Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[SaucedBrews]

So, I've got a couple of large mason jars fermenting away, a couple of weeks apart and a co-worker has stirred my curiousity on using a rather odd ingredient as an experiment. Rather than threadjack this topic, I'd request you have a look at this new post.

 

[brooklynkayak]

... then points to old atomic fireball container that has a label on it that says garlic and says $.50 a package..

Sounds like the typically strange experience I have when ever I go looking for them.

I guess you should know how to read Chinese before you make rice wine

One woman at an Asian market was concerned that I I was buying the wrong kind of rice. She said concerned "that rice is glutinous rice, very sticky"?

She understood when I told her I was making rice wine.

 

[CanadianJesus]

That's awesomely funny. I had to get mine online. Your batch looks perfect by the way.

Where to you get yours online and what type do you use? The only 'local' Asian market is a 45 minute drive in the same town where my LHBS is. I plan on giving them a visit to see if I can get larger bags of sweet/glutinous rice at a decent price on my next visit to town.

I have been using Onto Yeast since they are fairly local to me (2 hour drive and 2 day shipping via Canada Post). Shipping for one 1lb bag is pricey, so I just buy two for an additional $2 shipping. The shipping is in fact cheaper than what I would pay in fuel to get there and back myself. It's noteworthy that Onto Yeast has been giving me stellar results so far.

 

[user 211287]

Onto wanted $20+ to ship some to me in Missouri. I had to pass on them. I cant see paying around $30+ for a package of yeast balls when i can buy Chinese yeast balls locally for about $1.50 a package and a bag of RYR is about $2.50. The cheap ones i get locally work very good and they work fantastic with some red yeast rice added. Even ARL shipped from China cost less for 10 packets.

I am rather spoiled when it comes to Asian markets. I have no less than 6 of them within 20 miles but only one carries the yeast balls. I pay about the same price for top shelf Cali grown Koshihikari rice as many pay for Botan (Cal Rose) at typical grocery stores.

 

[brewit75]

Where to you get yours online and what type do you use? .

Usually eBay. It's easy to get balls and red yeast rice.

 

[user 211287]

Has anyone tried adding cooked pearl barley to a rice wine. Ive seen barley used in some Asian distilled beverages but im unsure of what type of barley was used.

 

[CanadianJesus]

Just bottled batch #4. It is almost undrinkable. It is sour, but not in a good way. I used a different rice for this one than usual. I used 'Thai Long Grain Glutinous/Sticky Rice' From Foodland. I usually use 'Rooster Brand Medium Grain Sweet Rice' From The Real Canadian Super Store. The Sweet Rice has turned out awesome in the past and is what I have used in my current two batches which are fermenting as I type. The other difference with this batch is that I did not pre-soak the rice. I rinsed it and cooked it.

I have two other batches fermenting which I used Rooster Brand Sweet Rice on. One I did not pre-soak, the other I did pre-soak. I read earlier in this thread that not soaking does not make a difference. I guess I will know in a weeks time.

This batch is salvageable by adding simple syrup and lemon juice to the wine. But even that just barely makes it drinkable. I guess I'll just have to choke this one down and hope next week's batch turns out good. I'd hate to have to dump 4 bottles down the drain (I already drank 1).

 

[user 211287]

Add a vinegar mother to the sour batch and let it set for 6 months. I use a mason jar with a coffee filter and mason band over the top. Let it breath. In 6 months to a year you will have a rice wine vinegar.

I always rinse my rice till the water runs clear and soak over night when making rice wine. I don't think this really keeps it from turning sour though. Too much water and warm temps combined makes it turn sour. Some rice balls may also produce a more sour product. Nuruk for example can turn sour quickly if temps are not controlled. The lactobacillus loves a warm environment.

Im doing an experiment atm. I have 2 2qt mason jars fermenting cold using koji and Lalvin yeast. I took about 500ml from the same batch and im letting it finish at room temps. It should be ready for sampling in about another week.

 

[eigua]

Has anyone ever done a PH test on the resulting rice wine? I'm curious about long-term storage safety after pasteurization and would like to know if the PH is < 4.5 which would make it inhospitable to Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

I just bottled and pasteurized my first two experiments after 30 days:
Clear rice wine made with long grain rice puree
Red rice wine made with long grain rice puree (rice + yeast ball + red rice yeast)

My first two batches have much more water than the recipe calls for because I made a puree instead of packing in dryish rice, so PH may be higher and alcohol content lower than the traditional method. Tasting the above 2 batches, I don't detect any sourness.

My jasmine, glutenous, and gluteneous rice flour batches still have a few days to go. For those interested, the raw glutenous rice flour test was a complete failure. I will next try steaming it first.

Edit: To answer my own question, I got some PH strips and tested and both of my first two batches came out to PH 4.0 or less. Woot!

 

[mrsamisme]

Admittedly this thread has always bothered me, because sake most commonly known as rice wine in the us is made differently. I usually call this stuff Korean rice wine to differentiate it from Japanese rice wine.

Sake is made with koji (the enyme producing mold and yeast.) This process also has more specific procedures and steps involving koji additions. Most sake we see is more scientific perfectobrew.

Korean and chinese fermented rice wine uses the rice ball method. This is usually called lao zao, or jiuqu. Or cheongju or makkgeoli. The riceball is then called nuruk. Its more... throw it all together than sake/rice wine is.

The flavors are incredibly different. Thankfully, people know sake as sake these days. But I'd say its kinda like sake for people who don't know.

Y'all would probably like this movie now available on Netflix & Amazon Prime. It's about how Saké is made in a 140 year old brewery in Japan. Check out the trailer... https://youtu.be/2K2bIAikUg4

SAM:rockin:

 

[ChefRex]

Y'all would probably like this movie now available on Netflix & Amazon Prime. It's about how Saké is made in a 140 year old brewery in Japan. Check out the trailer... https://youtu.be/2K2bIAikUg4

SAM:rockin:

Hi, welcome to HBT, nice introduction, first post and you're pitching a film?
You have any connection?

 

[Chops1867]

So, as my first large batch continues to ferment (5 gal bucket, 10 lbs rice) it has s very tart flavor. When I have made smaller batches, it has been sweeter at this stage. I did have challenges cooking 10 lbs of rice. The water did not 100% absorb into the rice, could my tartness issue be related to this?

 

[user 211287]

Extra water and higher temps encourage lactobacillus to multiply and produce lactic acid. The yeast and the bacteria both compete for the same food source...sugar. Yeast balls also contain wheat and the production process could easily have varying amounts of lactobacillus and even different strains.

 

[mrsamisme]

Hi, welcome to HBT, nice introduction, first post and you're pitching a film?
You have any connection?

That film is what got me interested in Saké and making my own. I think you would enjoy it. I have 3 batches going right now. I've probably made some mistakes with mine. But I'm having fun learning. I'm trying to read every post in this thread. I'm up to 155.

I'm using sweet sushi type rice. I used the Chinese rice yeast balls. I think I used to many but won't know for 2 more weeks. I started my first batch on 5/14/2016. I found someone on Craig's list giving away a case of 12 wine bottles. I'm so excited abou this project. The funny thing is, I'm really not a big drinker. I like the process and hope to give the rice beer away as a gift.

I'll keep y'all posted.

SAM

 

[mrsamisme]

Hi, welcome to HBT, nice introduction, first post and you're pitching a film?
You have any connection?

I made my first batch from this link:
http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/h...eer-sake-is-easier-make-just-as-good-0160102/


SAM

 

[Chops1867]

Extra water and higher temps encourage lactobacillus to multiply and produce lactic acid.

Yep. I'm pretty sure my rice was too wet. I like the idea of the larger batches, just need to come up with a way for me to cook 10 lbs of rice. The pot won't fit into my oven to do the 300° thing.

 

[user 211287]

Ive got a semi large pressure cooker. I think it cost around $60. Ive never used it for rice but i imagine it would hold 10lbs of dry rice no problem.

Rinse your rice until the water runs clear. When using "sticky" or sweet rice this helps a lot. Soak the rice for 4 hours before cooking. "Broken" rice needs much less soaking time.

During the really cold/dry part of the winter its simple to dry out the rice. Fluff the rice and put it in a large bowl or pot. Cover it with a cheese cloth and put it out in the cold. Let it set in the cold for a couple days. It will lose a lot of moisture.

I freeze smaller batches of rice in a floor freezer for use in fried rice. Ive got enough for a 2 quart mason jar atm i will be testing for rice wine. Im going to heat it back up in the microwave cooker and add some ARL and/or RYR with some lalvin yeast.

 

[SaucedBrews]

Progress pics. On the right is a batch from 3 weeks ago. On the left a batch from (oddly enough, considering it seems to have yielded more liquid) 2 weeks ago. Both jars have a lovely, melon scent and the black spots have all but disappeared.

 

[mrsamisme]

I just started my 4th batch today. I used half Thai Jasmine and half Japanese Nishiki brand sweet rice. Batch #1 will be ready in 2 weeks. It seems to be doing well. Batches 2-3 will be ready in 3 weeks. All are progressing well. I'm so excited for the taste test.

SAM

 

[CanadianJesus]

When you get it right it tastes really good.

My most recent batch which I harvested tonight turned out good, but that's it, just good. It's slightly sour, not like vinegar and certainly not like my last batch which I did end up dumping.

What juices would you guys recommend mixing with a slightly sour wine? This batch isn't the best for drinking straight, but it is drinkable.

 

[eigua]

When you get it right it tastes really good.

My most recent batch which I harvested tonight turned out good, but that's it, just good. It's slightly sour, not like vinegar and certainly not like my last batch which I did end up dumping.

What juices would you guys recommend mixing with a slightly sour wine? This batch isn't the best for drinking straight, but it is drinkable.

I wonder if calcium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate would help.

Offhand, I'd say lemon + sugar. At least you'd be expecting the sourness then. Lemonade soju is pretty good. I also used to drink sake and orange juice sometimes.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Cran juice?

 

[eigua]

Has anyone ever done a PH test on the resulting rice wine? I'm curious about long-term storage safety after pasteurization and would like to know if the PH is < 4.5 which would make it inhospitable to Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

To answer my own question, I got some PH strips and tested and both of my first two batches came out to PH 4.0 or less. Woot!

 

[SaucedBrews]

Well, four weeks are up. With five scoops of rice, it yielded about 200 ml of liquid. It's been pasteurized and is chilling in the fridge.

 

[pdxal]

Well, four weeks are up. With five scoops of rice, it yielded about 200 ml of liquid. It's been pasteurized and is chilling in the fridge.

5 scoops of dry rice? Rice cooker scoops?
I generally get 1 cup of rice wine per cup of dry/uncooked rice.
Jasmine rice, cooked in rice cooker, Chinese yeast balls.

 

[mrsamisme]

Hello friends,
Where is the best cheapest place to buy swing-top bottles?

SAM

 

[SaucedBrews]

5 scoops of dry rice? Rice cooker scoops?
I generally get 1 cup of rice wine per cup of dry/uncooked rice.
Jasmine rice, cooked in rice cooker, Chinese yeast balls.

Rice cooker scoops, yes.

My measurement is not right. There are no lines on the mason jar I strained the batch into.

5 scoops of rice, after they were cooked, nearly filled a half-gallon mason jar. I then strained it into a quart jar. That fills up about 40% of the way up. Sorry for the sideways pic, but HBT doesn't seem to like it being vertical.

 

[user 211287]

To flavor a tart rice wine definitely look into citrus flavors. A traditional type fruit called Yuzu (in Japanese) or Yuja (in Korean) is used in some of the distilled rice/grain wines such as Soju /Sochu. Its similar to a lemon with a bit of Mandarin orange flavor too.

Ive used Aldriatic Sun orange syrup in a couple. Its around $4 for a liter. They also sell a lemon syrup and a few others.

 

[user 211287]

Hello friends,
Where is the best cheapest place to buy swing-top bottles?

SAM

Aldi had a great deal on a sparkling lemonade from France that comes in nice 750ml swing tops. They sell for $2.49 a bottle here. I have not found them at a cheaper price anywhere. https://www.aldi.us/en/tips-explore.../journey-to-france-sparkling-french-lemonade/

 

[mrsamisme]

Aldi had a great deal on a sparkling lemonade from France that comes in nice 750ml swing tops. They sell for $2.49 a bottle here. I have not found them at a cheaper price anywhere. https://www.aldi.us/en/tips-explore.../journey-to-france-sparkling-french-lemonade/

That's awesome!!! Heading to Aldi now! Thanks!!!:rockin:

SAM