Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[kosciel4]

What percentage would you estimate it was? And do you think it was too sweet at that final gravity? I've bottled 600ml at 1.060 and 1.050 so far and will bottle my next at 1.025. Cold crashed both of what I bottled already. Figure I'll trial and error heat, duration and recipe on my first go at this. Obviously my first 2 bottles were to soon, but it will help gauge the taste evolution.

 

[Leadgolem]

If I was to guess, about 20%. The burn is similar to a wine I made that is 18.7%, this does seem to be a touch stronger. I don't think it was to sweet. Actually, it was slightly tangy, so there was a little acetic acid present. Honestly, I think that actually adds to the flavor at this point. Actually, it was a little on the dry side. It smelled mostly of plum. It did have a yeasty aftertaste.

I just tasted the clear layer from the green bottle. No more yeast taste, but a slightly earthy aftertaste. It reminds me of mushrooms. Very smooth. My sample really isn't big enough to get a gravity reading without wasting more of it then I'm willing to from this batch. My guess at the gravity is based on the lack of sweetness in the liquid, so it is just a guess. I'll get you better data from the large batch that will be harvested this weekend. Both batches have been made from cheap long grain rice, which I believe will also greatly influence the flavor.

I already posted these, but...
Pic 1 Day 25, day before harvesting.
Pic 2 What I yielded after harvesting.
Pic 3 What it looked like after 2 days in the fridge.

I hope that helps.

 

[saramc]

What final gravity are you guys bottling at? I realize an o.g. cannot be taken, but Ive reasoned vinegar has a gravity of its own so perhaps by doing a reading every few days that transformation could be avoided. (I assume bottle around .990-1.050) Thanks

The gravity of vinegar has nothing to do with formation of vinegar...acetobacter aceti is the reason it forms. The specific gravity ("Sp.G.") of a liquid tells you how much more or less dense the liquid is than water. Water has a specific gravity of 1.000 (near 4°C). If a liquid is more dense than water, then its specific gravity is greater than 1. If it is less dense than water, then the specific gravity is less than 1.

Since we start with solids for this ferment there really is no reliable home method to determine the ACV. You can try a vinometer but those seem to be hit or miss. The history of this wine has indicated that pasteurization is the way to stabilize for consumption. So if you bottle and have any residual sugar, ie SG greater than 1.000, you really need to consider pasteurization, or keep it cold but realize it will still ferment at a snail's pace.

 

[saramc]

I'm sure someone has done it. So what spices or fruits have been infused successfully ie blueberries vanilla beans etc. for good flavors and what have failed also what is the best way to infuse, add them in the beginning with the rice so they can take part in the break down and fermentation Or infuse in the finished product after draining/straining it? Also how are you guys cleaning the fruits of wild yeasts? Boiling, rinsing in spirits, or is the alcohol content of this high enough to do that on its own?

As far as how to deal with any potential wild yeast from your fruit you need to look at your source. If you are using fresh/frozen you can dose with k-meta just like winemaking, if you are using canned fruit/fruit juice you do not need to do anything--but you can always dose with k-meta if you want to. If you add the fruit after the wine is harvested I would think the alcohol content is high enough to prevent a wild ferment from taking over.
I am tempted to add some apple juice around Day 20 of a 30 day ferment, just to see how that turns out.
As far as what I have flavored with..I am hooked on vanilla bean and Bosc pears, and Asian pear with strawberry. Thinking blueberry with ginger will be pleasant. All added after cold shocking, fill jar with fruit, add wine, leave at room temp for 36 hours and then move to refrig. I remove the fruit once it has served its purpose and I notice the beginning of loss of color, typically no longer than eight days.

 

[Marauder]

Saramc

Thank you, not a lot of knowledge about wine making, and haven't done many fruit beers. This is my first experiment into wine actually, and I guess is almost closer to brewing with the starch conversion etc. thanks for the info.

 

[KegWrangler]

I was thinking about using a hydrometer and a refractometer to divine the final alcohol content. I've done this with beers in the past when I forget to take an OG reading.

I'm only a week into my test batches (below) so results will have to wait until mid-Feb.

Batch #1 is 2 cups (dry) jasmine + a 10g yeast ball
Batch #2 is 2 cups (dry) sticky rice + a yeast ball

 

[sonofgrok]

I was thinking about using a hydrometer and a refractometer to divine the final alcohol content. I've done this with beers in the past when I forget to take an OG reading.

I'm only a week into my test batches (below) so results will have to wait until mid-March.

Batch #1 is 2 cups (dry) jasmine + a 10g yeast ball
Batch #2 is 2 cups (dry) sticky rice + a yeast ball

Mid march? You want a 3 week ferment. Not a 3 month! Lol

 

[Hopper77]

How much end product is everybody getting? I see a lot of 2 cup batches as well as varying sizes. I did a 11 cup batch and got just under a gallon. That was the batch I made on the stove top. How much wine are people getting from steamed rice?

 

[KegWrangler]

Mid march? You want a 3 week ferment. Not a 3 month! Lol

Wait, what month are we in??? OK, make that Mid-Feb...

 

[Hopper77]

Ok so the glass I had the other night was awesome. Now after it has cold crashes and cleared it tastes different. Not necessarily bad per say.....just not as good as it was. I sweetened a glass with some sugar and it kind of helped. I'm going to being it back to room temp and taste again then stir it up to get the white stuff back into it to see if that brings it back. If all else fails ill flavor with pears

 

[sonofgrok]

Ok so the glass I had the other night was awesome. Now after it has cold crashes and cleared it tastes different. Not necessarily bad per say.....just not as good as it was. I sweetened a glass with some sugar and it kind of helped. I'm going to being it back to room temp and taste again then stir it up to get the white stuff back into it to see if that brings it back. If all else fails ill flavor with pears

Like I said, I always shake mine prior to pouring and its always delicious. Clearing may not be the answer!

 

[ezzellca]

Like I said, I always shake mine prior to pouring and its always delicious. Clearing may not be the answer!

I live in China （my wife is Chinese）and although rice wine drinking has died out quite a bit, my wife's great aunt is still an avid rice wine fan, drinks the stuff every meal of every day. Hers is cloudy, and sometimes still has a grain or two of rice in it.

Ive seen clear rice wine of various colors, but she prefers the cloudy stuff.

Also there is an awesome porridge that can be made by starting this wine and pulling it after 3 days to a week and eating it as is. Yummm boozy rice soup!

 

[bottlebomber]

I live in China （my wife is Chinese）and although rice wine drinking has died out quite a bit, my wife's great aunt is still an avid rice wine fan, drinks the stuff every meal of every day.

Thanks for the post. I'm sure if you could glean any tips from great auntie we would be happy to hear them.

 

[Leadgolem]

Thanks for the post. I'm sure if you could glean any tips from great auntie we would be happy to hear them.

Absolutely!

I think I should get some jasmine rice. I thought the flavor improved after the solids dropped out of solution. That's probably because I used a pretty flavorless long grain rice though.

 

[ezzellca]

Thanks for the post. I'm sure if you could glean any tips from great auntie we would be happy to hear them.

Def. want to pick her brain for a bit. I can't go to my wifes hometown for spring festival （next week）because of visa issues. However, since I will be missing such a huge holiday I will need to visit pretty soon after, most likely April. If y'all have any questions you are interested in I can pass then along. I know I personally want to ask what type of rice she finds best, and more importantly... why.

 

[jadedev]

I'm going to try using the starch mass that was left over from my 1 quart batch to start another batch.

How did you go with this???? I tired using the mash to a new batch and so far nothing, not even a gas bubble. Very unexpected considering how warm the room is.

 

[Leadgolem]

How did you go with this???? I tired using the mash to a new batch and so far nothing, not even a gas bubble. Very unexpected considering how warm the room is.

I haven't gotten anything yet. It's early though. I didn't see much with the yeast balls for over a week either. Lots of yeast smell, much less plum aroma using the leftover starch mass.

I'll give it 2 weeks before I declare it a failure.

 

[bottlebomber]

I can't see mine needing a whole 3 weeks.. It's been 4 days now, and it is already almost 1/3 wine. I tasted a little, and it was delicious. I don't think it has much alcohol yet, or none that I can taste, but it is pleasantly sweet with a tart note and amazingly aromatic. I am excited because I think the wife may actually drink this too.

 

[wooda2008]

Much of the alcohol conversion happens around the 20-30 day mark, from what I've read.

 

[jadedev]

my first batch is an utter failure. Not much alcohol flavour at all and very yeasty smell. Not sure where I went wrong.

Perhaps I should not have so much water when I cook the rice. I used almost 3 to 1 ratio, coz the rice was very dry, so I added more water.

What sort of water to rice ratio did you guys use?

 

[wooda2008]

I used a 1.5:1 after a 3 hour soak. it was all absorbed by the rice

 

[sonofgrok]

my first batch is an utter failure. Not much alcohol flavour at all and very yeasty smell. Not sure where I went wrong.

Perhaps I should not have so much water when I cook the rice. I used almost 3 to 1 ratio, coz the rice was very dry, so I added more water.

What sort of water to rice ratio did you guys use?

I always put the dry rice in the cooker then rinse (I stopped soaking) and fill the water level to the first knuckle (closest to the nail) on my middle finger with my finger tip at the top of the rice level. So whatever that works out to.

 

[Jnco_hippie]

We made this back on 1-20-13, only two weeks ago. it liquified for a few days, then seems to have stopped. the rice is beginning to drop to the bottom now. does this mean it is done already? should we go ahead and harvest it, or should we wait another week or two?

there is not near the ammount of liquid i was expecting. maybe it will come out when we squeeze the rice? hoping that we did this right. my son is coming over tonight, if it is time to go ahead and take it, i'd like to let him do it, if not, he won't be back for almost two weeks.

reccomendations?

 

[sonofgrok]

We made this back on 1-20-13, only two weeks ago. it liquified for a few days, then seems to have stopped. the rice is beginning to drop to the bottom now. does this mean it is done already? should we go ahead and harvest it, or should we wait another week or two?

there is not near the ammount of liquid i was expecting. maybe it will come out when we squeeze the rice? hoping that we did this right. my son is coming over tonight, if it is time to go ahead and take it, i'd like to let him do it, if not, he won't be back for almost two weeks.

reccomendations?

Hard to call. For me, I would say it is too early and would give it another week then do it ( I know this doesn't coincide with your sons visit unfortunately). Do you have a pic? That might help gauge liquid amount etc. Also what rice did you use?

 

[Jnco_hippie]

Used sweet glutinous rice.

 

[sonofgrok]

Used sweet glutinous rice.

Oh yeah, you will end up with more liquid than you think. I would still leave it another week though...

 

[jadedev]

So whatever that works out to.

how do you get rid off the extra strong yeasty smell?

 

[KegWrangler]

I like the tin-foil hat it's wearing, keeps the government from reading the yeasts' thoughts!

I couldn't find the lids to the jars I used so foil has become my "airlock".

 

[Arpolis]

Today I finished making my own Dry yeast balls so see if I can mimic the results you all are getting. Here is a pick of the layered yeast ball to rice mixture. I used Calrose rice and 90 grams of dry yeast balls powdered up. The rice was soaked and I decided to heat the rice on a stove with water rather than steam rice like I do for Japanese Sake. It will be fun to see where this goes.

 

[Leadgolem]

how do you get rid off the extra strong yeasty smell?

I put mine in the fridge for a couple of days. Then drank the cleared liquid. I also lost the plum aroma, but that may be due to the temperature. I'm going to try heating some a little for the next tasting.

EDIT: I just tasted some the the cleared stuff at room temperature. Still tastes and smells like good button mushrooms to me. More so when it's a little warmer like this. No plum aroma or flavor. The tangy flavor stays the same at room temperature, but the sweetness is much stronger. The overall flavor balance is much improved when it's a little warmer. I also get an nice tingly sensation on the tip of my tongue.

I'm really glad I started a big batch of this stuff right after the little one.