Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

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I'm looking to get together around 4 to 5 gallons of rice wine together for a chinnese medicinal tonic. Is my best bet to shoot for about a gallon yield at a time?
 
Question: I had a batch 5-1/2 weeks old. Strained it into a quart jar and then pressed out liquid from the lees in a cheesecloth. Problem is that the liquid is very thick and sweet. It's opaque white and after 2 days has not settled out yet. Any thought on what went wrong? Also the flavo is very very sweet. I thought 5-1/2 weeks would have been lon enough to drive off sweetness.
 
Urkelbot said:
I'm looking to get together around 4 to 5 gallons of rice wine together for a chinnese medicinal tonic. Is my best bet to shoot for about a gallon yield at a time?
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To give you some perspective, I made a batch of rice wine in a 5 gallon bucket with 36-38 cups (dry) of jasmine rice and it yielded about 2 gallons of cloudy rice wine. Bucket was almost full at start of fermentation. The batch came out just as good as other, smaller, batches.
 
Just made a batch with 4 c rice over 1 month. Pressed and placed in a secondary with 16oz frozen berries. Let sit for 2 weeks. Just racked it into a gallon jug. Took a sip— oh man! It's pretty awesome. I can't wait for it to clear and rest. Nice tart, not sweet. Really hot.
 
Doing up my very first batch tonight. 10lbs dry, Short Grain(Sushi) Rice in a 5 gallon bucket with airlock, planning on using 10 yeast balls. Cooking the rice in my rice cooker which only holds 1lb of rice at a time and takes approx 22min for each batch. Gonna be a long night. :D
I am planning on leaving it undisturbed near my heat vent for 3 weeks. We will see how it goes. :)
 
CorporateHippie said:
Question: I had a batch 5-1/2 weeks old. Strained it into a quart jar and then pressed out liquid from the lees in a cheesecloth. Problem is that the liquid is very thick and sweet. It's opaque white and after 2 days has not settled out yet. Any thought on what went wrong? Also the flavo is very very sweet. I thought 5-1/2 weeks would have been lon enough to drive off sweetness.
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If the alcohol content is high, the yeast can be reduced causing slow fermentation.

I'm not an expert, but if it's unusually sweet and the alcohol content is low, it could mean that the starch was broken down to sugar correctly, but the yeast didn't ferment properly.

Probably many things can cause that:
1) The yeast was added while the rice was still hot.
2) The rice didn't get rinsed thoroughly leaving behind fats, proteins and organisms that hampered yeast growth.
3) The yeast balls were exposed to high heat or were very old.
4) Another organism contaminated the batch.
and probably more...

From what I have read, a cloudy batch can be caused if it stirred during fermentation or if lower quality rice is used.

It is fixable though.
 
Rinsing/not rinsing rice will have no effect on fermenting to dryness. Fats and proteins will only aid yeast growth, and may cause off flavors (though I doubt this), but wouldn't effect dryness. There shouldn't be organisms on the rice since it gets boiled or steamed in cooking. You should have a sanitized substrate just like wort for making beer.
Stirring or not during fermentation has had no effect on my batches' clarity.
I can buy the rice being hot, or not pitching enough yeast/mold for saccharification and fermentation. Also, though, fermentation temperature being too low could have impaired the process. If you let the drained rice wine sit for longer it will probably settle, and perhaps finish fermentation. My batches have taken up to a couple of weeks to clarify at room temperatures.
 
CorporateHippie said:
How can it be fixed?
Probably too hot of rice.
Rice was rinsed very good
Yeast was fresh
Sanitation is always superb
And I used all jasmine
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If the rice was too hot and that killed the yeast, you can grind up more yeast balls and add to the batch.
Since it sound like the scarification worked OK you might even be able to add brewers yeast instead of yeast balls.
 
CorporateHippie said:
Question: I had a batch 5-1/2 weeks old. Strained it into a quart jar and then pressed out liquid from the lees in a cheesecloth. Problem is that the liquid is very thick and sweet. It's opaque white and after 2 days has not settled out yet. Any thought on what went wrong? Also the flavo is very very sweet. I thought 5-1/2 weeks would have been lon enough to drive off sweetness.
Click to expand...

Your cheesecloth may be too coarse, try folding it over to make it finer or use a food grade mesh bag. Was there any unfermented rice?
 
Hey all, looking for some Canadian input, looking for some yeast balls in Canada, looking on EBay, the minimum shipping was $15 from the States, looking for something more affordable from Canada, nothing local for Asian food except Mr Noodles from the grocery store.
 
Going to try this today. I went to an Asian supermarket and an employee directed me to a glass jar with little twin packs of what I assume were yeast balls. It was labeled as "dried rice ball." The balls looked exactly like the pictures posted on here of what everyone is using. Is it safe to say that this is the correct yeast?
 
logan_the_huge said:
Going to try this today. I went to an Asian supermarket and an employee directed me to a glass jar with little twin packs of what I assume were yeast balls. It was labeled as "dried rice ball." The balls looked exactly like the pictures posted on here of what everyone is using. Is it safe to say that this is the correct yeast?
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Yes it's them
 
:off:

Cool story, had to share.
My wife took a small bottle of this stuff to a swap (I bring something homemade and trade it with someone else for something else homemade sort of thing). Anyway, someone there traded for a small bottle of rice wine and apparently shared it with some friends from Vietnam and they were all about it. I've still not had commercial rice wine, but it sounds like this recipe is pretty spot on.
 
MasterCrook said:
It's nice to see fellow Canadians here, cheers! B-)
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I've been wondering if there were any other Canadians that's into the rice wine, good to see there are. Any of you guys in Ontario?

I picked up 2 packs on the Onto Yeast last week and I look forward to trying it.

The pic is a bottle of my last batch, made with a mix of glutinous rice, jasmine rice, and the supermarket Shanghai yeast balls. I fermented it out for 45 days and its pretty tart and dry, alcohol was around 10%. This bottle was taken from the top of the fermenter and its really clear without any filtering. I'm hoping to make my next batch sweeter and less tart. Should I try pasteurisation to halt fermentation mid-way through?

IMG.jpg
 
Fantastic thread! Thanks for sharing sonofgrok!

So after some advice from a cashier at our local asian market I used 100% glutinous rice (came in a pink bag, looked chalk white rather than transparent white like jasmine). I did a 1 cup 1 ball starter (which I realize now was a waste but it did let me test if the yeast balls were contaminated) that was sticky mush in about 1 week with no liquid. I added this to 5 more cups and sprinkled 1 more ball over everything mixing well. I used the same cracker jar you guys are using.

After 3 weeks (in a temperature controlled cooler at 75F) I can now see clear liquid up to about 1/4in below top of rice. My rice is definitely not floating like the original pics here. For those of you using 100% glutinous rice, did your rice float or is this about the max liquid I can expect?

Mine looks a lot more like the jars from the supermarket on page 2 than the other pics here. It smells powerful! (that might explain why she had a devilish smile when she was handing me the goods)
 
Simps said:
For those of you using 100% glutinous rice, did your rice float or is this about the max liquid I can expect?
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I almost always use glutinous rice and most of the lees float with some settling on the bottom.

I think I get around 7/8 liter of wine from 2 cups uncooked rice after 30 days.
 
Simps said:
Fantastic thread! Thanks for sharing sonofgrok!

So after some advice from a cashier at our local asian market I used 100% glutinous rice (came in a pink bag, looked chalk white rather than transparent white like jasmine). I did a 1 cup 1 ball starter (which I realize now was a waste but it did let me test if the yeast balls were contaminated) that was sticky mush in about 1 week with no liquid. I added this to 5 more cups and sprinkled 1 more ball over everything mixing well. I used the same cracker jar you guys are using.

After 3 weeks (in a temperature controlled cooler at 75F) I can now see clear liquid up to about 1/4in below top of rice. My rice is definitely not floating like the original pics here. For those of you using 100% glutinous rice, did your rice float or is this about the max liquid I can expect?

Mine looks a lot more like the jars from the supermarket on page 2 than the other pics here. It smells powerful! (that might explain why she had a devilish smile when she was handing me the goods)
Click to expand...

I find it depends on the stage of the ferment you are talking about. In the early-middle stages, my rice floats on the top and it gradually sinks to the bottom by the time its done fermenting. I use glutinous rice but also experimenting with difference mixes and ratios. In my last batch, I got 0.4 litre per 1 cup of rice. I could have gotten more but my hands were tired from squeezing the lees :cross:
 
Anybody interested in taking some stuff off my hands? I made several batches of rice wine, liked some more than others, but realized I'd rather use the space for other brewing that I prefer.

I might keep some of the ARL, but I've got some Chinese yeast balls, about 10 packets of ARL (April 2014 production date) , and 1.5 (one is opened) bags of RYR.

PM me if you're interested and we can work out the details. I'm willing to mostly pay it forward with this stuff, but offers are welcome too ;)

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1424535598.455210.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1424535610.584986.jpg
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My first jasmin batch seems to have stalled or just never really got started. I had no activity in the airlock for a week then i added another yeast ball. After that about 2-3 days of bubbles then nothing since then.
 
ssf1911 said:
I've been wondering if there were any other Canadians that's into the rice wine, good to see there are. Any of you guys in Ontario?

I picked up 2 packs on the Onto Yeast last week and I look forward to trying it.

The pic is a bottle of my last batch, made with a mix of glutinous rice, jasmine rice, and the supermarket Shanghai yeast balls. I fermented it out for 45 days and its pretty tart and dry, alcohol was around 10%. This bottle was taken from the top of the fermenter and its really clear without any filtering. I'm hoping to make my next batch sweeter and less tart. Should I try pasteurisation to halt fermentation mid-way through?
Click to expand...

I'm in Ontario, I live in the GTA. I think I'll try onto yeast next time, their stuff looks good. To make your wine sweeter, try pasteurizing and bottling at 21 days. The longer you ferment the dryer it will taste and potentially more alcohol.
 
Greetings, I am a rice brewer in Quebec Canada; Starch is the fermentable that is used in cereal ferments. Starch is converted to sugars, enzymatically (Saccharification), whether the enzymes are sourced from Bacteria, Rhizopus (yeast balls), Aspergillus (Koji), or embryonically from germination (malting) , starch converted to sugar, provides the base for fermenting. Starch has two constituents amylose, a substance affected by the enzyme amylase to create readily fermented sugar, and the constituent amylopectin pectin referring to a protienaceous gel type of starch that is less fermentable than amylose.
Saccharification is the conversion of starch to sugar. In Africa and Asia the bacteria Rhizopus tends to be a common saccharifier in cereal ferments. Aspergillus is the saccharifier for sake. Rhizopus favors wheat, there are many varieties of both aspergillus and rhizopus. Rhizopus tends to be predominant in rice ball jiu. Unfortunately rhizopus can be mucilaginous, producing a polysaccharide, something like mother of vinegar, a pellicle, and have high ester profiles, fumaric acid being one of them. Thus a bitterness and potential sliminess. Aspergillus does not have a polysaccharide tendency, less protein produced. Proteins tend to create a cloudiness and tendency to off flavor.
Controlling the response of protein in the ferment can create better results. The Japanese polish their rice removing as much protein as possible so that the sake ferment is dry clean and clear. Protienaceous sugars tend to be less fermentable and lead to sweeter results, cloudier, and thicker in mouth feel. Higher temperature ferments tend to be faster, clearer, thinner mouth feel, and dry less sweet.
It is quizzical to me that for the most part the rice varieties chosen for ferment are all glutinous types (higher protein) , one wonders if that is cultural and only because that is all that was available.
 
3 yeast care packages are on their way, to those who PM'ed me. Hopefully the postal service doesn't get too huffy about some powdery sounding stuff in an envelope.

I still have the red yeast rice if anyone wants it, but it would probably require a small box or larger padded envelope to ship.
 
bruhops said:
It is quizzical to me that for the most part the rice varieties chosen for ferment are all glutinous types (higher protein) , one wonders if that is cultural and only because that is all that was available.
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I think "glutenous rice" is a misnomer; rice does not contain gluten. "Low-amylose" would be a better name. Whatever enzyme is in the rice balls, it seems to favor amylopectin.
 
Correct ,rhizopus predominates, some have aspergillus but rhizopus favors protein, chinese typically use wheat as a starter adding aspergillus and rice at the log phase once the starter ha been initiated.A detail of the history and practice of "yeast ball "can be found http://www.sytu.edu.cn/zhgjiu/umain.htm
 
First practice half gallon batch going well inside 2weeks. I'm planning on ramping up for greater yields.

Is it possible to reuse the lees for a second batch and if so how exactly is it done?
 
Hey guys,

I recently started a 2.4l test ferment in a plastic bottle and I think something has gone wrong or I haven't done something right. I'm using glutinous Thai short grain rice. Some sugar and yeast balls.

I cooked 470g/ 2-3 cups rice with 2 table spoons of sugar and let cool overnight before adding the yeast. When I initially added the yeast there was heaps of crackling and bubbles and everything looked awesome.

12 hours later I get back from work after pitching and mixing the yeast and saw what you would probably expect after 3 weeks or so, a cloudy liquid at the bottom about 1/3 of the bottle. I did mash the yeast and rice until it was pretty much a glue like mixture. It hasn't been really warm or anything.

Not sure how to post pics yet, sorry. Has anyone had a ferment like this? I checked on my ferment 3 hours later and rice was dropping to the bottom? I only added 1.8 yeast balls and it has stopped bubbling ect.
 
So I read the first few posts of this article... and I'm thinking I'm just about there. The picture shows the state of my project at two weeks. Is this sort of what it should look like?

It's been sitting on a warming pad (on low) in my office. Within a day, there were bubbles and liquid forming. This is a gallon jar, so I figure I have a little more than a liter.

One more week. If it works, I'll just keep three or four of these things running...

twoweeks.jpg
 
I just bottled my first batch today. At 2 weeks that is exactly how mine looked. I left it for 21 days total. My batch ended up with a very high ABV I'm guessing about 20%. One 8 once glass hit me hard.
 
cgilley said:
So I read the first few posts of this article... and I'm thinking I'm just about there. The picture shows the state of my project at two weeks. Is this sort of what it should look like?

It's been sitting on a warming pad (on low) in my office. Within a day, there were bubbles and liquid forming. This is a gallon jar, so I figure I have a little more than a liter.

One more week. If it works, I'll just keep three or four of these things running...
Click to expand...

Yup, you're on the right path there. Looking good!
 
hornetd12 said:
I just bottled my first batch today. At 2 weeks that is exactly how mine looked. I left it for 21 days total. My batch ended up with a very high ABV I'm guessing about 20%. One 8 once glass hit me hard.
Click to expand...

Haha, yup be careful. This stuff hits hard. Especially if blended or flavored. :)
 
I went to the Asian market on the way home to buy some noodles, and I found bags of red yeast rice, $3 for 14 ounces. :ban:
Can someone give a brief recap of how to use RYR in place of the white yeast balls? (the thread is too big to search) Or do you have to mix it with yeast ball? I have sweet rice, jasmine rice, and American medium grain white rice. I've been using half-n-half sweet and medium grain rice with the yeast balls. One pound of raw rice is about right for the jar I'm using. Thanks.
 
z-bob said:
I went to the Asian market on the way home to buy some noodles, and I found bags of red yeast rice, $3 for 14 ounces. :ban:
Can someone give a brief recap of how to use RYR in place of the white yeast balls? (the thread is too big to search) Or do you have to mix it with yeast ball? I have sweet rice, jasmine rice, and American medium grain white rice. I've been using half-n-half sweet and medium grain rice with the yeast balls. One pound of raw rice is about right for the jar I'm using. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Red yeast rice doesn't replace or supplement the yeast balls.
BTW, make sure it is red yeast rice and not red cargo rice...:mug:
 
My batch started on Sunday, I finally skipped the RYR.

SMELLS AMAZING!

20150301_125043.jpg
 
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