Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[sonofgrok]

Aged some unpasteurized, chinese balled, 1:1, 70s, jasmine wine for a few months in the fridge.

Very efficient yet descriptive description!

 

[saramc]

I bought some potassium sorbate for a batch of Skeeter Pee. I've never used the stuff (I usually stick to beer and rice wine) it says to prevent renewed fermentation when sweetening. Anyone used this in the rice wine after back sweetening as an alternative to pasteurization??

The sorbate would work, along with k-meta addition, only IF the wine is dry...and most of the rice wines are harvested with a bit of residual sugar. Take hydro readings and if at 1.000 or less it should work, but be aware any solids in the rice wine will screw up the reading. But if I planned on keeping this around for anything other than immediate consumption I would pasteurize, due to the wine's well known affinity for lacto-infection. No need for sorbate then.

 

[CooperBrew]

It may interest everybody on here to note two things. Pasteurization at 160f for 10 minutes did not alter the flavor of the red rice wine. It did cause the liquid to separate into a clear and cloudy portion in the bottle. This happened as soon as the bottles cooled after pasteurization.

Good info. Do you just stir it up or shake the bottle to mix it back up after you pasteurized?

I hope to "harvest" my first batch over the weekend, it'll be 3 weeks on Saturday. Not sure how I want to flavor it though, still deciding.

 

[Accidic]

I should note that I've been bringing it up to the 160s but only for a moment and then took it off the burner and cooled it relatively quickly afterwards. I've not been letting it sit @160 for 10m and so far I've not had any renewed fermentation or issues with Lactic/Aceto. My last batch I bottled @80ish degrees and one of the bottles I just did as a large 2L clear bottle so that I could watch it. After it was chilled in the fridge, the bottle contracts slightly and it's been sitting there for 10 days with no change. I intend to let that one sit for 10-12 weeks keeping an eye on it but it seems to have done the job.

Per engineering toolbox it says you should only need 15s at 161 degrees and since I took it off the burner around then and got the sink situated to put it in a cooling bath I'd say it probably had 30-45s at least and probably hit 161 before starting to drop anyway. The link referred to is here: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

 

[edds5p0]

I should note that I've been bringing it up to the 160s but only for a moment and then took it off the burner and cooled it relatively quickly afterwards. I've not been letting it sit @160 for 10m and so far I've not had any renewed fermentation or issues with Lactic/Aceto. My last batch I bottled @80ish degrees and one of the bottles I just did as a large 2L clear bottle so that I could watch it. After it was chilled in the fridge, the bottle contracts slightly and it's been sitting there for 10 days with no change. I intend to let that one sit for 10-12 weeks keeping an eye on it but it seems to have done the job.

Per engineering toolbox it says you should only need 15s at 161 degrees and since I took it off the burner around then and got the sink situated to put it in a cooling bath I'd say it probably had 30-45s at least and probably hit 161 before starting to drop anyway. The link referred to is here: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

That is a very handy reference. One thing to keep in mind though, is that temperature describes the heat the liquid gets up to, so you would still want to hit that temp on the inner most part of the bottle for the time described before pulling away from the heat.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Any chance this is RYR?

 

[edds5p0]

Any chance this is RYR?

That actually looks more like a red-grain rice. RYR is usually a more vivid shad of red, and it will have a very flat, rough surface.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

That actually looks more like a red-grain rice. RYR is usually a more vivid shad of red, and it will have a very flat, rough surface.

Darn!, I have two huge asian markets nearby, and I know RYR must be there somewhere. My attempts at asking have failed due to my language limitations...I can barely describe what I am looking for in English.

 

[Leadgolem]

Good info. Do you just stir it up or shake the bottle to mix it back up after you pasteurized?

I hope to "harvest" my first batch over the weekend, it'll be 3 weeks on Saturday. Not sure how I want to flavor it though, still deciding.

I have not opened any of the bottles yet. I had planned to shake them up before serving.

I should note that I've been bringing it up to the 160s but only for a moment and then took it off the burner and cooled it relatively quickly afterwards. I've not been letting it sit @160 for 10m and so far I've not had any renewed fermentation or issues with Lactic/Aceto. My last batch I bottled @80ish degrees and one of the bottles I just did as a large 2L clear bottle so that I could watch it. After it was chilled in the fridge, the bottle contracts slightly and it's been sitting there for 10 days with no change. I intend to let that one sit for 10-12 weeks keeping an eye on it but it seems to have done the job.

Per engineering toolbox it says you should only need 15s at 161 degrees and since I took it off the burner around then and got the sink situated to put it in a cooling bath I'd say it probably had 30-45s at least and probably hit 161 before starting to drop anyway. The link referred to is here: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pasteurization-methods-temperatures-d_1642.html

That is a very handy reference. One thing to keep in mind though, is that temperature describes the heat the liquid gets up to, so you would still want to hit that temp on the inner most part of the bottle for the time described before pulling away from the heat.

This is why I maintain the temperature for 10 minutes, to compensate for the difference in the water temperature and the liquid in the bottles.

Honestly though, 160 is more then you need to kill off the yeast and most bacteria. I based my temps off of the FDA pasteurization recommendation for apple juice.

Any chance this is RYR?

That actually looks more like a red-grain rice. RYR is usually a more vivid shad of red, and it will have a very flat, rough surface.

Agreed, doesn't look like RYR to me.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I have not opened any of the bottles yet. I had planned to shake them up before serving.




This is why I maintain the temperature for 10 minutes, to compensate for the difference in the water temperature and the liquid in the bottles.

Honestly though, 160 is more then you need to kill off the yeast and most bacteria. I based my temps off of the FDA pasteurization recommendation for apple juice.




Agreed, doesn't look like RYR to me.

Well, Ill make a batch with a cup of it added. Maybe it'll just add color. I also picked up a bag of black glutinous rice. (on adding color, there was a bag of bright green "dried rice flakes" that were tempting me).

Anyone have a picture of the package that RYR comes in? Maybe with a picture I can find it. I think I've read the whole thread, but sorry if its already here.

 

[Leadgolem]

Well, Ill make a batch with a cup of it added. Maybe it'll just add color. I also picked up a bag of black glutinous rice. (on adding color, there was a bag of bright green "dried rice flakes" that were tempting me).

Anyone have a picture of the package that RYR comes in? Maybe with a picture I can find it. I think I've read the whole thread, but sorry if its already here.

Here's a picture of just the RYR. Those are the two package types my local Asian market had. The light in the picture is a little yellow. It's actually much closer to burgundy then any shade of brown.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Here's a picture of just the RYR. Those are the two package types my local Asian market had. The light in the picture is a little yellow. It's actually much closer to burgundy then any shade of brown.

Just ordered some on ebay from our local Jak1010. Next time I have some free time, I'll stalk the local Asian markets.

 

[Accidic]

Red Cargo rice is a fancy rice much in the same way Basmati and Jasmine are fancier than normal long grain rice. You can certainly experiment with it but I'd point out people using plain long grain have not been overly happy from the results as a general rule based on this thread. It might behoove you to do a small side batch with it to see if you like the results before you waste all that rice and of course the time involved to make it. It near physically pains me to throw out a batch when I don't like the results but YMMV.

@Leadgolem,
The only reason I've been doing it in that manner was that I did a batch that I added fruit to the mix with a pectic enzyme. Since those can produce Methanol, I decided to go with another of the apple pasteurization examples (maybe even the same page) that kept things a bit lower but above the boil temp for Methanol for 18m. The nice burn you normally get with it was all but gone and it is my belief that the alcohol was way lower than even the lightest session beer because you could drink and drink and drink it without so much as a perceived effect. I can see the methanol being gone with that kind of involvement and maybe even some of the ethanol but I didn't expect anywhere near what I got. Like you said though, it probably takes far less than to kill everything so I try to shoot for fast with quick cooling.

Sidenote, I use two probes. One near the bottom and one near the top looped around a handle to make it easier to know if it needs stirred and just in case one fails. If you pasteurize pre-bottle I'd highly recommend this approach as I've had bigger batches be at a much higher temperature than the top liquid (which of course makes sense) and I'm generally too lazy to sit there and stir constantly.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

If this small 3-cup batch of mine works out as I hope, I am kicking around the idea of buying a big ole bag of rice and a couple dozen yeast balls and using my big ole pickle crock to make several gallons.

 

[Accidic]

Make sure you puncture the cap it forms to let the liquid hit it and transition more of it as some others have posted. If you don't you'll likely end up like my last batch with less than desirable harvests.

Sidenote, rice keeps nearly forever so long as you don't let it get wet. It doesn't even have to be airtight but rather with a tight enough seal to prevent bugs from getting in. I use $2 buckets and $1 lids from Walmart to great effect. And odd as it may sound, apparently in the case of short grain rice anyway, the older rice actually is said to have a nicer texture for eating than the newer harvest rice and is frequently more desirable for whatever reason from aficionados. That said, it never even occurred to me that there were rice aficionados before I started looking for more info on it.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

Ordered 10 yeast balls from jak1010's ebay listing for $7.50 and he sent me 15! ended up being around 50c a ball.
Great deal from this guy.
Hope to get my batch started tnite and will report back!

 

[Tinhorn]

What do you mean puncture the cap?

 

[TBBrewer]

What do you mean puncture the cap?

Pop a hole in the rice cap that begins to float on top of the liquid. I think it requires some gas exchange as well as exposure to the available sugar/starch for the yeast/mold to work its magic. Some have had large batches stagnate and not progress as well as the small batches because of the large cap.

 

[Tinhorn]

Thanks have never done that

I use gallon jars will this increase the yield or change the flavor profile I wonder ? Will let y'all know when I do the next batch !

 

[wooda2008]

Leadgolem,
When I pasteurized my wine, it settled out exactly like yours.

I pour the clear stuff off the top and save the milk for seconds. It's a completely different experience.

 

[edds5p0]

Yeah, 10 minutes should be enough time. Even if some bugs are left alive, you have still killed a whole lot of them, and this stuff doesn't last long once it's in the bottle!

 

[Leadgolem]

I decided to try the rice wine sample I've got from beginning of April. All I can say is Wow! The alcohol aroma has dropped to almost nothing. The flavor has smoothed out. Still a very nice burn in the throat, even more then my 16% cider. The sweetness and tang remained the same. This was an inferior batch made with long grain rice. I noted it as having a strong "mushroomy" flavor and aroma when it was fresh. That has almost entirely disappeared. It still has a very slight mushroomy taste and aroma, though it mostly registers as just rice now.

It has separated, and I did not shake it up before sampling.

Shaking it up to put the solids back in suspension improved it further. It almost double the intensity of the rice aroma, and the sweetness. It had no other discernable effect on the flavor. I will try to leave some of this to try again in another month, but I doubt it will last that long...

EDIT: Interestingly, adding some simple syrup to sweeten it further resulted in the flavor taking on much more of a subtle "plum" flavor.

 

[WesleyS]

It definitely improves over time. I opened a bottle of my batch I flavored with pineapple coconut juice. It's been bottled, pasteurized, and refrigerated for at least a few weeks, if not over a month. I wish I would've wrote down the date. It's alot smoother and the flavor of the pineapple and coconut juice is starting to shine through more with the jasmine rice flavor coming through in the end. Tastes very, very good. I will probably wait another few weeks before I open another bottle from this batch.

 

[TBBrewer]

This is my latest batch. Turned out quite well. I got lucky when I went to the store and a 5lb of jasmine rice was on sale for 3 bucks. Score!

 

[jak1010]

This is my latest batch. Turned out quite well. I got lucky when I went to the store and a 5lb of jasmine rice was on sale for 3 bucks. Score!

Looks really good!

 

[saramc]

This is my latest batch. Turned out quite well. I got lucky when I went to the store and a 5lb of jasmine rice was on sale for 3 bucks. Score!

Are they flavored at all? What made the red one...so red? Have rice cooking now because my son and his friends ate the last batch. I left the house for a while, came home to the smell of fried rice. It was tasty, but this Mom was irked, so they poured me a glass from a bottle of peach port they picked out (which they really got into trouble for). They like the rice wine immensely and a few of them make it now, they said it is easier than 'all the crap you really have to do to make wine'. I will make wine/beer makers out of these 22-23 year old 'kids' yet.

 

[TBBrewer]

Are they flavored at all? What made the red one...so red? Have rice cooking now because my son and his friends ate the last batch. I left the house for a while, came home to the smell of fried rice. It was tasty, but this Mom was irked, so they poured me a glass from a bottle of peach port they picked out (which they really got into trouble for). They like the rice wine immensely and a few of them make it now, they said it is easier than 'all the crap you really have to do to make wine'. I will make wine/beer makers out of these 22-23 year old 'kids' yet.

No, no flavoring at all. These batches are both jasmine rice, 1:1 ratio with Chinese yeast balls. One batch had a few ounces of RYR added to it.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Just checked on mine and its humming along nicely!! Only issue is that there is so mold on the top. Can I just remove this or is it screwed?

 

[WesleyS]

Just checked on mine and its humming along nicely!! Only issue is that there is so mold on the top. Can I just remove this or is it screwed?

What does the mold look like?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Green mold. Like one would get on food that had been left out a few days.