Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different
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Baileisdad
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Started a batch in a 5 gallon bucket . Looks to be off to a good start mixed Chinese balls in with rice. Then rolled rice into baseball sized balls. Stacked them in bucket and today I got a bunch of fuzzy white balls.
Yes. You need to post pictures. 1000 words, you know
two days in. Just peeked. little bit of liquid at the bottom. Couple bubbles in there... will update in a few. Pics are hard to upload on the app...
OG_IBU_Bunghole
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I've harvested all of my rice wine batches at 21 days and eaten the batches for intended for eating after 3 days. To clarify, I'm trying to make the fermentation time the dependent variable to see the difference. Some folks here have regularly gone 4 weeks and even accidentally accidentally gone months and a grocer at one of my yeast balls sources implied that you can let the ferment go for years to produce a radically different beverage.
After further pondering I'm thinking I'll go 3 & 4 to see that difference... then let the other two jars go to 6 and 12 for outliers to our tried and true process.
trbig
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The two batches I accidentally had go for months turned out the best (And clearest) I've made.... so far.
So my neighbor stopped by tonight while I was cooking up some rice for rice wine and she gave me these to put in it. She's from somewhere near Beijing.
She said its a supplement for yeast and person nutrition. Says her folks used it for rice wine.
I'm going to give it a shot regardless, but has anybody seen these before?
She said its a supplement for yeast and person nutrition. Says her folks used it for rice wine.
I'm going to give it a shot regardless, but has anybody seen these before?
trbig
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According to this, wolfberries are the fountain of youth, cures everything that could possibly ail you, and jumps over tall buildings with a single bound? lol. Also, it says it's supposed to help your liver. So drinking this wine is going to HELP your liver.. yeah.. THAT'S the ticket!
http://www.phytochemicals.info/plants/wolfberry.php
But honestly, I'd be willing to try anything that added a berry taste to this. Did she say how much to use? The main downfall I see of it is that it's fairly expensive.
http://www.phytochemicals.info/plants/wolfberry.php
But honestly, I'd be willing to try anything that added a berry taste to this. Did she say how much to use? The main downfall I see of it is that it's fairly expensive.
According to this, wolfberries are the fountain of youth, cures everything that could possibly ail you, and jumps over tall buildings with a single bound? lol. Also, it says it's supposed to help your liver. So drinking this wine is going to HELP your liver.. yeah.. THAT'S the ticket!
http://www.phytochemicals.info/plants/wolfberry.php
But honestly, I'd be willing to try anything that added a berry taste to this. Did she say how much to use? The main downfall I see of it is that it's fairly expensive.
Haha. Yeah she called it Goji. She said they make the wine and have post-partem mothers eat the rice with it to help recover and stimulate milk production.
She said just use 'all or half'. I just sprinkled some in the jar.
I really hope it doesn't stimulate any milk production...
trbig
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After the wine is done, I'd personally have to try eating one of the berries... or all of them.
They say they're pretty easy to grow. Hardy in zones 5-9, but it takes two years to get berries. I wonder if the alcohol submersion kills the seed? I guess you could take that out first. Either way, now I'm going to have to pick some up at the China store and see if I like them.
They say they're pretty easy to grow. Hardy in zones 5-9, but it takes two years to get berries. I wonder if the alcohol submersion kills the seed? I guess you could take that out first. Either way, now I'm going to have to pick some up at the China store and see if I like them.
trbig
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Well, I went and picked up these "Berries" from a couple different stores. One package says "Goji Berries". The other packages say "Fructus Lycii". Wolfberries are the english name. All the same.
I ate a couple handfulls. They smell much better than they taste. Very fruity smell, a bit maybe like cranberries, but the taste is just kind of bland. There's a sweetness to it, but not much.
The bag labelled Goji Berries was $9 for 12.7 ounces. It has the comparisons of antioxidants to:
Oranges, 750
Strawberries, 1,540
Prunes, 5,770
Goji Berries, 25,300!
The smaller bags are 5 oz and were $2.89. Definately the better deal, BUT... the bigger bag had several additives such as small amounts of blueberry and raspberry extracts and sugar. The smaller bags have sulfite as a preservative.
Since these are dried fruit, I'm sure there will be some living molds/yeasts on them. My plan is to put a bag full in the bottom of my bucket, then dump steamed rice directly onto it, hopefully killing any wild things with heat.
I did find some info saying people that are taking warfarin (Rat poison.. lol) as a blood thinner or hypertension or diabetic drug users should avoid them.
I ate a couple handfulls. They smell much better than they taste. Very fruity smell, a bit maybe like cranberries, but the taste is just kind of bland. There's a sweetness to it, but not much.
The bag labelled Goji Berries was $9 for 12.7 ounces. It has the comparisons of antioxidants to:
Oranges, 750
Strawberries, 1,540
Prunes, 5,770
Goji Berries, 25,300!
The smaller bags are 5 oz and were $2.89. Definately the better deal, BUT... the bigger bag had several additives such as small amounts of blueberry and raspberry extracts and sugar. The smaller bags have sulfite as a preservative.
Since these are dried fruit, I'm sure there will be some living molds/yeasts on them. My plan is to put a bag full in the bottom of my bucket, then dump steamed rice directly onto it, hopefully killing any wild things with heat.
I did find some info saying people that are taking warfarin (Rat poison.. lol) as a blood thinner or hypertension or diabetic drug users should avoid them.
trbig
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A while back, you may or may not remember me posting that I'd forgotten a couple batches of rice wine in the ferment buckets for several months, and the wine turned out excellent.
Well, for probably at least 2 months before that, I had a batch of RYR wine that I sterilized in hot water for 20 minutes, then capped. I put it all in the fridge (Which didn't hang around long) except for one bottle, which I capped and set on the bar, not in the dark or anything. No direct sunlight, but indirect and all the normal room lights. So for nearly 6 months, it's been sitting at room temperature. I just uncapped it and poured it into a glass. Sweet and delicious! Seems to be no harmful effects at all.
Maybe the sterilizing had something to do with it, but honestly, the stuff that went months in the bucket un-sterilized could have turned into any science experiment they wished. So, not sure how they make rice vinegar, but apparently I'm no good at that.
Well, for probably at least 2 months before that, I had a batch of RYR wine that I sterilized in hot water for 20 minutes, then capped. I put it all in the fridge (Which didn't hang around long) except for one bottle, which I capped and set on the bar, not in the dark or anything. No direct sunlight, but indirect and all the normal room lights. So for nearly 6 months, it's been sitting at room temperature. I just uncapped it and poured it into a glass. Sweet and delicious! Seems to be no harmful effects at all.
Maybe the sterilizing had something to do with it, but honestly, the stuff that went months in the bucket un-sterilized could have turned into any science experiment they wished. So, not sure how they make rice vinegar, but apparently I'm no good at that.
OG_IBU_Bunghole
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I eat goji berries all the time (for those antioxidants and probably a bunch of stuff that scientists have yet to identify). I buy them in both dried and powdered form at the local healthy food type grocery store and put them in smoothies. I seem to recall an argument against putting fruit in with the rice. I'm curious to see how the goji berry / rice ferment goes.
This should be an interesting experiment. Please let us know how things come out.
I had about 12 oz of harvested rice wine I left in a container with just a piece of cloth over it. The idea being to make rice wine vinegar. I forgot about it for several months, and when I checked on it, it had completely evaporated. Leaving an extremely stubborn dark brown gum in the bottom of the jar. I did not taste it, I washed it out of the jar.A while back, you may or may not remember me posting that I'd forgotten a couple batches of rice wine in the ferment buckets for several months, and the wine turned out excellent.
Well, for probably at least 2 months before that, I had a batch of RYR wine that I sterilized in hot water for 20 minutes, then capped. I put it all in the fridge (Which didn't hang around long) except for one bottle, which I capped and set on the bar, not in the dark or anything. No direct sunlight, but indirect and all the normal room lights. So for nearly 6 months, it's been sitting at room temperature. I just uncapped it and poured it into a glass. Sweet and delicious! Seems to be no harmful effects at all.
Maybe the sterilizing had something to do with it, but honestly, the stuff that went months in the bucket un-sterilized could have turned into any science experiment they wished. So, not sure how they make rice vinegar, but apparently I'm no good at that.
At some point I'll try making rice wine vinegar again, after I've learned more about the process though.
trbig
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Yes, I like chicken too. Especially when served with sesame sauce on rice.Chicken!
dgr
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trbig,
I don't know how you could have any of this stuff sitting around for months.
LG, Leave some cut up fruit laying around until you get some fruit flies and inoculate your wine with them. From a picture I saw on another board, it should look like a little oil slick spreading out from the fly body. This guy goes into some great detail on making, testing percentage and diluting his ACV to store strength. http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=265435
I don't know how you could have any of this stuff sitting around for months.
LG, Leave some cut up fruit laying around until you get some fruit flies and inoculate your wine with them. From a picture I saw on another board, it should look like a little oil slick spreading out from the fly body. This guy goes into some great detail on making, testing percentage and diluting his ACV to store strength. http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=265435
trbig
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Lots and lots of other stuff to drink. 15 cases of beer made up, 6 gallons of mead, (Minus one bottle.. he he.. ) and assorted rice wines in process. I never wait until something is gone before making more, so it's not too tough.
I was attempting to try my first small batch in a plastic gallon container I bought from Wally World. I chopped up some dried mango and threw it in there, then dumped the first batch of hot steamed rice onto the mango to kill any yeast/mold... and the container melted.
Off to Wally World to buy something in glass.. I'm wanting a 6 cup batch with mango in it, and a 6 cup batch with the Goji berries in it. I'm also going to try taking 2 yeast balls in a cup of water, mixing them until it's all liquid, then pour that cup of water/yeast/mold over the rice to inocculate everything... shake it all around a bit instead of trying to mix powder in with all the rice. PITA. My Chinese friend says they add a lot of water.. like a gallon to a 5 gallon batch after the rice is cooked and in the bucket. Hopefully these won't sour on me. Small batches, so no huge loss.
How did this batch turn out?
trbig
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Got my two 6 cup batches going. I let them cool over night, then added two yeast balls a piece into them by pulverizing them in a coffee grinder, then adding to a half cup of water, then dump across the top of the rice, then adding another half cup to rinse the measuring cup. I tried to just add two un-crushed yeast balls directly to the water, thinking they'd crumble when wet. Failed experiment.
My theory on glass not melting from hot rice did work out though.. lol. I bought these two gallon sized Ball jars at Wally World. I was afraid they wouldn't seal very well since the lid slides right off the gasket, but washing them out, they were water tight, but they wouldn't hold any pressure. I just drilled a hole in the top of each and put a rubber grommet for an air lock in them. Mango on the right and a 5 oz bag of the Goji berries on the left.
I got my ARL in the mail, Jack, thank you very much. I'm wanting to try it on at least a 12 cup batch, but the current one won't quit making alcohol. It's been @ 4 1/2 weeks now and it's still bubbling a couple times a minute out of the airlock.
My theory on glass not melting from hot rice did work out though.. lol. I bought these two gallon sized Ball jars at Wally World. I was afraid they wouldn't seal very well since the lid slides right off the gasket, but washing them out, they were water tight, but they wouldn't hold any pressure. I just drilled a hole in the top of each and put a rubber grommet for an air lock in them. Mango on the right and a 5 oz bag of the Goji berries on the left.
I got my ARL in the mail, Jack, thank you very much. I'm wanting to try it on at least a 12 cup batch, but the current one won't quit making alcohol. It's been @ 4 1/2 weeks now and it's still bubbling a couple times a minute out of the airlock.
I started my first go at this recipe about a week ago, 5 cups steamed jasmine rice in 4 quart jars. 2 jars with red rice yeast and 2 with yeast balls.There's already almost 2 in of liquid in the bottom but all the jars have a ton of tiny black specks forming all over. I am always very careful and sanitize everything. Is this some unwanted mold forming? Any idea what could have caused this with such good sanitation practices? All the jars have a kind of acetone smell to em as well. Should i just dump em and start fresh aftet sanitizing the crap out of everything? I've never had any issues with mold or infections in any of my brews or wines before so I'm a bit puzzled here...
Looking good. You're welcome!
Letting it go is good advice... I've had this many times before. I think it has more to do with the yeast and rice than it does your sanitary skills.
I just mix it in. It'll stop growing and after a few days the alcohol content is so high, whatever is/was there doesn't stand a chance.
Are you fermenting in a clear glass jar and how much light is your wine exposed to? Earlier in this thread, the clear glass and light seemed to cause some black mold to form, but never caused any issue.
I would not stir it in. Just let it ride until the end of fermentation and process as usual. If it is growing on top of the floating rice cap, it shouldn't be too big of a deal.
I finally found some cheaper Arborio rice at Whole Foods. The bulk rice was $5 a pound while the bagged Whole Foods brand was $2.50 a pound. I am going to start another batch now with 2lbs and the Vietnamese yeast. Hopefully I will be able to make another batch that was as good as the last one. Guess we will see in 21 days. My last 2 batches will be finished up on the 29th. These are the VM yeast with jasmine rice and the other is the ARL with jasmine rice.
trbig
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Interested to see the taste difference between the two. The first couple batches I made were with the Vietnamese yeast balls and they came out soured. No problems since the Chinese ones, but I'm wanting to do a comparison between the Chinese and the ARL on equal batches.
I experienced the exact opposite. Hot and sour Chinese yeast batches while the VM batches have come out much more desirable.
trbig
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Have you got a pic of the VM ones? I'm wondering if they're the same I used.
I posted a pic in this thread somewhere of them. They are about 12 dime sized balls in a clear package with dark blue writing and some little card with details on how to make rice wine in Vietnamese. I will see if I can find the pic or snap another. Do you have a pic of yours? They same company also makes larger yeast balls in a similar pack with red writing.
Baileisdad
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Tried new thing today. Poured off liquid after two weeks in new jar and let finish ferment off rice. Used old rice plus two balls with new rice. Going to let first batch of liquid finish bubbling before I drink it. It seems to be very active right now.
trbig
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Mine had those added ingredients and I didn't like it. Glad they're working for you though. I may try them again at some point, but they are a bit more expensive than the Chinese ones I have. Plus, I bought several of the big bags last time, so it'll be a while. lol. Next batch is going to be the ARL though.
What extra ingredients are you referring to?
JuanMoore
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The Men brand lam com ruou yeast balls have garlic, ginger, Chinese licorice, and cinnamon IIRC. There's so little of that stuff that I couldn't really taste much difference in the finished product between that and the Men brand yeast balls without the spices. I'm sure if you follow the directions on the package for making sweet rice pudding it has a different flavor though, since they suggest using quite a few yeast balls.
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