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can i use anything other than the yeast balls? ive looked here in the uk and they cost a fortune nearly £20 a bag around $40

I was struggling with this but searched for fermented rice recipes and it led me to the following

http://shop.waiyeehong.com/food-ingredients/dried-products/dried-other/dried-yeast-cake-wine-cake

Much cheaper than the price you mentioned even with postage. To make the postage easier to swallow I stocked up on cup noodles. God I love cup noodles.
 
I'm about 12 days in and I never saw any mold on my rice O,o

Is this a problem? I have been swirling the jars almost daily and have a good bit of liquid in the bottom of both. It's kinda layered or separated.

I used sushi rice and yeast balls, I wonder, should I have used a sweet rice?

Thanks!
 
I'm about 12 days in and I never saw any mold on my rice O,o

Is this a problem? I have been swirling the jars almost daily and have a good bit of liquid in the bottom of both. It's kinda layered or separated.

I used sushi rice and yeast balls, I wonder, should I have used a sweet rice?

Thanks!

If you have liquid then you are probably good. No worries.
 
I ordered the yeast balls from this site almost a week ago and never got a shipping confirmation e-mail. SaraMC, did you experience a delay with your order from that site?

They were on the East Coast, impacted by Sandy and sent me an email to let me know there MAY be a delay, but my order arrived within a week. And in fact my second order took only four days (they send discount coupons with each order). If you did not get a confirmation I would definitely call them.
 
I received a shipping verification today, they will be here tomorrow. I am going to make some this weekend!
 
Photos, finally. I do not have a yield on the red batch, which used a total of four cups raw rice; and the white batch made from just two cups raw sushi rice gave me 800ml, but I consumed 200ml already (hence the 600ml sticky). I will say that as the rice lees settled they compacted into a cake that held tight when I simply poured off the clear wine. I am sure if a larger volume is made and the finished wine polished via filtering the end product would be crystal clear, even though I am quite happy with it now.

So, wondering if the yield on red one will be close to 1600ml since I used double the rice but a different type. Both wines are delicious as-is, and I seriously need to pasteurize and bottle so I will not have to keep them in refrigerator.

Remember, you can find the notes on red batch on 11/13, and the white one on 11/18. Nothing like a successful experiment.



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Photos, finally. I do not have a yield on the red batch, which used a total of four cups raw rice; and the white batch made from just two cups raw sushi rice gave me 800ml, but I consumed 200ml already (hence the 600ml sticky). I will say that as the rice lees settled they compacted into a cake that held tight when I simply poured off the clear wine. I am sure if a larger volume is made and the finished wine polished via filtering the end product would be crystal clear, even though I am quite happy with it now.

So, wondering if the yield on red one will be close to 1600ml since I used double the rice but a different type. Both wines are delicious as-is, and I seriously need to pasteurize and bottle so I will not have to keep them in refrigerator.

Remember, you can find the notes on red batch on 11/13, and the white one on 11/18. Nothing like a successful experiment.

The red looks really tasty. Wondering what it tastes like! I was thinking about microwave or stove top pasteurization myself for those that were worried about storage but my wine keeps disappearing before I can experiment.
 
So I have a question on the process. Does this need a certain amount of headspace, or would it be OK to fill the jar completely? Sorry if I missed this in an earlier post.


-Kingboomer
 
So I have a question on the process. Does this need a certain amount of headspace, or would it be OK to fill the jar completely? Sorry if I missed this in an earlier post.

I would make sure to leave a little space for a CO2 blanket to form but that should not require too much headspace.
 
The red looks really tasty. Wondering what it tastes like! I was thinking about microwave or stove top pasteurization myself for those that were worried about storage but my wine keeps disappearing before I can experiment.

I can sympathize about the shrinking inventory. Once my taste buds return, coming down with a respiratory something, I will see if I cannot get a better description plus a description from another person. The red one keeps me smacking my lips as I try to come up with a descriptive.
 
Picked up a 55 cup (dry rice capacity) rice cooker. Hoping to find time to make it downtown to the asian market this weekend and start a 3-5 gallon batch of this. I like the idea of the different flavors, and plan to gift it out regularly to some friends, so I'm going to do a large batch and then start playing with flavors in small quantities. Thanks for the thread grok, good info.

ricecooker.jpg
 
I have a 25lb. bag of thai jasmine rice and 500g of shanghai yeast cake. All I need is enough glass to hold it all.
 
Great thread. I have always enjoyed sake but it always sounded like a huge pain to make.

This sounds so easy and seems to be getting good results so I'm totally giving this a try today!
 
I made a trip to an Asian supermarket while I was in LA. There were 2 kinds of starters, and I got them both:

azmDY.jpg

"Angel-brand Rice Leaven" which comes in 8g packets similar to dry powdered yeast, and

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"Shanghai Yeast Cakes" which are the ubiquitous Chinese yeast balls.


From the Wikipedia article on Chinese fermentation starters, I learned that there are basically 3 types of starters, all composed of various yeasts, molds, and bacteria:

Small starter - made with molds of the Rhizopus and Mucor genus, this starter supposedly generates less heat and produces wine more neutral in flavor
The rice leaven packets list Rhizopus oryzae as an ingredient, so they're probably of this type.

Large starter - the mold here is Aspergillus oryzae (the species commonly called koji); almost all famous alcoholic drinks in China use this starter
Since they're more common, I bet that the yeast balls are "large starters".

Red starter - yeast and Monascus purpureus, the species responsible for red yeast rice
I didn't see any of these beside the other starters. I did find red-colored rice in a different section (with other types of rice), but I'm not sure if that contains active cultures.


The instructions for the yeast balls are on the back of the package in Chinese only, so here they are, translated:

To make Jiuniang (glutinous rice pudding):
Open an individual packet and grind the 2 yeast balls into powder, about 20 g. Soak 1.2 kg [about 6 cups] of glutinous rice [also called sweet or sticky rice] for 3 hours in summer or 5 hours in winter. Drain and steam the rice until done. Add some cold water and bring the temperature to about 30 °C [86 °F]. Mix the powdered starter with the rice and pack the mixture down in a large enough vessel. Make a hole in the middle, 5cm in diameter and all the way to the bottom. Cover the vessel and keep warm, around 25-30 °C. After 24-36 hours, check the hole for sweet rice juice. When all the rice has softened up, the Jiuniang is ready. Refrigerate and enjoy.

To make Huangjiu ("yellow wine"):
Put the Jiuniang as prepared above in a large vessel and add 2.4 L of filtered water. Cover and let it ferment. After 24 hours, you'll see the rice clump up and float on top of the liquid. Use a clean utensil to mix it up. After repeating this for 7 days (more or less, depending on room temperature), the rice solids will have sunk to the bottom. The liquid is mostly colorless at this point. Strain the liquid out and let it settle, then you can heat pasteurize it and age it in the bottle. It will slowly take on color and become "Yellow Wine".

So there it is, the "right" way to do it, though I didn't read the instructions until after I started my first batch which is now on day 15. I used both starters in a sort of free-for-all. I'll update with details and pictures tomorrow :p
 
Just a heads up about red yeast rice:

It contains a naturally occurring statin, which is the main class of drugs used to control cholesterol (eg Lipitor, Crestor, etc). If you are on any cholesterol, heart/cardiovascular, blood pressure, or diabetes medications, you should talk to your doctor about it first.
 
emjay said:
Just a heads up about red yeast rice:

It contains a naturally occurring statin, which is the main class of drugs used to control cholesterol (eg Lipitor, Crestor, etc). If you are on any cholesterol, heart/cardiovascular, blood pressure, or diabetes medications, you should talk to your doctor about it first.

Yeah that's the only application I was aware of before now... I've never seen it used in food or alcohol products.
 
Today is day 20 of my fermentation process. I can smell a faint & slightly sweet wine smell around my jars. They're still bubbling a bit, should I still bottle tomorrow on day 21? They've been sitting in my closet which is about 60F apart from the first 2ish days when they were wrapped in an electric blanket.
 
I made my first batch in a one-gallon glass jar from Target. After soaking 5 cups of sweet rice for 24 hours, I drained it and cooked it with 10 cups of filtered water in a stockpot, which in hindsight was too much after a full day of soaking. The rice came out to a paste-like consistency. Next time I'll start with 8 cups of water and add more if necessary. Five cups of rice is about 1 kg, so I used 1 crushed up yeast ball and half a packet of Angel Rice Leaven. I transferred the rice to the sterilized glass jar, mixing in the powdered starter at the same time. Then I covered the jar with the glass lid that it came with and wrapped the whole thing in a towel and heat pad, just to bring the temperature up a bit from the ambient 60 °F.

After 24 hours, there wasn't much difference except a thin layer of liquid on top:
Pic 1
Pic 2

By the third day, the bottom third of the jar was filled with a cloudy liquid. The rice mass was floating on top, and a fuzzy mold with black spores was growing on the surface:
Pic
Mold
The liquid at this point was tangy and sweet, with no alcohol that I could taste. I broke up the mat of moldy rice on top and stirred it well, then left it alone until day 15.

There was now a sweet boozy aroma coming from the jar. The rice had separated into a floating mass that looks like cheese curds, and a layer of fine sediment on the bottom, with yellowish liquid in between:
bZxD2.jpg

This time, there wasn't any visible mold on top. I stirred the rice around and sampled the liquid. It had a strong kick and very little residual sweetness.
Now, I'm going to stir it daily for a few more days and then strain it with jelly strainer bags.
 
I'm about 23 days in. Seems like the color is turning a little yellow. I can't tell if the smell is simply a strong alcohol or a slight vinegar. There is still a hint of sweet to it. I can't do anything with it tonight but should I filter and refrigerate tomorrow?
 
Rice wine is filtering now. The initial taste is strong and tangy but there is a pungent aftertaste. Not sure if something off happened during fermentation, or maybe I just don't like rice wine?
 
CaptainAsparagus said:
Rice wine is filtering now. The initial taste is strong and tangy but there is a pungent aftertaste. Not sure if something off happened during fermentation, or maybe I just don't like rice wine?

Tangy makes me think that maybe you got a Lactobacillus or Aceto bacteria. Could any fruit flies have gotten to it or anything? I'm going to make my first batch in a couple days.
 
Tangy makes me think that maybe you got a Lactobacillus or Aceto bacteria. Could any fruit flies have gotten to it or anything? I'm going to make my first batch in a couple days.

I wouldn't think so. Wisconsin winters keep most bugs in hiding. I feel that I was thorough with sanitation as well. I did take the jars out once a week to stir, but I sanitized my spoon, too. Bah.

I have so much of this stuff.
 
Can't vouch for the stirring. Can't remember where that came up. I don't stir.

Maybe stir caused oxidation to vinegar? Is it vinegary?
 
I made a 5 cup dry batch of this about 3 days ago and it looks like nothing has changed at all in the jar. I soaked the rice for maybe an hour and steamed it for about an hour. I am new to steaming rice. I usually boil rice and can tell when it's done by the crunch or lack there of. I think it might be to dry? It was a translucent color and had no crunch.

Any one have this issue? I am making another batch tonight I let the rice soak for 2+ hours this batch I added 1 cup dry jasmine to 2 cups dry sushi rice.
 
Can't vouch for the stirring. Can't remember where that came up. I don't stir.

Maybe stir caused oxidation to vinegar? Is it vinegary?

I stirred, because several blogs and articles recommended stirring during early days, much like punching down the cap of fruit. I also fermented without airlock and mine turned out just fine. Not that I have anything homemade for comparison. I do know rice wine/sake is prone to Lb. infection, and this is one reason they recommend pasteurization. And if you opt to ferment beyond Day 21 the wine picks up what tangy taste. Not vinegar though. Also, the yeast ball itself can impart a specific flavor. Some are known to be on the sweeter side, some are more sour.
 
I stir to break up the floating mass of rice so that the yeast can better get at it. I started stirring after the first week, when most of the rice had liquefied. I always used a sterile utensil and I haven't had a problem with infection. When I sampled the rice wine after 2 weeks, it wasn't tangy at all, just harsh, almost bitter alcohol.
 
I made a 5 cup dry batch of this about 3 days ago and it looks like nothing has changed at all in the jar. I soaked the rice for maybe an hour and steamed it for about an hour. I am new to steaming rice. I usually boil rice and can tell when it's done by the crunch or lack there of. I think it might be to dry? It was a translucent color and had no crunch.

Any one have this issue?....

I did basically the same thing (although only 2 cups dry rice) with the same lack of results. It looks like there's white stuff growing all over it but I don't see any liquid. I thought maybe it was too cold so I moved it close to a heater ~24 hrs ago. Still no liquid.

I'm guessing that it's too dry maybe. I spray bottled it a little yesterday. I might boil / cool some water today to add to the jars or something... or just leave it be and see what happens? Undecided so far.
 
Don't add water. Water can make for some really bad nasties. Just give it some time. Mine took about 7 good days before it started going. Be patient with it. Drier rice may take longer. If it doesn't kick off within 2 weeks I would dump it and start over. But I wouldn't add any water.
 
I made another smaller batch using jasmine rice and sticky sushi rice, I placed this batch in the kitchen cabinet, I also soaked the rice a lot longer.

The big batch looks like it is doing something, this is the worst part about brewing is the trying to have the will to wait lol.
 
It is really easy to monitor for wine development if you poke a nice sized hole, think hole in center of a donut, in the center of the prepared rice/yeast must--all the way to bottom of container. As the rice starts to liquify you can easily assess the volume as the liquid level rises in the hole.
 
Mine took awhile to start forming liquid. The sushi rice was really sticky, so that might've been part of the problem. Seems to be doing okay now though.
 
My Results -

One gallon glass container, 5 cups Calrose rise soaked overnight, cooked per directions in pot, spread out on foil to cool & sprinkled four crushed "yeast balls" over it.

I took this and packed it into the gallon container and left it alone for three weeks at 60 degrees.

End product is excellent. Has almost a semi sweet mead quality to it. Going to make two more gallon containers this weekend.

Thanks to the original poster for the instructions and inspiration.
 
My Results -

One gallon glass container, 5 cups Calrose rise soaked overnight, cooked per directions in pot, spread out on foil to cool & sprinkled four crushed "yeast balls" over it.

I took this and packed it into the gallon container and left it alone for three weeks at 60 degrees.

End product is excellent. Has almost a semi sweet mead quality to it. Going to make two more gallon containers this weekend.

Thanks to the original poster for the instructions and inspiration.

SO important when it comes to any kind of brewing! Glad you enjoyed it.
 
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