Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

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josephbernard66 said:
Yeah. You were the one that said brew more. I got some buddies that wanna brew some too. I been sharing my stuff now im out. Lesson learned dont be too nice. But if you somethinf from down here ill make a trade.

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Damn! Been busy all day and just got to seeing this. Just sold my last bag of RYR a few hours ago. You'll be first on my list when I get more. Glad you're enjoying this stuff. I did the same thing, started bringing this to parties and then making it for groups at parties. It goes quickly. :D
 
Temptd2 said:
Just harvested my first batch of wine made with jasmine rice - it's a 4 weeks because I made a mistake and packed it too tightly into the jar, so at 3 weeks, I put it in a different jar much more loosely packed.

It's REALLY good - different taste than the sweet rice, which we like too - but interestingly, 4 cups of jasmine rice = about 750ml of wine, where 4 cups of sweet rice made two 750ml bottles plus about half a 16 oz. bottle. What to do, what to do - more jasmine, or not!

Well, I still have a lot of jasmine rice left, so I guess that answers THAT question....
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I generally use a 1:1.5 ratio of dry rice to water. Without presoaking, and get a better yield then you reported.

The sweet rice has consistently yielded better then the jasmine though. I believe it has to do with the higher proportion of short chain carbohydrates in the short grain sweet rice. They are easier to saccharify then the longer chain starches that are more common in jasmine rice.

The jasmine rice wine does have a better aroma, but I like the taste of the sweet rice better.
josephbernard66 said:
I tried to reuse the lees. Mine just turned green . I was air drying them though.

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I've not been able to preserve the lees for reuse yet either. I also tried air drying, and refrigeration for a couple of weeks. Both attempts failed. I believe the bug producing the amylase enzyme died in both cases. The air drying also killed the monascus purpureus, though the refrigeration did not. It probably would have been possible to add yeast balls and refrigerated RYR lees to start a new RYR batch. Though I have no idea how long it would keep in the fridge. My experiment was at 2 weeks in the fridge.

I have had success in reusing the lees immediately after harvesting a batch. The white rice wine lees seem to have a tendency to get infected, and also produce progressively tangier batches. Probably due to acetobacter getting thicker as time goes on. So I prefer to make batches fresh for white rice wine.

The red rice wine batches did not either tend to get infections, or change discernibly in taste between batches. I was able to do 4 batches back to back, without any negative indications, from a single starter. I believe the monascus purpureus is inhibiting the growth of acetobacter, and most other kinds of common batch infections. So, I will generally make one RYR batch and reuse the lees until I have as much wine as I want.
 
Mine looks weird i think... liquid and small chucks... Strong alcohol smell

1394944275806.jpg
 
ChefRex said:
How big a batch are you doing, I may have read it but I don't want to go back.
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Sorry, was gone all weekend. I do a minimum of 10 lbs dry rice, but sometimes 25. I just use a 7 1/2 gal ferment bucket that I also rotate and make beer in. 25 lbs is a tight fit in a 7 1/2 gal bucket.
 
trbig said:
Sorry, was gone all weekend. I do a minimum of 10 lbs dry rice, but sometimes 25. I just use a 7 1/2 gal ferment bucket that I also rotate and make beer in. 25 lbs is a tight fit in a 7 1/2 gal bucket.
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On issues doing that large of a batch? I think it was Leadgolum that had an issue doing, I think, a 5 gallon batch.
 
My nephew asked me an interesting question yesterday about the yeast balls: "does that stuff work on wheat?"

My answer was, "I dunno. Bring me some wheat next time you swing by, and we'll find out."

Full disclosure: It isn't just an idle question. My parents ground their own flour and made their own cracked wheat for years (ever had cracked wheat, almond milk and honey slow-cooked overnight for breakfast?). When they died they left several hundred pounds of red winter wheat, that's sealed in 50 lb double bags and probably good for a thousand years...

My nephew was their live-in caretaker the last few years of their life, so he got custody of the wheat and the flour mill. And if the yeast balls work on wheat, we're looking at a lifetime supply of booze.... :ban:

If they don't, we've lost a few cups of wheat and some yeast balls. Sounds like a good gamble to me....
 
I tried it on some tails from a mash and it doesn't look like it's doing a dang thing except growing a big SCOBY on top! But that's mostly barley, so I'll be interested to hear if the wheat works. We buy hard red winter wheat by the 50# bag to sprout/dehydrate/grind for flour for our breadmaking. So there is always some wheat around the house in one form or another!
 
ChefRex said:
On issues doing that large of a batch? I think it was Leadgolum that had an issue doing, I think, a 5 gallon batch.
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No issues other than normal stuff you have on small batches. You win some and lose some. Mostly win. Hardest part for me, is I've found the cooler I can ferment this stuff, the better. Warmer ferments make for a sour batch. There doesn't seem to be such thing as a cold crash and make dormant on whatever yeast this is. I've had a carboy of it out in the garage in the low 30's and it still bubbles. Seeing some of the results from capped rice wine exploding in peoples' fridges, this seems to attest to that. Only thing that seems to really stop it is heat, but I've never tried k-meta or sorbate on it either.
 
Question for you all.

I read the first 10-20 pages of this post and am very intrigued by this recipe. Since yeast balls are hard to come by, if i find some and make this recipe....can i take leftover rice mush at the end of a batch when bottling and use that to start a new batch?

Thank you in advance for your replies!
 
No good on grits oatmeal or potatoes... no on spaghetti as well. Pickle flavors with potatoe. Grits more or less the same. Oatmeal was nasty.

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trbig said:
No issues other than normal stuff you have on small batches. You win some and lose some. Mostly win. Hardest part for me, is I've found the cooler I can ferment this stuff, the better. Warmer ferments make for a sour batch. There doesn't seem to be such thing as a cold crash and make dormant on whatever yeast this is. I've had a carboy of it out in the garage in the low 30's and it still bubbles. Seeing some of the results from capped rice wine exploding in peoples' fridges, this seems to attest to that. Only thing that seems to really stop it is heat, but I've never tried k-meta or sorbate on it either.
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Me too. Have fermented all my batches at between 60* and 66*. Have had NO off flavors, smells, or anything growing, aside from a small patch or two of barely discernible white fuzz. No acetone, no fruity stuff, just nice clean flavors and smells so far.
 
I been fermenting at room temps. My stuff is tangy some people like most don't. To tell the truth my taste buds aren't very picky. I like the fact its easy and reasonably cheap to make.

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Just had a great idea for bottling this rice wine. 1 gallon tea jugs. When they get opened you can never fully seal them again. They are also plastic and can handle expansion if need be.

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josephbernard66 said:
Just had a great idea for bottling this rice wine. 1 gallon tea jugs. When they get opened you can never fully seal them again. They are also plastic and can handle expansion if need be.

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Not a bad idea. It should hold just fine. Although, my batches don't stay around long enough to need "bottling". I just need a container for short term storage. :)

I use a few flip top bottles to stash them in and they're usually empty by the time the next batch is ready for harvest.
 
josephbernard66 said:
Mine neither.

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Neither of my first two batches have shown the slightest inclination to keep fermenting and carbonizing after being bottled. But only having done the two, I can't really make any sweeping generalizations... and I fermented both batches for several weeks
 
My first batch, which was harvested on 3/7, and of which there is about half a 750ml bottle left - is STILL hell-bent on producing copious quantities of CO2 - I have to decork it at least every other day and it always has a very hearty POP! when doing so. It's been in the fridge since I harvested it, so whatever it's doing in there - it's still having a good ol' time doing it!
 
ChefRex said:
Leadgolum, when you make RYR batches are you using only RYR or a mix with the balls? Either way how much RYR are you using?
Thanks
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Both. I use 3 tbs of crushed RYR per 1 1/2 cup dry rice, and 1/3 of an oz, approximately, of crushed yeast balls.

Omitting the rice yeast balls resulted in the yield dropping by about 1/3 from what I would normally expect. In addition, the proportion of remaining solids and sugars was also much higher. Not a great wine. Not awful, but not really pleasant either.

ChefRex said:
On issues doing that large of a batch? I think it was Leadgolum that had an issue doing, I think, a 5 gallon batch.
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I had two issues doing larger batches.

First, the rice took a rather long time to cool. That was annoying, but leaving it over night solves that.

Second, the rice formed a kind of fused rice cap with then floated on the co2 produced the fermentation. That cap wasn't continuing to break down, so I had to break it up so it would sink. The actual process solution is pretty simple. Form the rice into balls as you place it in the fermentor. That keeps the cap from forming.
troy2000 said:
My nephew asked me an interesting question yesterday about the yeast balls: "does that stuff work on wheat?"

My answer was, "I dunno. Bring me some wheat next time you swing by, and we'll find out."

Full disclosure: It isn't just an idle question. My parents ground their own flour and made their own cracked wheat for years (ever had cracked wheat, almond milk and honey slow-cooked overnight for breakfast?). When they died they left several hundred pounds of red winter wheat, that's sealed in 50 lb double bags and probably good for a thousand years...

My nephew was their live-in caretaker the last few years of their life, so he got custody of the wheat and the flour mill. And if the yeast balls work on wheat, we're looking at a lifetime supply of booze.... :ban:

If they don't, we've lost a few cups of wheat and some yeast balls. Sounds like a good gamble to me....
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I find it likely that the enzymes involved can address most types of starch. Provided they have been gelatinized first. I did try this with whole cooked wheat berries. I believe the fungus failed to penetrate the bran. What I ended up with was some very very moldy cooked wheat berries, and not wine. I would advise cracking the wheat and then cooking it before inoculating it.

I do know of at least one successful attempt to make red rice wine from cooked masa.

candlejack said:
Question for you all.

I read the first 10-20 pages of this post and am very intrigued by this recipe. Since yeast balls are hard to come by, if i find some and make this recipe....can i take leftover rice mush at the end of a batch when bottling and use that to start a new batch?

Thank you in advance for your replies!
Click to expand...
Yes. Doing so multiple times resulted in a progressively tangier wine with white rice wine though. In addition, attempting to preserve the lees either by air drying or refrigeration cause the subsequent batches to fail. It probably killed the fungus breaking down the starch. So, use them fresh. You are also looking at progressively higher risks of infection with every re-use.

Red rice wine with both RYR and yeast balls did not suffer from reuse in any way I could determine. Drying and refrigeration also failed to preserve the lees though.
 
Leadgolem said:
I find it likely that the enzymes involved can address most types of starch. Provided they have been gelatinized first. I did try this with whole cooked wheat berries. I believe the fungus failed to penetrate the bran. What I ended up with was some very very moldy cooked wheat berries, and not wine. I would advise cracking the wheat and then cooking it before inoculating it.

I do know of at least one successful attempt to make red rice wine from cooked masa.
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Thanks for the reply. We're on the same page; I had already decided to crack the wheat before cooking. I hadn't thought of the bran, but I figured the yeast balls would work better on pieces of grain instead of whole kernels....
 
Leadgolem...I wonder if it would help to chop up the rice after cooking in the food processor? Just a thought. :) Or maybe chop it up slightly prior to cooking to help it keep from clumping so badly or mix with the yeastballs/RYR more easily?
 
So mine is about a week and a half in, about a third each, solid, clear and milky liquid. But it smells like acetone. Normal?


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I have had batches smell like acetone some don't I still drink it no matter what. Except when it really smells bad don't use grits or oatmeal. Rice only for me from now on.

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OK, recently harvested batches - neither KOTC nor I care for the one made with the jasmine rice - it has a "whang" to it that neither of us likes. It's also VERY "thick" and the solids are not settling out even after a week in the fridge.

OTOH - the batches of sweet rice wine I harvested yesterday are AWESOME! They have a very slightly pineapple, sweet taste. Actually I mixed the two containers into one container. I ONLY drained in a big sieve, I did not press out the solids much at all, and it's a MUCH better mouthfeel than the jasmine rice batch.

I think tomorrow I'm gonna bottle it in 16.9 ounce PET bottles, let it carbonate a day or three, then pasteurize it.
 
Ive used a wifebeater before. I have used a coarse strain nylon bag. Muslin pillow case. Really I think cheese cloth or a nylon bag or wife beater are all just as good.

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Newsman said:
Leadgolem...I wonder if it would help to chop up the rice after cooking in the food processor? Just a thought. :) Or maybe chop it up slightly prior to cooking to help it keep from clumping so badly or mix with the yeastballs/RYR more easily?
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In my opinion, that would help with the mixing but would probably make the starch cap issue worse.

I believe what is happening is that in larger batches you get a layer of starch that has partially saccharified. That layer has a consistency of jello, and traps co2 inside it. Then you have unconverted starch sitting on top of this buoyant layer.

Breaking up the rice into smaller pieces would likely cause this jello like layer to form much sooner in the process.

That being said, I don't know of anybody who has tried that. So, if you have a large batch planned, give it a shot and let us know what happens.:mug:

There are a couple of additional potential problems. First is the amount of extra work it would be to process all the rice through a food processor for a batch large enough to have the issue. The second is that with sweet rice I think what you would actually do is end up with something with the consistency of warm pitch. That's likely to be a pain to get out of the food processor, and might actually damage it.

For mixing, my preference is to toss the completely cooled loose rice in a food grade bucket with the powdered rice yeast balls, and the RYR if you are making the red. I've been able to coat virtually all the rice grains this way, and haven't actually gotten an infected batch since I started doing that and fermenting in the dark.

BBQB said:
Is cheese cloth the best way to strain?


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josephbernard66 said:
Ive used a wifebeater before. I have used a coarse strain nylon bag. Muslin pillow case. Really I think cheese cloth or a nylon bag or wife beater are all just as good.

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I would probably not use cheese cloth. If you intend to squeeze at all I doubt you'd be able to get the lees out of the cloth.

I use an un-dyed tea towel. Not one of those absorbent hand towels, this is much more coarsely woven.
 
Leadgolem said:
I would probably not use cheese cloth. If you intend to squeeze at all I doubt you'd be able to get the lees out of the cloth.
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I use nylon "Cheesecloth" bags to strain mine, much like these, but I have found a larger size at my local homebrew shop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P6XE28/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

After straining, the lees go down the sink, I turn the bag inside out and hand wash well, then throw it in the washing machine (But not through the dryer.. they air dry quickly)
 
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trbig said:
I use nylon "Cheesecloth" bags to strain mine, much like these, but I have found a larger size at my local homebrew shop.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P6XE28/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



After straining, the lees go down the sink, I turn the bag inside out and hand wash well, then throw it in the washing machine (But not through the dryer.. they air dry quickly)
Click to expand...


Paint department at Home Depot or Lowes (or paint store).


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