppose it could possibly be a potency thing?
I would not personally make rice wine in my bathroom. In my opinion, the higher levels of humidity are likely to mean higher mold spore levels. That, in turn, increases the likelihood of getting something unpleasant in your rice that would find the conditions favorable.
Lots of people have mold growing in the cabinet under there sink that they never notice from the humidity alone, not to mention possible leaks. There are a lot more places you can end up with mold growth in a bathroom, and not have any idea it's even there too.
Lots of people have mold growing in the cabinet under there sink that they never notice from the humidity alone, not to mention possible leaks. There are a lot more places you can end up with mold growth in a bathroom, and not have any idea it's even there too.
Sorry to have created a monster, for all interested parties the rice filled jar is now safe inside of a very clean cooler, wrapped in a blanket.
We really do need to keep the chatter confined to rice wine only lest we have the people who chime in with "Well hey I haven't bothered to read 90% of the thread.. but how does this work?" get confused as to what the thread is about. :cross:
We really do need to keep the chatter confined to rice wine only lest we have the people who chime in with "Well hey I haven't bothered to read 90% of the thread.. but how does this work?" get confused as to what the thread is about. :cross:
Lac
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Agreed on the wild rice=not so great. Same for some others.
Been off the forum for a while with school kickin my arse, but popped back on and was excited to see an active and heavily posted rice wine thread. Glad to see more people are getting into it.
I was running a whole bunch of different batches side by side a while back, and tried several with different types of "non-standard" rice, including: black-glutinous, red rice (not the monascus infected, the standard), short grain black rice, japanese glutinous (short grain), thai/viet glutinous, and standard short grain rice from asian market (comes as yellow & pink/red "world treasure" if translated). Used a few different yeasts (D47, DV21, EC-1118, K1V-1116, and...Safale S04). I do use the balls when I'm making traditional chinese rice wine, but when I'm fiddling with yeast strains I like to grow the aspergillus oryzae to avoid the other fungi found in the balls, which promote lots of other flavors (great for making baijiu, bad for hangovers >.<).
Needless to say, many of the rice varieties with the whole grain intact imparted a very, shall we say...umami...flavor to the wine, which I wasn't so big on. It was almost like soy sauce, and reminded me of some of the different baijiu I had while I was back in China.
Best one so far, IMHO, is the thai glutinous rice with the EC-1118 (strong though), along with the thai glutinous and D47 (very viscous mouth feel, best cold).
Been off the forum for a while with school kickin my arse, but popped back on and was excited to see an active and heavily posted rice wine thread.
Glad to see more people are getting into it. I was running a whole bunch of different batches side by side a while back, and tried several with different types of "non-standard" rice, including: black-glutinous, red rice (not the monascus infected, the standard), short grain black rice, japanese glutinous (short grain), thai/viet glutinous, and standard short grain rice from asian market (comes as yellow & pink/red "world treasure" if translated). Used a few different yeasts (D47, DV21, EC-1118, K1V-1116, and...Safale S04). I do use the balls when I'm making traditional chinese rice wine, but when I'm fiddling with yeast strains I like to grow the aspergillus oryzae to avoid the other fungi found in the balls, which promote lots of other flavors (great for making baijiu, bad for hangovers >.<).
Needless to say, many of the rice varieties with the whole grain intact imparted a very, shall we say...umami...flavor to the wine, which I wasn't so big on. It was almost like soy sauce, and reminded me of some of the different baijiu I had while I was back in China.
Best one so far, IMHO, is the thai glutinous rice with the EC-1118 (strong though), along with the thai glutinous and D47 (very viscous mouth feel, best cold).
lakedawgs
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Has anyone ever tried to use a brewed tea as opposed to water when steaming the rice? I cooked (3) 2 cup batches and used a brewed hot tea for the liquid in 2 of the batches. We'll see how it turns out in 3wks or so. The rice tastes great.
trbig
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So two yeast balls per KILO? At 6 cups per pound and a kilo at 2.2 pounds, that would be @ 13 cups rice per kilo. Many have suggested a yeast ball per cup ratio, meaning... I used 12 of the 10gm balls for 12 cups of rice and it REALLY seemed like overkill.
And I also am interested in the home growing of aspergillus oryzae.
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