Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[lakeslad]

hi guys, here is my first efforts, using two containers 3 cups of sticky rice and 3 yeast balls, started on the 17th december, is this looking normal?

 

[sonofgrok]

hi guys, here is my first efforts, using two containers 3 cups of sticky rice and 3 yeast balls, started on the 17th december, is this looking normal?

Looks pretty darn delicious!

 

[kevinstan]

Mine never had separation. It was really more of just a soft rice mash when it was done. Was it because I used jasmine rice or because of the way I cooked the rice ?

 

[thewurzel]

think i might have to give this a try
posting to subscribe

 

[lighty11]

Found the yeast balls! http://www.asiansupermarket365.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=yeast+balls&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

Newbie here..I have been looking into making rice wine and stumbled upon this site. After reading a few threads, I'm quite impressed. There is a cornucopia of information and every one is respectful. I hope to make this site my number one reference in the future.

With that out of the way, I've been scouring the internet looking for places to order yeast balls. I'm wondering if there are any Canadians here that can point me in the right direction to find them in the Ottawa area. Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers.

 

[lakeslad]

not sure i heard jasmine rice was ok for this? i just followed the instructions posted earlier, i did pre soak mine as well before cooking, mine is a cheap sticky thai rice from asda (walmart).

 

[GunnyB]

not sure i heard jasmine rice was ok for this? i just followed the instructions posted earlier, i did pre soak mine as well before cooking, mine is a cheap sticky thai rice from asda (walmart).

It's beautiful (wipes tear from eye)

I don't suppose you have a picture of the bag the rice came in do you?

 

[sonofgrok]

For everyone asking about rice type, I always use thai jasmine rice for this.

 

[GunnyB]

For everyone asking about rice type, I always use thai jasmine rice for this.

It's interesting to note that we have seen Thai Jasmine, Sushi, Sticky, Calrose and others but they all seem to work

 

[markm2151]

I used only sushi rice and started on Jan 2, I looked at it today and actually saw the liquid bubbling. Very cool

 

[Leadgolem]

Hmm, I'm curious. I know when you make sake there are several phases where more rice and komi-koji are introduced. Has anyone tried this with the rice wine? I'm wondering if the same sized vessel could be used to yield more final product. IE: As the rice liquefies more rice could be stirred in so you yield more wine from the same sized jar.

 

[lakeslad]

It's beautiful (wipes tear from eye)

I don't suppose you have a picture of the bag the rice came in do you?

im off to asda today to buy some more so ill post it later for you mate.

 

[Arpolis]

Hmm, I'm curious. I know when you make sake there are several phases where more rice and komi-koji are introduced. Has anyone tried this with the rice wine? I'm wondering if the same sized vessel could be used to yield more final product. IE: As the rice liquefies more rice could be stirred in so you yield more wine from the same sized jar.

Sake also has water additions with each step to keep the ABV lower in the early ages while the yeast buyild up.

It seems this rice wine works because you have soo much starch being converted to sugar, the sugar liquid keeps the ABV lower in the early stages and the yeast just have to fight high gravity.

Without the water additions I dont know if stepping the rice and Yeast ball additions will result in a higher yield. But I think it could be an interesting experiment.

 

[markm2151]

Hmm, I'm curious. I know when you make sake there are several phases where more rice and komi-koji are introduced. Has anyone tried this with the rice wine? I'm wondering if the same sized vessel could be used to yield more final product. IE: As the rice liquefies more rice could be stirred in so you yield more wine from the same sized jar.

Absolutely worth trying IMHO, add more rice 2-3 weeks in?

 

[lakeslad]

wel i bottled my two first tries tonight, out of one i got 800ml and the other 1000ml, both tast superb and strong the 1litre i flavoured with raspberry syrup but i have not tasted it yet as i have them both in the fridge for when im ready to get smashed.lol, and i set off another two batches today as well, overall, mine took 3 weeks from start to finish

 

[lakeslad]

It's beautiful (wipes tear from eye)

I don't suppose you have a picture of the bag the rice came in do you?

here you go mate

 

[GunnyB]

Right on brother, thanks! Your finished product looks fantastic by the way. How big were the containers you fermented the wine in?

 

[pabloj13]

I let mine go 22 days at ~68 degrees ambient and have checked the bottle in the fridge (swing top) every few days. Haven't had even a wisp of pressure, FWIW.

Yeah, check that. I opened it after maybe a week in the fridge. BIG puff of CO2. In fact, the stuff is carbonated now. Wow. Good thing I used the swing top, makes it easy to vent.

 

[Leadgolem]

While I've been staring at this stuff in my closet I remembered what happened to my fist batch of cider. IE: It went bye bye almost immediately.

So, I decided to start a much larger batch today. I used 1 25lb bag of sticky rice. Not the whole thing obviously. 3 5 gallon food grade buckets. 4 oz of powdered yeast balls. 1 20 cup rice cooker.

I cooked the rice in the rice cooker, then dumped it into the first food grade bucket. Broke it up with the rice paddle thing that came with the cooker, and let it cool. While it was cooling I started another batch of rice going.

It took about 1 1/2 hours to cool to the point it was just warm. I used another bucket to do the same thing with the second batch of rice. It takes about 50 minutes for the cooker to finish up with that much rice. I then mixed 1 oz of rice yeast ball powder into the rice. Once the second batch was cool enough, the same thing was done with it. Then I added the second batch of rice to the first. All in all, it took 4 batches of rice to fill the 5 gallon bucket.

That's 10 3/4 cup scoops per batch, or 30 cups of dry rice. Since I broke the rice up to help it cool, it was fluffed a great deal. I know someone wanted to know how much rice it would take to fill a 5 gallon fermentor.

The new batch is sitting happily in the 5 gallon bucket, I did use a grommeted lid with an airlock.

 

[emjay]

Newbie here..I have been looking into making rice wine and stumbled upon this site. After reading a few threads, I'm quite impressed. There is a cornucopia of information and every one is respectful. I hope to make this site my number one reference in the future.

With that out of the way, I've been scouring the internet looking for places to order yeast balls. I'm wondering if there are any Canadians here that can point me in the right direction to find them in the Ottawa area. Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers.

Sent you a PM.

 

[lakeslad]

Right on brother, thanks! Your finished product looks fantastic by the way. How big were the containers you fermented the wine in?

1.5 liters mate, and the two i started yestarday already have nice looking liquid in, deff the rice to use

 

[Clearcut23]

Picked up my rice and yeast balls today. I went to one store that had jasmine rice but not yeast balls. Went to another store and got the yeast balls. The lady checking me out said I should use "sweet" rice but I already had jasmine. Going grocery shopping tomorrow so I will pick some up and start another batch.

So just an overview

I soak the rice in cold water for one hour?
Then I cook it. Do I need a rice cooker? Or can I just boil it? Or would I be better off trying to steam it in a colander over a pot of boiling water?
Then cool it to the touch and smash up some yeast balls and layer it in my jar?

 

[Clearcut23]

So I started mine. I made 6 cups of jasmine rice and cooled it down. As it was cooling on baking sheets I crushed up 4 yeast balls. I added a layer of rice to a stainless steel stock pot I use for honey mead and then a layer of yeast and so on and so forth. Then I figured what the hell since I had so much room left I made the last 5 cups of rice and added it in the same fashion with another 4 yeast balls. They are pretty cheap here in kent so I figured better safe than sorry. I put the lid on and put a gallon water jug on top but it will still allow CO2 out. I had no problems using it to make a few batches of honey mead. Both batches sat in the pot for a month. The only downside is I don't get to watch it ferment. I may pick up some sweet rice tomorrow and start another batch or two in a few clear one gallon jars I have.

 

[Leadgolem]

My ridiculously large batch of rice wine now has airlock activity. 1 bubble every 15 seconds or so.

 

[Clearcut23]

I'm on the morning of day two. Just checked on mine an I noticed the top layer of rice/yeast isn't doing much. Like its too dry. But the whole thing has kind of sucked in and collapsed on its self sort of and I can see liquid at the top on the sides. I'm thinking probably by tomorrow the top of the rice will submerge and put that yeast to work. Doesn't smell like anything yet

 

[saramc]

So just an overview

I soak the rice in cold water for one hour?
Then I cook it. Do I need a rice cooker? Or can I just boil it? Or would I be better off trying to steam it in a colander over a pot of boiling water?
Then cool it to the touch and smash up some yeast balls and layer it in my jar?:................

Soak the rice until you get a 1/3 volume increase in the rice level, then rinse until it is clear, then steam, do not boil, you want to steam any way you can. Cool to touch, layer as you mentioned, and you can spritz with a mister-a few squirts or a few flicks from your hand. And you are off. Stir or no stir for first seven days, up to you, strain day 21-30. I never used airlock, just lid resting on top.

 

[Clearcut23]

So just an overview

I soak the rice in cold water for one hour?
Then I cook it. Do I need a rice cooker? Or can I just boil it? Or would I be better off trying to steam it in a colander over a pot of boiling water?
Then cool it to the touch and smash up some yeast balls and layer it in my jar?:................

Soak the rice until you get a 1/3 volume increase in the rice level, then rinse until it is clear, then steam, do not boil, you want to steam any way you can. Cool to touch, layer as you mentioned, and you can spritz with a mister-a few squirts or a few flicks from your hand. And you are off. Stir or no stir for first seven days, up to you, strain day 21-30. I never used airlock, just lid resting on top.

Whoops. I boiled mine. Well, I added it to boiling water and then turned the heat on low and it absorbed the water and steamed it. What's the difference in the end product between the two? I may have to invest in a rice cooker. If I can get this down I will more than likely start doing 5 gallon batches

 

[Arpolis]

Steaming helps to preserve the rice's nutrients, whereas vitamins and minerals are lost in the water during boiling. Rice wines are low in nutrients anyway so as much as you can keep in there is important for healthy yeast.

Also when I brew Sake specifically I like the ferment to go as slow as it can. Steaming the rice firms up the immediate outer layer of the rice which ******* the effect of amylase enzymes and keeps the yeast slowly munching on the bit of sugars developing, also keeps the gravity lower which is better on the yeast still.

So basically boiling vs steaming can be like having a mead fermented with too little nutrients causing off flavors or a wine with too high a gravity stressing the yeast and causing off flavors rather than a properly nutrient rich must with proper gravity control to get the best reactions from your yeast.

 

[bottlebomber]

Steaming helps to preserve the rice's nutrients, whereas vitamins and minerals are lost in the water during boiling. Rice wines are low in nutrients anyway so as much as you can keep in there is important for healthy yeast.
.

I've thought about that very thing especially in regards to the soak and rinse step that many are doing. It seems all you're rinsing off is valuable starch that will convert to sugar and then into alcohol.

 

[Clearcut23]

But when I "boil" the rice all I do is add it to boiling water and reduce the heat with a lid in the pot. Won't all that stuff in the water be absorbed by the rice along with the water?