Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

SFGiantsFan925 said:

Pretty sure that is exactly what I was thinking. If they are giving off quite a bit of acetone smell, I am going to start over. What is a $6 batch of rice worth?? Haha. Its worth it to do it right.

A big question for me, is should this be in a dark or light area?? They are sitting in a very light area, and not sure if that has contributed to the acetone smell. Should I park these (or the new batch) in a closet/ dark area???

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Mine are all in a dark closet, no acetone smell so far just yeasty goodness.

Spinrathen said:

Just to add to what's above me that is very good advice: Myself and others in this thread have had good success with lower water ratios 1:1 to 1:1.5 max. A good portion of people who have had trouble were using 1:1.5 or more.

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I did use 1:1 with my rice. I did rinse it. I boiled it, not steam. Not sure if that matters much.

I tried the local Asian Market today, named "Asian Market" and they had never even heard of these rice balls. There's a ton of markets up in south Tacoma/Lakewood though, so I'm going to try there tomorrow after work. Anyone from that area here, that knows where to go?

My plan is to get started this weekend, ordering online will delay that. Should have me brew babe mail me some from Korea since she's there for a while.

I don't believe you have to worry about light getting to this. That's usually for beer or anything hops are in as UV light can cause skunky beer. Maybe sonofgrok or someone who has more experience with rice wine can better answer that question.

My rice wine is wrapped in a blanket and in the back of closet. To keep it warm and out of sight so I'm not tempted to mess with it. My advice would be put it somewhere you wont see it every day. Theres a lot more going on with this then a typical batch of beer or wine. You have a fungus that has to develop and break down starch into sugar before the yeast can even start fermenting. Just give it the time it needs and if its still smells bad after 30 days dump it and make adjustments for the next batch. Like you said 6 bucks of rice and a mason jar, not a whole lot to lose by letting it run its course.

SFGiantsFan925 said:

I did use 1:1 with my rice. I did rinse it. I boiled it, not steam. Not sure if that matters much.

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Does not matter how you cook the rice. Only advice I can give you would be to wait it out and see what happens. Some people in this thread have had success doing that instead of hastily throwing it out. Hope it works out for you.

mpride1911 said:

I tried the local Asian Market today, named "Asian Market" and they had never even heard of these rice balls. There's a ton of markets up in south Tacoma/Lakewood though, so I'm going to try there tomorrow after work. Anyone from that area here, that knows where to go?

My plan is to get started this weekend, ordering online will delay that. Should have me brew babe mail me some from Korea since she's there for a while.

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Don't let that stop you from looking in the store anyway. I asked the people at lotus food about dried yeast balls and they just looked at me like I was retarded and said no. A few laps around the store and I found them. Not saying their racist but they sure aren't very helpful.

Xantus954 said:

I don't believe you have to worry about light getting to this. That's usually for beer or anything hops are in as UV light can cause skunky beer. Maybe sonofgrok or someone who has more experience with rice wine can better answer that question.

My rice wine is wrapped in a blanket and in the back of closet. To keep it warm and out of sight so I'm not tempted to mess with it. My advice would be put it somewhere you wont see it every day. Theres a lot more going on with this then a typical batch of beer or wine. You have a fungus that has to develop and break down starch into sugar before the yeast can even start fermenting. Just give it the time it needs and if its still smells bad after 30 days dump it and make adjustments for the next batch. Like you said 6 bucks of rice and a mason jar, not a whole lot to lose by letting it run its course.

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My understanding is that you want to keep the light off this to discourage unwanted bugs growing in it. Algae is a definite possibility, but most algae likes light.

That's why I covered mine anyway. It's something you do when propagating mushrooms to discourage algae.

Leadgolem said:

My understanding is that you want to keep the light off this to discourage unwanted bugs growing in it. Algae is a definite possibility, but most algae likes light.

That's why I covered mine anyway. It's something you do when propagating mushrooms to discourage algae.

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Makes sense. I wonder if the other person that had the acetone scent was in a light or dark area. I think Ill start another batch and keep it in the dark and see how it goes. Ill keep the others going just to see how it turns out, but at this point, I wouldnt drink it haha

mpride1911 said:

I tried the local Asian Market today, named "Asian Market" and they had never even heard of these rice balls. There's a ton of markets up in south Tacoma/Lakewood though, so I'm going to try there tomorrow after work. Anyone from that area here, that knows where to go?

My plan is to get started this weekend, ordering online will delay that. Should have me brew babe mail me some from Korea since she's there for a while.

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The place I went to had no idea what I was talking about until I mentioned rice wine, then they knew exactly what I wanted.

Xantus954 said:

I've read through the whole thread over the past few days and noticed there are a lot of people messing with their rice wine way to much. Set it and forget it until its time to rack your wine off the what's left of the rice. Every time you open your jars to smell, mix or whatever else your doing your increasing your chances of infection and introducing oxygen and whatever else happens to be floating in the air into your fermenter and that's never a good thing.

Patience people and remember RDWHAHB!

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^^^^ this

mpride1911 said:

I tried the local Asian Market today, named "Asian Market" and they had never even heard of these rice balls. There's a ton of markets up in south Tacoma/Lakewood though, so I'm going to try there tomorrow after work. Anyone from that area here, that knows where to go?

My plan is to get started this weekend, ordering online will delay that. Should have me brew babe mail me some from Korea since she's there for a while.

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Always look around for yourself. This has been the experience of many here who have then promptly found them when looking around the store for themselves.

SFGiantsFan925 said:

Pretty sure that is exactly what I was thinking. If they are giving off quite a bit of acetone smell, I am going to start over. What is a $6 batch of rice worth?? Haha. Its worth it to do it right.

A big question for me, is should this be in a dark or light area?? They are sitting in a very light area, and not sure if that has contributed to the acetone smell. Should I park these (or the new batch) in a closet/ dark area???

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Yes dark. Light has implications in fungal and bacterial growth. Mine stay parked in my dark brew closet same as the beer.

I have also noticed some people fermenting in their pics under the bathroom sink which I don't think is the best idea *shudder*

SFGiantsFan925 said:

Makes sense. I wonder if the other person that had the acetone scent was in a light or dark area. I think Ill start another batch and keep it in the dark and see how it goes. Ill keep the others going just to see how it turns out, but at this point, I wouldnt drink it haha

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That was me, I had it in a dimly lit room, nothing like direct sunlit or anything though.

Thanks for the above walk though saramc and others, going to attempt batch number two today, will rinse, soak, rinse, boil at a little more than 1/1, put in a dark closet and not. Touch, look at, or think about for 21 days

BlackPriest said:

That was me, I had it in a dimly lit room, nothing like direct sunlit or anything though.

Thanks for the above walk though saramc and others, going to attempt batch number two today, will rinse, soak, rinse, boil at a little more than 1/1, put in a dark closet and not. Touch, look at, or think about for 21 days

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Ahhh....let us know when you peek.

Xantus954 said:

I've read through the whole thread over the past few days and noticed there are a lot of people messing with their rice wine way to much. Set it and forget it until its time to rack your wine off the what's left of the rice. Every time you open your jars to smell, mix or whatever else your doing your increasing your chances of infection and introducing oxygen and whatever else happens to be floating in the air into your fermenter and that's never a good thing.

Patience people and remember RDWHAHB!

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Patience is a virtue. For sure.

That was the first time I opened the jars. I had the smaller "test" jar there and opened it just to see if it smelled like anything. I wasnt really planning on using the smaller jar. I was acutally going to eat the rice after a few days as people here have done it. But, I kinda forgot about it and it ended up doing the same thing as the others. So I wasnt opening the jars everyday or anything. That was the first time since making it.

How tight are the lids on the jars? I have mine on there pretty loose. I am using the voile cloth that I use for BIAB.

I guess its time to make another batch, sanitize better, dark place, and leave it for at least 21 days. Thanks for all the help here!!

mpride1911 said:

I tried the local Asian Market today, named "Asian Market" and they had never even heard of these rice balls. There's a ton of markets up in south Tacoma/Lakewood though, so I'm going to try there tomorrow after work. Anyone from that area here, that knows where to go?

My plan is to get started this weekend, ordering online will delay that. Should have me brew babe mail me some from Korea since she's there for a while.

Click to expand...

I got a bag with 6, 2-packs (about 1" diameter) at Pal-do World (it's at the south end of Tacoma Way). I don't remember which aisle in the store - it's not that big though.

You might also try Boo Han; it's a few blocks further north on Tacoma Way. They have better selection for other stuff, but I never looked for yeast balls there.

SFGiantsFan925 said:

Patience is a virtue. For sure.

That was the first time I opened the jars. I had the smaller "test" jar there and opened it just to see if it smelled like anything. I wasnt really planning on using the smaller jar. I was acutally going to eat the rice after a few days as people here have done it. But, I kinda forgot about it and it ended up doing the same thing as the others. So I wasnt opening the jars everyday or anything. That was the first time since making it.

How tight are the lids on the jars? I have mine on there pretty loose. I am using the voile cloth that I use for BIAB.

I guess its time to make another batch, sanitize better, dark place, and leave it for at least 21 days. Thanks for all the help here!!

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Tight! I think a lot of people might be missing this too. The cheesecloth in the way will still allow gas exchange but you don't want too much.

Xantus954 said:

Don't let that stop you from looking in the store anyway. I asked the people at lotus food about dried yeast balls and they just looked at me like I was retarded and said no. A few laps around the store and I found them. Not saying their racist but they sure aren't very helpful.

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I did two laps around the store before asking. I printed off a picture of a package of the yeast and I'll be taking it with me today as I check the markets in Lakewood, which has a huge Asian population

KegWrangler said:

I got a bag with 6, 2-packs (about 1" diameter) at Pal-do World (it's at the south end of Tacoma Way). I don't remember which aisle in the store - it's not that big though.

You might also try Boo Han; it's a few blocks further north on Tacoma Way. They have better selection for other stuff, but I never looked for yeast balls there.

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Perfect! Thank you. That was my afternoon plans for today.

saramc said:

Ahhh....let us know when you peek.

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Lol will do . Hey are you suppose to cover the rice when it's cooling, or let it breath so to say. Last time I wrapped the whole lot in plastic wrap, not sure if that was right or not, figured it would help to keep out nasties.

BlackPriest said:

Lol will do . Hey are you suppose to cover the rice when it's cooling, or let it breath so to say. Last time I wrapped the whole lot in plastic wrap, not sure if that was right or not, figured it would help to keep out nasties.

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I left mine open to cool, mixing up every few minutes for even cooling and ended up with a good batch

Ostomo517 said:

I left mine open to cool, mixing up every few minutes for even cooling and ended up with a good batch

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Excellent, because that's what I just did. Batch number two done and in the jar, hope I have more luck this time as I followed all instructions to a tee. Ended up making it with 4 1/4 cups of rice (that's how much was in the bag) with 5 cups of water, so just under 1 - 1.25 ratio. Wish me luck!

Little late to the party but this seemed too easy not to give it a try. I got yeast balls from our local ethnic supermarket, they were from Vietnam though (I'm guessing they will still work). Made up a batch this afternoon and am not waiting patiently (ok so not patiently) for the yeast to do its magic. I can't wait.

Xantus954 said:

Don't let that stop you from looking in the store anyway. I asked the people at lotus food about dried yeast balls and they just looked at me like I was retarded and said no. A few laps around the store and I found them. Not saying their racist
but they sure aren't very helpful.

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Yeah we'll I called around asking about them to 5-6 stores and everyone said No or ill check. My buddy went by and showed him a pic and he said oh yeah over here. So it's prob just a language barrier.
Anyway excited to get em. I thought I was gonna have to order online. Gonna start a batch tomorrow.

I was going to head up to South Tacoma to grab some today after work, BUT.... my day started with a soldier blowing off this morning's formation and being drunk on duty with another soldier going AWOL at lunch. While this doesn't sound good, I'm positively elated right now. My headaches with them will be over much sooner now. And I can make sake tomorrow.

GTG said:

If you are in the Phoenix area, the Ranch Market 99 at the COFCO (Chinese Cultural Center) has the yeast balls that I know work. A packet of 2 is $.70 and a large bag of doubles is $7.60.

GTG

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Very cool... Might run by this weekend

Well after almost a month of waiting I finally bottled my first batch today and I have to say it turned out great! So a big cheers to sonofgrok for starting the thread!

My process was to lightly rinse 2.5 cups (~500 grams) of Thai jasmine rice and then cook with 5 cups of water in a saucepan, basically steaming the rice as for most of the cooking time there was no liquid present as it was all absorbed by the rice. Then after cooling the rice by placing the saucepan in a unheated room for a couple of hours I crushed a 10 gram yeast ball and mixed it into the rice. Next I split the rice into 2 1500 ml jars, covered the opening with a bit of mesh cloth and tightly sealed the lid. The jars and mesh were sanitized with only boiling water. Over the next 25 days the jars were stored in a warm dark place covered by towels and I never opened the jars, I just checked on them every few days by look and smell.

When I opened the jars today I was a bit worried by the smell as it was very acidic but soldiered on. I hand squeezed the rice mush and stored in bottles, in total I bottled about 1.3 litres which I thought was pretty good. I had a little taste and the first thing that struck me was a tart, fruity taste, kind of like a cloudy grape wine straight from the fermenter then quickly followed by a very strong alcoholic whack. This was at 11 am this morning and I feared the batch was a loss.

I just tried another shot after it spending a good 8-9 hours in the fridge and have to say it tastes really great (I even gave the bottle a good shake before pouring), no strong alcohol, just sweet rice flavour followed by a slightly tart fruity after-taste. Really good stuff, will be making another batch tomorrow!

Finally got to Pal do World market in Lakewood. This place is amazing. Don't come here on an empty stomach. Fortunately I'm on my motorcycle and can't buy much. Yeast is on aisle 2 by the salts.

There will be rice wine tonight.

Here's a shot of my finished rice wine. Tastes pretty good. I look forward to exploring lots of different flavoring options with my next batches.

WesleyS said:

Here's a shot of my finished rice wine. Tastes pretty good. I look forward to exploring lots of different flavoring options with my next batches.

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What did you flavor with?
Did you clear it or is it just a weird reflection?

Ostomo517 said:

What did you flavor with?

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I made a simple syrup.(equal parts water and sugar) Then I threw in some mixed frozen berries and let it all simmer for a bit. Then strained it and added to the wine to taste.

Ostomo517 said:

Did you clear it or is it just a weird reflection?

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I didn't do anything to clear it. It's been in the refrigerator for a few days. I tried to roll it around a bit to get the solids suspended but it still seemed clearer than expected.

Anyone here tried adding hibiscus tea to the rice wine?

Had ot do a little shopping at the local Asian market this afternoon, and figured I'd have a lookout for the dried yeast while I was there since I've been wanting to work up a batch of this stuff. I didn't find anything that looked like the stuff y'all have been using, but I did find these:



They're signifcantly smaller than the ones pictured elsewhere in this thread - slightly smaller than a dime. Anybody else seen these? The company name on them is IHA BEVERAGE, so they do seem to be the right stuff. I'm just curious because they're so different.

BattleGoat said:

Had ot do a little shopping at the local Asian market this afternoon, and figured I'd have a lookout for the dried yeast while I was there since I've been wanting to work up a batch of this stuff. I didn't find anything that looked like the stuff y'all have been using, but I did find these:

http://picpaste.com/yeast-vGfrDOYI.jpg

They're signifcantly smaller than the ones pictured elsewhere in this thread - slightly smaller than a dime. Anybody else seen these? The company name on them is IHA BEVERAGE, so they do seem to be the right stuff. I'm just curious because they're so different.

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These are exactly what I used. I wondered about the size too. Seems a lot if ppl are overdosing with yeast. I used 4 of these with 5 cups dry rice.

Excellent! Looks like I need t!o pick up some jasmine rice when I'm out tomorrow. :rockin:

First attempt complete. Filled a one gallon jar with 4 cups of dry rice.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=147243785440659&set=a.145926222239082.33806.145906592241045&type=1&theater

Two days in and I've got nothing happening, although there is a great smell. The rice was a bit dry when I put it in. Any thoughts? Plan on letting it sit in my closet untouched for the full time unless nothing seems to be happening

xfevv said:

Two days in and I've got nothing happening, although there is a great smell. The rice was a bit dry when I put it in. Any thoughts? Plan on letting it sit in my closet untouched for the full time unless nothing seems to be happening

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Patience. Since I do a drier, thai jamine rice, I often don't see liquid for quite a while. If you still don't see any liquid in two weeks then maybe worry. lol

Sonofgrok thanks for this thread! I'm very pleased with my first batch and there will be more to follow. This is one of the more interesting, easiest and cheapest things I've made. I skipped over this thread for a while, but I'm glad I finally decided to read it. Thanks again.