Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[Newsman]

I would also like to try this recipe with kōji mold. Has anyone here tried kōji mold?

Hats off to the OP,

You mean this stuff? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KTIWIWQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

There's a guy here who sells it on eBay for much less than Amazon.

 

[dlester]

Cool, thanks Newsman.

General question for anyone on this thread: I've read that some have beaten the yeast balls down for use in the rice wine. I assume some are using a hammer. Being that these little beasties are a living organism, aren't you crushing and killing a portion of them?

Just a thought,

 

[Newsman]

Cool, thanks Newsman.

General question for anyone on this thread: I've read that some have beaten the yeast balls down for use in the rice wine. I assume some are using a hammer. Being that these little beasties are a living organism, aren't you crushing and killing a portion of them?

Just a thought,

Nope. They're basically just in hibernation at that point. I use a mini-food processor and chop 'em to a powder. That helps the yeast and the rice mix.

 

[BGBC]

Cool, thanks Newsman.

General question for anyone on this thread: I've read that some have beaten the yeast balls down for use in the rice wine. I assume some are using a hammer. Being that these little beasties are a living organism, aren't you crushing and killing a portion of them?

Just a thought,

Another option is Angel Rice Leaven (ARL), which is basically a pre-powdered yeast ball (still has the necessary mold and bacteria). It also seems to give a cleaner, more consistent ferment than the yeast balls.

 

[pdxal]

Sticking to your guns on this...'Yeast' balls = a combo of mold, yeast, & bacteria.

Art of Fermentation - Asian Rice Brews

I appreciate you sharing more about your process, even though it differs from the basic recipe in this thread. I think one reason you end up with a lower ABV (prior to fractional freezing) is that you need to add much more water to the rice in order to mash your barley. This would, in theory, dilute your initial starting point, as opposed to the lower water:rice ratio required when using the yeast balls.

I would suspect he reached a lower ABV because he didn't have enough diastatic power. 1/2 pound barley isn't going to convert 25 pounds of rice. The mold in about a dozen yeast balls will, though.

 

[jak1010]

Nope. They're basically just in hibernation at that point. I use a mini-food processor and chop 'em to a powder. That helps the yeast and the rice mix.

Agreed. I've used a hammer, a can of beans, a spice grinder. No ill effects.

 

[sonofgrok]

I brewed 6 gallons using a 25 lb bag. However, I included a 1/2 lb of 2-row since rice starches need the enzymes to convert to sugar. In your recipe, you should include enzymes, which you can buy at the homebrew shop. It will give you much more wine and clear it up better. I also clarified the wine and it is a clear yellow.

I am in the process of fractional freezing. If anyone tries this, take out the syrup that sits on top, or bottom of the ice. The rice wine will come out dry this way. Keep the sugar syrup so that you can add back a little if you want to sweeten it up a bit. I've already tried fractional freezing on Apple Cider and Beer. Both are fantastic.

Cheers,

The rice yeast balls include the fungal saccharifiers. No additional enzymes required. And for the record I have cultured my yeast balls on media and they contain Rhizopus oryzae for saccharification. They aren't "just yeast".

 

[STStunner]

I got my first batch of sake started yesterday. I wound up with about 11-cups of rice out of a 5-pound bag. About how many days does it typically take to start seeing any noticeable activity? So far no signs of mold or any other activity, but I wasn't really expecting to see anything this early on.

 

[pdxal]

Usually the first sign of activity is that after a couple of days you should have liquid forming at the bottom of the fermentor due to the saccharification of the rice by the mold in the yeast balls. Be patient.

 

[STStunner]

Thanks for the info. As I said before, I wasn't really expecting to see anything after only a day and a half. But it's nice to know that I should begin to see a little progress in another day or two.

 

[sonofgrok]

Cool, thanks Newsman.

General question for anyone on this thread: I've read that some have beaten the yeast balls down for use in the rice wine. I assume some are using a hammer. Being that these little beasties are a living organism, aren't you crushing and killing a portion of them?

Just a thought,

They are microscopic. There are literally millions in there. You can grind, pound, smash etc. and still have plenty of viable cells to ferment with with no worries.

 

[dlester]

The rice yeast balls include the fungal saccharifiers. No additional enzymes required. And for the record I have cultured my yeast balls on media and they contain Rhizopus oryzae for saccharification. They aren't "just yeast".

Agreed, one poster showed me what the yeast balls are made of and I agree. They are fully self sufficient to complete the task.

 

[rowan57]

Just ordered everything to make Rice Wine.

10lbs Fragrant Jasmine Rice
3 packs Yeast Balls
1 pack RYR

Initially I plan to make 2 side by side batches one with RYR and one without, I have 2 small ale pales which from memory are 2 gallons or so each so will use those.

Having read a whole butt load of this thread, seems SonOfGroks original recipe is the one to go for and the RYR recipe follows a couple pages later, I can't remember the ladies name apologies.


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[jak1010]

Just ordered everything to make Rice Wine.

10lbs Fragrant Jasmine Rice
3 packs Yeast Balls
1 pack RYR

Initially I plan to make 2 side by side batches one with RYR and one without, I have 2 small ale pales which from memory are 2 gallons or so each so will use those.

Having read a whole butt load of this thread, seems SonOfGroks original recipe is the one to go for and the RYR recipe follows a couple pages later, I can't remember the ladies name apologies.


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Awesome! The original recipe listed by Sonofgrok is the very same one I still use. It doesn't disappoint ever.

The RYR posted by saramc is also great.

Please keep us updated on your progress.

 

[rowan57]

Awesome! The original recipe listed by Sonofgrok is the very same one I still use. It doesn't disappoint ever.

The RYR posted by saramc is also great.

Please keep us updated on your progress.

That's what I'm aiming for! I plumped for cheap ass shipping, so will start this next weekend most likely. Looking forwards to trying it, the simplicity appeals to me.


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[wc1376c]

461 pages... this is insane Sonofgrok and Sarahmc...you two know how to throw a party!!
I got hooked on "RW" this summer by a friend who brews traditional beers, and had a batch in his fridge he had no intention to finish. Anyway I am on my third learning batch ( the first was AWESOMESAUCE!
I stumbled onto this thread and started reading it from page one...I dont think I have the fortitude to make it through to 461. So I will risk asking an already answerd question. What was the final cup ratio for a five gallon jar (using a big mouth bubbler)? I have one going, but it seems I underestimated the amount.and only put in a 22 cup (rice cooker, cooked) batch. Looks like I might get a gallon out of it.
My next five gal will be with the Chinese yeast balls, as I have been using the Vietnamese ones, and a 15lb bag of Nashiki medium grain.

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[DanzigsMISFITS]

3 months old and still tasty. Next baych soon

 

[madwilliamflint]

I'm finally licking the harvesting madness and had myself a think.

I have a large glass jar that I have a batch fermenting in, inside a paint filtration bag, and I find that between the fine mesh of the bag, and the filtration of the liquid passing through the rice itself, that I end up with a pretty clear product pooling around the bottom.

So I'm thinking that I can lick the harvesting frustrations I've been having, once and for all.

What's the downside I'm not seeing in the following strategy:

Start with a plastic pail fermenter with a spigot on the bottom/side.

Insert a paint filtration bag (I love these things for this stuff) and put your rice/yeast ball mix in there.

Every couple weeks, just open the valve into a secondary until yield falls off.

Sure, maybe the valve will gum up after a while. But that seems a small price to pay to avoid the godawful messes I've been fiddly farting with for the last few months.

 

[MasterCrook]

What about pressing/squeezing the lees? You'll get way more wine

 

[MasterCrook]

Has anyone ever over filled their fermentation jars? I was in a rush and filled my jars to the top. I noticed the cheese cloths were wet the next day and smelled like stale rice. Some moisture must have collected on the cloths and dripped because around the base of the jars is white fuzzy mold!

 

[cujocon]

Have a batch about a week old, and I guess I didn't cover fast enough or firmly enough and I see a few tiny fruit flies in the jar...
Do I leave them be, open it and kick them out, or dump and start over?
2-cups rice size, so if I have to say goodbye it won't be hard to do.

 

[MasterCrook]

Have a batch about a week old, and I guess I didn't cover fast enough or firmly enough and I see a few tiny fruit flies in the jar...
Do I leave them be, open it and kick them out, or dump and start over?
2-cups rice size, so if I have to say goodbye it won't be hard to do.

I'd dump it

 

[jak1010]

Has anyone ever over filled their fermentation jars? I was in a rush and filled my jars to the top. I noticed the cheese cloths were wet the next day and smelled like stale rice. Some moisture must have collected on the cloths and dripped because around the base of the jars is white fuzzy mold!

I've done that before. After the rice compacts a bit, I sanitized the cheesecloth and just put it back on. Worked out ok for me. I have never seen any mold on the outside of the jar before though.

 

[ChefRex]

Has anyone ever over filled their fermentation jars? I was in a rush and filled my jars to the top. I noticed the cheese cloths were wet the next day and smelled like stale rice. Some moisture must have collected on the cloths and dripped because around the base of the jars is white fuzzy mold!

I don't bother with the cheesecloth any more, eliminates that issue, leave the lid loose and no issues with who knows how many batches.

 

[rowan57]

Hooray









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[MasterCrook]

I've done that before. After the rice compacts a bit, I sanitized the cheesecloth and just put it back on. Worked out ok for me. I have never seen any mold on the outside of the jar before though.

It looks like the level had dropped now, I think I'll just leave the cheese cloth because it's not touching any of the rice or liquid.

 

[MasterCrook]

I bought so much cheese cloth for venting and straining, so I'll just keep using it. Although, I don't use it for straining anymore, I use a nut milk bag, it works much better

 

[ChefRex]

I bought so much cheese cloth for venting and straining, so I'll just keep using it. Although, I don't use it for straining anymore, I use a nut milk bag, it works much better

You could make cheese

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Yogurt is always an option too

 

[MasterCrook]

Yogurt is always an option too

If I didn't still use them for venting, I'd probably use them for some home made cheese