Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[Dionysus68]

Thought I'd post an update on the progress of my three batches. The large batch with 20 lbs of medium grain rice is doing fantastic, the airlock is bubbling away, yesterday I peaked to check the progress and and the rice has almost completely lost it's structure and is swimming in liquid, smells wonderful.
The barley batch has been the most surprising. It's the fastest progressing of the three batches, it is about 3/4 liquid and the barley is completely disentegrated. I stole a taste and MAN, IS IT GOOD! it's sweet and STRONG and really nutty. I'd encourage anyone out there to give it a try.
The RYR batch, surprisingly has been the slowest progressing of the batches, it's just beginning to liquify. The rice has completely lost it's structure and pools of liquid are finally starting to form.
Yesterday I started the red sorghum experiment I was planning using 3lbs. I've never cooked sorghum so I had no idea what I was doing. I tried soaking it overnight but that accomplished nothing, it was still hard as a rock. I covered it in an inch of water brought it to a boil and turned it down to a simmer. It drank up all of the water in no time so I kept adding liquid. in all it drank up at least two quarts of liquid. Like couscous it seems to drink up as much liquid as you give it. I tossed it with three crushed yeast balls mixed with a cup of flour. The texture was a lot like barley so I'm hoping for similar results. No signs of activity yet but it's only been one day.
I'll post pictures of everything when I bottle it. Right now the containers I'm using don't allow me to get good pictures.

 

[jak1010]

Thought I'd post an update on the progress of my three batches. The large batch with 20 lbs of medium grain rice is doing fantastic, the airlock is bubbling away, yesterday I peaked to check the progress and and the rice has almost completely lost it's structure and is swimming in liquid, smells wonderful.
The barley batch has been the most surprising. It's the fastest progressing of the three batches, it is about 3/4 liquid and the barley is completely disentegrated. I stole a taste and MAN, IS IT GOOD! it's sweet and STRONG and really nutty. I'd encourage anyone out there to give it a try.
The RYR batch, surprisingly has been the slowest progressing of the batches, it's just beginning to liquify. The rice has completely lost it's structure and pools of liquid are finally starting to form.
Yesterday I started the red sorghum experiment I was planning using 3lbs. I've never cooked sorghum so I had no idea what I was doing. I tried soaking it overnight but that accomplished nothing, it was still hard as a rock. I covered it in an inch of water brought it to a boil and turned it down to a simmer. It drank up all of the water in no time so I kept adding liquid. in all it drank up at least two quarts of liquid. Like couscous it seems to drink up as much liquid as you give it. I tossed it with three crushed yeast balls mixed with a cup of flour. The texture was a lot like barley so I'm hoping for similar results. No signs of activity yet but it's only been one day.
I'll post pictures of everything when I bottle it. Right now the containers I'm using don't allow me to get good pictures.

Awesome. Keep sending updates. The barley batch sounds interesting. I see myself making this soon.

 

[madwilliamflint]

I've had a couple big mason jars (half gallon-ish?) going in my living room. I find it takes a week or so to get going, then it cruises along really nicely.

Just wanted to throw out the data point that, over this weekend it got pretty hot in my livingroom (upwards of 80 degrees) and the activity soared. I had to put the jars in a bucket with a towel over the top to keep them from sputtering all over the place (usually I just give them a good shake when the contents have expanded into the danger zone.)

Looks like I've got enough structural breakdown now that it shouldn't be an issue as it'll let go of the CO2 more readily.

It does make me wonder what would happen if I put a batch in a far warmer place of some kind.

 

[MasterCrook]

Thought I'd post an update on the progress of my three batches. The large batch with 20 lbs of medium grain rice is doing fantastic, the airlock is bubbling away, yesterday I peaked to check the progress and and the rice has almost completely lost it's structure and is swimming in liquid, smells wonderful.
The barley batch has been the most surprising. It's the fastest progressing of the three batches, it is about 3/4 liquid and the barley is completely disentegrated. I stole a taste and MAN, IS IT GOOD! it's sweet and STRONG and really nutty. I'd encourage anyone out there to give it a try.
The RYR batch, surprisingly has been the slowest progressing of the batches, it's just beginning to liquify. The rice has completely lost it's structure and pools of liquid are finally starting to form.
Yesterday I started the red sorghum experiment I was planning using 3lbs. I've never cooked sorghum so I had no idea what I was doing. I tried soaking it overnight but that accomplished nothing, it was still hard as a rock. I covered it in an inch of water brought it to a boil and turned it down to a simmer. It drank up all of the water in no time so I kept adding liquid. in all it drank up at least two quarts of liquid. Like couscous it seems to drink up as much liquid as you give it. I tossed it with three crushed yeast balls mixed with a cup of flour. The texture was a lot like barley so I'm hoping for similar results. No signs of activity yet but it's only been one day.
I'll post pictures of everything when I bottle it. Right now the containers I'm using don't allow me to get good pictures.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results!

 

[LBussy]

It does make me wonder what would happen if I put a batch in a far warmer place of some kind.

Generally speaking, warmer fermentation lead to higher alcohols (higher fractions, not higher %'s) and wicked headaches. Just my experience and granted it's with beer yeasts.

(At this point the typical move is for 10 people to say they do it and theirs turns out great!)

 

[jak1010]

Generally speaking, warmer fermentation lead to higher alcohols (higher fractions, not higher %'s) and wicked headaches. Just my experience and granted it's with beer yeasts.

(At this point the typical move is for 10 people to say they do it and theirs turns out great!)

Haha that's great. That's how I do mine...just kidding. I start mine high (probably 78-85 degrees) for the first 3 days and then move to a cooler spot (about 72) for the rest of the time.

My first few batches, I thought hotter is better because of the action but, it's not better in the end.

 

[madwilliamflint]

Haha that's great. That's how I do mine...just kidding. I start mine high (probably 78-85 degrees) for the first 3 days and then move to a cooler spot (about 72) for the rest of the time.

My first few batches, I thought hotter is better because of the action but, it's not better in the end.

ah. Thanks for the info guys. Yeah I had that kicking around in the back of my head from my first experiment.

I really need to figure out how to create a fermenting chamber with a temperature control of some kind. Being at the whim of weather seems like it can only end in needless disaster given the number of things I have running in parallel.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

I made a big batch of this stuff (5 lbs dry rice) with the Jasmine rice and a few packets of Korean yeast balls. I don't remember the package name but they were like mentos sized tablets with around 10 per package. It turned out pretty tart, I wasn't able to get to it until after 3 weeks. Anyone know if it was an error on my part or if it is the character of the yeast?

 

[Newsman]

ah. Thanks for the info guys. Yeah I had that kicking around in the back of my head from my first experiment.

I really need to figure out how to create a fermenting chamber with a temperature control of some kind. Being at the whim of weather seems like it can only end in needless disaster given the number of things I have running in parallel.

That's easy enough to do... get a chest freezer and a thermostatically-controlled outlet. Or do the same with a mini-fridge.

 

[Newsman]

I made a big batch of this stuff (5 lbs dry rice) with the Jasmine rice and a few packets of Korean yeast balls. I don't remember the package name but they were like mentos sized tablets with around 10 per package. It turned out pretty tart, I wasn't able to get to it until after 3 weeks. Anyone know if it was an error on my part or if it is the character of the yeast?

How much water did you use vs rice? More water seems to give a tarter flavor.

 

[jak1010]

How much water did you use vs rice? More water seems to give a tarter flavor.

Agreed. I do 1 1/4 cup of water to every 1 cup of dry rice. For me, more water equals more tart in my experience.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

How much water did you use vs rice? More water seems to give a tarter flavor.

I soaked for an hout then strained. After that I used 3.6 cups per lb. 18 cups total when cooking. IIRC there was no standing water when done cooking.

I didnt add any other than cooking either.

 

[Newsman]

I soaked for an hout then strained. After that I used 3.6 cups per lb. 18 cups total when cooking. IIRC there was no standing water when done cooking.

I didnt add any other than cooking either.

Hmm.... Never tried to figure out how much water per pound of rice... how many cups of rice in a pound?

 

[mythbustingpyro]

It looks like a little more than 2 cups dry according to google. I was doing it by counting cups out of the bag and some ratio, but I dont remember any of the numbers now. Im just going off the notes I took.

 

[jak1010]

I made a big batch of this stuff (5 lbs dry rice) with the Jasmine rice and a few packets of Korean yeast balls. I don't remember the package name but they were like mentos sized tablets with around 10 per package. It turned out pretty tart, I wasn't able to get to it until after 3 weeks. Anyone know if it was an error on my part or if it is the character of the yeast?

If you still have it, try this. Get another small glass jar (like a quart sized mason jar) and fill it 3/4 of the way with your wine. Fill the rest with water and about 3 teaspoons of honey. Cap it with cheesecloth and the lid and let it sit for about 5 days. If there's still active yeast, the water will dilute the abv allowing the yeast to activate. The honey should effect the taste and in about 5 days, the tartness should be gone.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

Unfortunately I pasteurized all the bottles. I want to try it again with smaller quantities though.

 

[madwilliamflint]

That's easy enough to do... get a chest freezer and a thermostatically-controlled outlet. Or do the same with a mini-fridge.

Heh. Yeah, well...that's a good idea. But I have 16 batches going, most 1 gallon mead variations, but a few 3 gallons as well. I think I'm going to need to hook up an AC in my basement and insulate a room really well.

 

[jak1010]

Heh. Yeah, well...that's a good idea. But I have 16 batches going, most 1 gallon mead variations, but a few 3 gallons as well. I think I'm going to need to hook up an AC in my basement and insulate a room really well.

I love your thought process and willingness along with ability to do this. A true brewer indeed.

 

[madwilliamflint]

I love your thought process and willingness along with ability to do this. A true brewer indeed.

This stuff takes a long time, especially mead (since I'm not a beer drinker.) I figure, if it's going to take 9-12 months to age correctly, then by God I'm going to have 2 dozen experiments come to fruition all at once so I don't waste valuable time.

My notes are good enough (I think) so that if I get one success out of this many attempts, I'll be way ahead of the game.

I don't know a damn thing about any of this stuff. But I'm bloody well going to learn as fast as I can get the information into my head.

 

[atli126]

In

 

[MasterCrook]

This stuff takes a long time, especially mead (since I'm not a beer drinker.) I figure, if it's going to take 9-12 months to age correctly, then by God I'm going to have 2 dozen experiments come to fruition all at once so I don't waste valuable time.

My notes are good enough (I think) so that if I get one success out of this many attempts, I'll be way ahead of the game.

I don't know a damn thing about any of this stuff. But I'm bloody well going to learn as fast as I can get the information into my head.

Are you mixing rice wine and mead recipes?

 

[madwilliamflint]

Are you mixing rice wine and mead recipes?

Eep, no. Those are just the two things I tend to be working with. I DID toss a half pint of blueberries in one of my rice wine experiments as a goof to see what happened.

I want to compare adding small amounts of fruit to the beginning of the process with adding a little at bottling, see what happens and all.

But I'm not mixing honey and rice...yet. But hey, I'm still new. Maybe I'll do a jar like that just to see what happens.

 

[MasterCrook]

Eep, no. Those are just the two things I tend to be working with. I DID toss a half pint of blueberries in one of my rice wine experiments as a goof to see what happened.

I want to compare adding small amounts of fruit to the beginning of the process with adding a little at bottling, see what happens and all.

But I'm not mixing honey and rice...yet. But hey, I'm still new. Maybe I'll do a jar like that just to see what happens.

I've seen a few recipes where honey and raisins are added together before the ferment. I like things simple, so just plain old rice wine for me

 

[madwilliamflint]

I've seen a few recipes where honey and raisins are added together before the ferment. I like things simple, so just plain old rice wine for me

After my first success I'll always have plain rice wine on hand. It's too delicious. But I'll likely always be running the odd goofy experiment off on the side as well.

 

[jak1010]

After my first success I'll always have plain rice wine on hand. It's too delicious. But I'll likely always be running the odd goofy experiment off on the side as well.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[ChefRex]

My thoughts exactly.

Got your package today, thanks brother! I will be doing a batch heavy on the RYR, how much have you used in a batch?

jak1010 is the man!

 

[jak1010]

Got your package today, thanks brother! I will be doing a batch heavy on the RYR, how much have you used in a batch?

jak1010 is the man!

No worries. I usually use about 1/2 a cup of RYR for a 5 cup (dry) of Thai Jasmine rice. Good stuff.

 

[ChefRex]

No worries. I usually use about 1/2 a cup of RYR for a 5 cup (dry) of Thai Jasmine rice. Good stuff.

Straight up? Or do you add yeast balls also?

 

[jak1010]

Straight up? Or do you add yeast balls also?

Sorry, yes yeast balls too. Someone tried doing it without the yeast balls and it didn't work. Although it's red yeast rice, the yeast itself doesn't get the job done and you need yeast balls. For a 5 cup batch, I add 3 crushed balls.

 

[jak1010]

Here's the 2 week update on my ARL and RYR batch. Smells and looks amazing. Can't wait to finally have another batch of red! 7 more days feels like a lifetime away.