Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[bruhops]

Most rice ferments will show 3.6 to 3.8 ph , a comparison distilled white vinegar ph 2.4 apple cider vinegar ph 4.5 Sweet and sour works, make sure your product is pasteurized inert or adding sugar may activate yeasts and enzymes creating ^**!^^@""+?

 

[yetilicious]

Most rice ferments will show 3.6 to 3.8 ph , a comparison distilled white vinegar ph 2.4 apple cider vinegar ph 4.5 Sweet and sour works, make sure your product is pasteurized inert or adding sugar may activate yeasts and enzymes creating ^**!^^@""+?

Thanks for the reply. Yesterday morning i added more of the blueberry juice and dropped a few of the crushed berries to the bottle and gave it a good shake.

I tried it again after work around 7pm and it was a million times better. I had two small glasses worth. I guess i didn't add enough juice the first time around.

I'm making a new batch with Jasmine rice this time and we'll see how that goes.

 

[z-bob]

The gallon of apple wine (fortified with old crabapple jelly that turned brown but still tasted okay) fermented with a yeast ball has cleared. I will be sampling and bottling it soon. It did not lighten in color as much as when I made the same stuff using Premier Cuvee champagne yeast a couple of months ago.

I'm harvest the sediment to see if I can kill off the acetobacter etc and just keep the yeast. (no, I don't know what I'm doing) It should be mostly yeast anyway after fermenting with a fermentation lock; everything should be oxygen starved, but it might still be there and just dormant. No idea if it'll be useful for brewing beer...

When I first sampled the wine it was pretty harsh. I bottled it, and tried it again after a month and it still wan't good but I could choke it down. Last week I tried a bottle after it had aged a couple of months and it has gotten *much* better.

 

[ChefRex]

Sunday Morning stout, yea baby!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428875553.271349.jpg

 

[Strats]

What temperature is best for fermenting this? Its ~60f all the time inside my house currently. I did place the jar in a bath of warm water for ~8hrs yesterday (day 1) at around 80-90f. Lots of liquid inside the jar now, can see white fuzz ontop of the rice already today (day 2.) Should I continue to place it in a water bath to raise the temp or just let it go at 60f?

 

[Vodkiwi]

You don't exactly have to, once fermentation starts I've found that I can leave it at room temp and it will usually take an extra day. The warmer you keep it, the faster it finishes. That's what I've found personally. I do batches of 60 gallons, I don't know if that changes anything..

 

[MasterCrook]

What temperature is best for fermenting this? Its ~60f all the time inside my house currently. I did place the jar in a bath of warm water for ~8hrs yesterday (day 1) at around 80-90f. Lots of liquid inside the jar now, can see white fuzz ontop of the rice already today (day 2.) Should I continue to place it in a water bath to raise the temp or just let it go at 60f?

White fuzz is a good sign, and room temp is all you need unless you want to really achieve something specific

 

[MasterCrook]

No RYR this time. Tastes and smells really good. I should mention, this was a 5 week ferment. During the fermentation the smell was fruity as usual, but by the end the smell changed to be very similar to dry grape wine. The taste is very mild, and slightly tart. I can't really compare to my RYR batches because I usually add water to those before fermentation.

 

[WinterWarrior]

I tried ... really tried to read through 125 pages of posts, but I admit to having ADD and skipping around.

I bought Sweet Rice and soaked it for 2 hours and then added it to my rice steamer.

When it went off (auto on/off) I had a gooey mess with about an inch of slimy glue on top that I swear you could use to hang wallpaper. It was that sticky.

So I set it aside thinking maybe rice pudding or something and tried again with less water. Same thing happened.

Dumped both batches into a large pot and tried cooking it again for another hour over medium heat ... didn't really seem to affect it AT.ALL.

Sigh .....

Basically said ::insert lots of swear words here:: and dumped the whole mess into my large 4 liter jar and added 5-6 yeast balls ground up.

Next day, I started to notice some liquid forming. YAY!

Now, I just saw gray/black stuff growing on the top of the rice and freaked. Came back here and saw where folks were saying that this happens if I put the rice in a clear jar (check) and leave it in the light (check).

• Should I stir this or leave it alone?
• Should I move it to a dark area or is it too late?
• Is it ruined and should I throw it away and start over?

I'm not grossed out by the gray/black stuff, but I don't want to make anyone sick if it's not a positive thing to have.

Thanks!

 

[yetilicious]

I tried ... really tried to read through 125 pages of posts, but I admit to having ADD and skipping around.

I bought Sweet Rice and soaked it for 2 hours and then added it to my rice steamer.

When it went off (auto on/off) I had a gooey mess with about an inch of slimy glue on top that I swear you could use to hang wallpaper. It was that sticky.

So I set it aside thinking maybe rice pudding or something and tried again with less water. Same thing happened.

Dumped both batches into a large pot and tried cooking it again for another hour over medium heat ... didn't really seem to affect it AT.ALL.

Sigh .....

Basically said ::insert lots of swear words here:: and dumped the whole mess into my large 4 liter jar and added 5-6 yeast balls ground up.

Next day, I started to notice some liquid forming. YAY!

thanks!

I had the same thing happen to me with my sweet rice "experiment." It came out like porridge. I let it cool, added my yeast and threw it in the jar. However I didn't get any black fuzzy mold on mine but I did yield a ton of liquid that was super dry in the end. I had to add a bunch of blueberry juice and even then I needed to let it sit for 10 days in the fridge to mellow out.

My current batch is jasmine. If this turns out ok, I'll just stick to that.

James

 

[MasterCrook]

I tried ... really tried to read through 125 pages of posts, but I admit to having ADD and skipping around.

I bought Sweet Rice and soaked it for 2 hours and then added it to my rice steamer.

When it went off (auto on/off) I had a gooey mess with about an inch of slimy glue on top that I swear you could use to hang wallpaper. It was that sticky.

So I set it aside thinking maybe rice pudding or something and tried again with less water. Same thing happened.

Dumped both batches into a large pot and tried cooking it again for another hour over medium heat ... didn't really seem to affect it AT.ALL.

Sigh .....

Basically said ::insert lots of swear words here:: and dumped the whole mess into my large 4 liter jar and added 5-6 yeast balls ground up.

Next day, I started to notice some liquid forming. YAY!

Now, I just saw gray/black stuff growing on the top of the rice and freaked. Came back here and saw where folks were saying that this happens if I put the rice in a clear jar (check) and leave it in the light (check).

• Should I stir this or leave it alone?
• Should I move it to a dark area or is it too late?
• Is it ruined and should I throw it away and start over?

I'm not grossed out by the gray/black stuff, but I don't want to make anyone sick if it's not a positive thing to have.

Thanks!

It doesn't sound good. I'd throw it away and start over.

 

[TBBrewer]

That's mold. You can remove and continue, or toss and start over. Have to keep this stuff covered with a towel or in a dark closet if fermenting in a clear jar.

 

[brooklynkayak]

Re: "Now, I just saw gray/black stuff growing on the top of the rice and freaked. Came back here and saw where folks were saying that this happens if I put the rice in a clear jar (check) and leave it in the light (check)."

Best to cover and or leave in a dark location. Yeast doesn't need light, but other unwanted organisms do.

I wouldn't stir it. I suspect you can spoon the black stuff off later.

Note: I am not an expert, just going by my limited knowledge of biology.

 

[WinterWarrior]

OK -- I'm just going to let it ride and see what happens. The worst is that it's undrinkable which means I'd be at the same point if I threw it out.

I'm going to spoon off as much of the "black stuff" now as I can -- something about it makes me itch when I look at it (psychosomatic, I'm sure). I don't want it to start thinking about moving down into the rice instead of staying on top.

Thanks, all,

 

[mjo81]

When it went off (auto on/off) I had a gooey mess with about an inch of slimy glue on top that I swear you could use to hang wallpaper. It was that sticky.

So I set it aside thinking maybe rice pudding or something and tried again with less water. Same thing happened.

Dumped both batches into a large pot and tried cooking it again for another hour over medium heat ... didn't really seem to affect it AT.ALL.

Winter, the top rice being like glue is fine - it's probably just the steam condensing at the top and dripping onto the top rice. Next time you won't have to cook it over again.

Now, I just saw gray/black stuff growing on the top of the rice and freaked. Came back here and saw where folks were saying that this happens if I put the rice in a clear jar (check) and leave it in the light (check).

That's also Ok. Like others have mentioned you want to keep your fermentation dark to prevent bacteria and algae from growing. But you should see some mold in there. Rice wine uses koji mold to saccharify the starches into sugar. If you see black mold in there - it could be them being in the right conditions to sporulate (make koji spores). A little sporulation won't hurt the wine IMHO.

From my limited experience my first batch sporulated because I hadn't mixed it through the rice. My second batch I dissolved the balls in sanitized cool water and then dripped it over as much rice as possible.

 

[bruhops]

Aspergillus oryzae the bacteria that sporulates green to yellow green for saccharifying rice is not a mold . Molds are fungal not bacterial. Koji is a bacteria. Please be diligent in identifying the organisms , fungal infections are often associate to mycotoxins, something you don't want to experience.
Sporulaton of aspergillus is not part of the flavor profile, it is arrested before sporulation when the enzymes are at their prominence and the flavor is best , if it sporulates it will likely be off flavor.There are various varieties of aspergillus bacteria , its best if you have the right one.

 

[captainskinnybeard]

I know there is a place for recipes here but I thought I would document what has always worked for me in this thread. I have been making this stuff since 2008 and although I have experimented some I really haven’t changed anything. My first batch was pretty much done the same as my current batch. I have never had any problems.

I use a one gallon wide mouth jar with a plastic lid.

I have used California grown short grain rice and Jasmine rice. The results are similar.

I break up a package of two yeast balls with a hammer while they are still in the package. Then I grind them further in a mortise and pestle.

I put two and a half cups of un-rinsed rice and five cups of water in a covered glass casserole dish and put it in the microwave for 20 minutes on medium.

I put two and a half more cups of un-rinsed rice and five cups of water in a second covered glass casserole dish and put it in the microwave for 20 minutes on medium. (I do this twice because I can't microwave it all at once. My microwave isn't big enough).


Let the rice sit, covered until it is warm but not hot in the middle. Stick your finger into it. If you say “ouch” let it sit a while longer.

Sprinkle a thin layer of the crushed yeast ball on the bottom of the one gallon glass jar.

Scoop one or two inches of rice into the jar and level it out. It’s sticky at this point so this is sort of messy.

Sprinkle a little more crushed yeast ball into the jar.

Repeat the layers until your rice and yeast is used up.

Put the lid on the jar but leave it just loose enough that the gas that the yeast makes can escape.
Chemistry and biology take over at this point but you have to provide the proper environment.

Make sure to keep it warm for the first 48 hours. The yeast balls contain an enzyme that changes the starch in the rice into sugar. The warmer it is, the faster this enzyme works. The yeast can’t make any alcohol until the enzyme first makes sugar. I often set the jar out in the direct sun the first day so that it stays warm.

After a day or a day and a half the enzymes will have changed some of the rice to sugar and the yeast will have turned some of the sugar to alcohol. There should be bubbles trapped in the rice that you can see through the glass.

At this point I open the jar and stir everything for ten seconds. I taste it. It no longer tastes like rice. It will be sweet with the first hint of alcohol.

If mold spores from the environment get in, stirring will prevent them from getting established on the surface. After the alcohol content starts to rise, opportunistic mold is no longer a concern.

I stir and taste every day or so. It is interesting to see how it progresses. It is edible and drinkable from start to finish.

By two weeks or more, depending on temperature the rice that no longer contains any sugar will drop to the bottom and some rice that still has active yeast will stay on the top (because of the co2 bubbles). The middle will be liquid yellow rice wine.

Enjoy.

 

[bruhops]

I stand CORRECTED aspergillus is a fungus, a mold and one of the organisms for rice ferments that produces the enzymes, Molds fungi require oxygen to sporulate, the hyphae ,fuzzy white mycelial growth is what produces the enzymes and breaks down the starch.It is the vegetative stage of the fungi.Some molds produce mycotoxins http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/24049/PDF is a definitive description of rice ball microbiology.

 

[sar_dog_1]

Mine finished after 3 weeks. 56oz from 4 cups jasmine rice. I have only had sake once or twice so nothing to compare it to. But wow this is good!!

View attachment 1430066633421.jpg

View attachment 1430066645824.jpg

 

[Lebl468]

Made this up 3 weeks ago. Used Basmati (sp?) rice, Onto yeast balls. Ratios were 3 cups rinsed rice, 4 cups water and 6 yeast balls. Too many yeast balls, but first time always gives you the jitters. Anyways, ground the balls, mixed it in with the slightly warm rice and into the dark cupboard for 3 weeks. Well that is a lie, I probably looked at it everyday, stole a sample at 1.5 weeks (tasted like tangy barf). So at week 3, strained it through a sterile J cloth, and got 1.5 litres of cloudy deliciousness. The sample in the bourbon bottle is "as is", the tall wine bottle is spiked with a 1/4 tsp of vanilla and a cinnamon stick. Settled out pretty fast in the fridge, the vanilla/cinnamon is cloudy because I invert the bottle twice a day. Tried drinking it cloudy and separated, defiantly prefer it clear.

 

[sar_dog_1]

How is the vanilla and cinnamon stick? Are the ratios right? I might try that!

 

[Lebl468]

How is the vanilla and cinnamon stick? Are the ratios right? I might try that!

It's early, but I like it. Seems to fight the tangy ness of the wine. At 1/4 tsp vanilla, and one stick cinnamon per 750ml, you can taste it, but it is definitely not over powering. Going to let it sit in there for a week to pass final judgement, but the taste is defiantly a keeper. If it is weak after a week, next batch, I will go 1/2 tsp and 2 sticks.

 

[sar_dog_1]

Cool thanks. Lemme know how it comes out.

 

[brooklynkayak]

Regarding:

I stir and taste every day or so. It is interesting to see how it progresses.

Although I can see no problem in most cases, I have heard you run the risk of your batch turning to vinegar by letting in oxygen too often.

By keeping it loosely closed enough and not opening the top to trap CO2, it will not turn to vinegar.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. I think rice wine vinegar is the best vinegar for cooking, but traditionally they kept in a dark place with the lock on until it's time to bottle the wine.

 

[Lebl468]

Got my second batch started today, 4 cups of Jasmine rice, rinsed, boiled in 5 cups of water on the stove, cooled all afternoon. Spread out on 2 cookie sheets, 6 yeast balls crushed up Miami Vice style, sprinkled over the rice, then packed into the jars. Interested to see the taste difference between Basmati and Jasmine rice.

 

[smacksfrog]

I stand CORRECTED aspergillus is a fungus, a mold and one of the organisms for rice ferments that produces the enzymes, Molds fungi require oxygen to sporulate, the hyphae ,fuzzy white mycelial growth is what produces the enzymes and breaks down the starch.It is the vegetative stage of the fungi.Some molds produce mycotoxins http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/24049/PDF is a definitive description of rice ball microbiology.

I had an earlier post about bad results makng this wine and I think this was a big part of my problem. I had little airspace and a sealed jar, I dont think my a. Oryzea was taking off. More airspace and my wine came out much much nicer this last pass.

 

[TBBrewer]

This stuff will spoil with time. If you want to keep it long term, it is best to pasteurize it. In regards to the vanilla and cinnamon addition, try adding some apple juice concentrate at serving. I have done this in the past and we call it apple pie. It works really well and is a crowd pleaser.

 

[sar_dog_1]

How much apple juice? Sounds delish. Also what is your proven vanilla and cinnamon ratios?

 

[TBBrewer]

Apple juice concentrate, the stuff in the frozen section. I would just say do it to taste as that is what I did. Will look back in my notes, but don't think it was documented.

 

[pdxal]

This stuff will spoil with time. If you want to keep it long term, it is best to pasteurize it. In regards to the vanilla and cinnamon addition, try adding some apple juice concentrate at serving. I have done this in the past and we call it apple pie. It works really well and is a crowd pleaser.

Mine hasn't spoiled so far and I've consistenly let batches ferment 5+ weeks, never pasteurized, and let the rice wine sit for up to a year. 14 batches so far.
Perhaps different yeast balls have different microbiological make ups?