Making Traditional rice Wine. Cheap, Fun, and Different

[Hoon]

Can't see how drinking rotted rice water can be any worse for you than drinking rotted barley or grape water.

Yeast is a damn nice fungus.


I brew because I must.

 

[MrCrabby]

Perhaps someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
This is my third attempt at rice wine. My first batch came out perfectly, but the two subsequent batches seem to have developed infections.
I have brewed 10 batches of beer and apfelwein, and have never had an infection. Perhaps something is wrong with my process? I don't know.
Here's my process:
Jasmine rice, about 4 cups dry for this last attempt, cooked in 2 batches (rice cooker only holds 2 cups).
Let rice sit in water for 2 hours, then rinsed.
Cooked first batch, and placed it in a plastic bowl rinsed with starsan solution (first issue here, the bowl is a rough and porous plastic).
Cooked second batch and dropped it into the sanitized glass jar while still very hot.
Added first batch on top with sprinklings of crushed yeast balls throughout.
Now, about 4 days later, I have several dark, fuzzy spots near the top (pictured), and there is a huge amount of white fuzz on top (difficult to see in the background).
There were dark spots in my last batch, and I ended up tossing it before asking any questions.

I imagine this is not normal. Should I toss this batch now and try again with some tighter sanitation practices?

Thanks for the help.

 

[MasterCrook]

Perhaps someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
This is my third attempt at rice wine. My first batch came out perfectly, but the two subsequent batches seem to have developed infections.
I have brewed 10 batches of beer and apfelwein, and have never had an infection. Perhaps something is wrong with my process? I don't know.
Here's my process:
Jasmine rice, about 4 cups dry for this last attempt, cooked in 2 batches (rice cooker only holds 2 cups).
Let rice sit in water for 2 hours, then rinsed.
Cooked first batch, and placed it in a plastic bowl rinsed with starsan solution (first issue here, the bowl is a rough and porous plastic).
Cooked second batch and dropped it into the sanitized glass jar while still very hot.
Added first batch on top with sprinklings of crushed yeast balls throughout.
Now, about 4 days later, I have several dark, fuzzy spots near the top (pictured), and there is a huge amount of white fuzz on top (difficult to see in the background).
There were dark spots in my last batch, and I ended up tossing it before asking any questions.

I imagine this is not normal. Should I toss this batch now and try again with some tighter sanitation practices?

Thanks for the help.

It seems normal, this is how the fermentation begins. Let it go for 1.5 weeks, then smell around the lid for progress

 

[pdxal]

Lots of people report some mold on the rice after a short period. There are several posts in the thread about this. White fuzz is the mold in the yeast balls taking hold.
I'd give it time and see what happens before chucking it.
I'd also be careful about adding yeast balls to "still very hot" rice to avoid killing the yeast.

 

[weirdboy]

If you *don't* get mold, you're doing something wrong. The mold is necessary to enable breaking down the rice starches so they can be fermented by the saccharomyces.


I do agree that you shouldn't be adding stuff while it's hot. You are killing off yeast (and other stuff, probably) when you do that. Let it cool to room temps before you start screwing around with it.

 

[jak1010]

Lots of people report some mold on the rice after a short period. There are several posts in the thread about this. White fuzz is the mold in the yeast balls taking hold.
I'd give it time and see what happens before chucking it.
I'd also be careful about adding yeast balls to "still very hot" rice to avoid killing the yeast.

If you *don't* get mold, you're doing something wrong. The mold is necessary to enable breaking down the rice starches so they can be fermented by the saccharomyces.


I do agree that you shouldn't be adding stuff while it's hot. You are killing off yeast (and other stuff, probably) when you do that. Let it cool to room temps before you start screwing around with it.

Agreed to both of these posts. White fuzzy mold is your friend in this case. The only thing that would be concerning is any bright colors such as green, yellow or very dark black. And that's only because of the effect on taste. If you let this stuff go for more than 18 days, the alcohol content will be at such a high level that nothing harmful will survive. From a microbial level, I'm under the impression that nothing harmful will remain. It just may not be the best tasting beverage in the house.

 

[MrCrabby]

Thanks for the good advice. I don't put yeast in hot wort, why would I add it to hot rice? Geez Louise. I'll learn someday.
I know that white mold is normal, I was just worried about the black stuff. I'll let it ride and report back. That's too much rice (and too much potential wine) to let go to waste.

Sent from my VS920 4G using Home Brew mobile app

 

[ChefRex]

Well my first experimental batch looks to be a failure, I tried adding the solids from a previous batch along with 2 balls, I had a violent start and over flowed the container, two cups of this went into another batch which is looking failed also.
Poor yield, weak, not so tasty. Live and learn.
On a positive note I stopped fooling around and pick up a 25 pound bag of rice.

 

[sonofgrok]

Perhaps someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
This is my third attempt at rice wine. My first batch came out perfectly, but the two subsequent batches seem to have developed infections.
I have brewed 10 batches of beer and apfelwein, and have never had an infection. Perhaps something is wrong with my process? I don't know.
Here's my process:
Jasmine rice, about 4 cups dry for this last attempt, cooked in 2 batches (rice cooker only holds 2 cups).
Let rice sit in water for 2 hours, then rinsed.
Cooked first batch, and placed it in a plastic bowl rinsed with starsan solution (first issue here, the bowl is a rough and porous plastic).
Cooked second batch and dropped it into the sanitized glass jar while still very hot.
Added first batch on top with sprinklings of crushed yeast balls throughout.
Now, about 4 days later, I have several dark, fuzzy spots near the top (pictured), and there is a huge amount of white fuzz on top (difficult to see in the background).
There were dark spots in my last batch, and I ended up tossing it before asking any questions.

I imagine this is not normal. Should I toss this batch now and try again with some tighter sanitation practices?

Thanks for the help.

I would let it cool more and if that fails, skip the 2 hour soak! That is crazy talk... either don't rinse or just rinse right away.

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

Im hitting the 21 day mark soon. Getting impatient.... should I let it go a full 4 weeks? Lots of liquid and a strong boozy smell already....or should I drain and bottle?

 

[Rambunctious]

I recommend giving it the full 4weeks. I am no expert but mine was awesome and I did not seem to have the continued fermentation after letting settle and straining off the majority of particulates. Still cloudy but yummy! ;-)


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

I recommend giving it the full 4weeks. I am no expert but mine was awesome and I did not seem to have the continued fermentation after letting settle and straining off the majority of particulates. Still cloudy but yummy! ;-)


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Whats one more week... ill wait

 

[jak1010]

Whats one more week... ill wait

That's the spirit!

 

[Hoon]

Question: why rinse the rice, since probably some of what you are fementing will get rinsed off. It's not like we are prepping this to eat it. More fermentables means more alcohol, right?



I brew because I must.

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

That's the spirit!

This is why I gave up brewing in my early 20's...patience or lack of.... I've slowed in my mid 30s and am enjoying the hobby as well as getting better results now.

 

[FatDragon]

Question: why rinse the rice, since probably some of what you are fementing will get rinsed off. It's not like we are prepping this to eat it. More fermentables means more alcohol, right?



I brew because I must.

With this stuff, unless you're adding water, more fermentables means more sugar really - the yeast can only ferment so much of the sugar in the rice, so rinsing the rice will potentially reduce the final sweetness by a tiny bit, but shouldn't impact your ABV.

That said, I have soaked (and dumped the soak water) but never rinsed when I've made this stuff. I like the balance of tart/sweet/alcoholic that I've gotten, but everyone's wine turns out differently.

 

[LBussy]

Question: why rinse the rice, since probably some of what you are fementing will get rinsed off. It's not like we are prepping this to eat it. More fermentables means more alcohol, right?

It's how some people learned to make rice - and it's as contentious as using a secondary fermenter or not. Some believe you HAVE to rinse, some don't ever ... either way you'll be fine.

 

[jak1010]

It's how some people learned to make rice - and it's as contentious as using a secondary fermenter or not. Some believe you HAVE to rinse, some don't ever ... either way you'll be fine.

Agreed!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Im glad thats the case. I've been not rinsing because thats how I make rice... without rinsing... I thought a little extra glutton couldnt hurt anything...

 

[ChefRex]

I took the yield from my experimental batch and cold crashed for 3 days, did not separate, fail. The drain seemed to enjoy it!

 

[sonofgrok]

Im glad thats the case. I've been not rinsing because thats how I make rice... without rinsing... I thought a little extra glutton couldnt hurt anything...

I hope you don't mean gluten... rice doesn't have any gluten in it. Now if your rice is full of chubby people that can't stop chowing down, it may have gluttons. Then again creamy is usually pretty intelligent and rarely serious so this could be a form of trolling or joking...

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I hope you don't mean gluten... rice doesn't have any gluten in it. Now if your rice is full of chubby people that can't stop chowing down, it may have gluttons. Then again creamy is usually pretty intelligent and rarely serious so this could be a form of trolling or joking...

Actually this time you give me too much credit, grok. My brain must not have been firing on all cylinders. Ultimately, though, the theory behind it is the same... rinsing starches (and any fortifications that might have been added during processing) seems like one would be removing "stuff" we'd want to keeep in the wine. I'm happy to see that even if my theory was incorrect, it wasnt incorrect enough to cause trouble with the process.

So far I've been pouring rice of all kinds directly into the steamer (or pot in the case of the red cargo), adding my water and then adding heat. Let cool, add in big tennis ball size clumps of rice... shake on powdered yeast balls, repeat repeat repeat.

 

[jak1010]

Actually this time you give me too much credit, grok. My brain must not have been firing on all cylinders. Ultimately, though, the theory behind it is the same... rinsing starches (and any fortifications that might have been added during processing) seems like one would be removing "stuff" we'd want to keeep in the wine. I'm happy to see that even if my theory was incorrect, it wasnt incorrect enough to cause trouble with the process.

So far I've been pouring rice of all kinds directly into the steamer (or pot in the case of the red cargo), adding my water and then adding heat. Let cool, add in big tennis ball size clumps of rice... shake on powdered yeast balls, repeat repeat repeat.

Good process.

 

[Rambunctious]

Oh no! Chefrex, Did you even taste it? It looks like it was starting to fall. But flavor is good even with particulate. My last batch is now gone. ;'-( It never had a chance to fully seperate. Two more weeks till another bigger batch is ready. Need to get another started.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[MasterCrook]

Question: why rinse the rice, since probably some of what you are fementing will get rinsed off. It's not like we are prepping this to eat it. More fermentables means more alcohol, right?



I brew because I must.

Washing doesn't only rinse out starches, but also contaminants. Also, some of the fibe proteins are still sitting on the rice from the milling process. These may negatively affect the rice wine.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Here's a question that might blow minds (or cause one to respond with "blow ME")... After fermentation, does the vitamin B1, B2 and iron that SOME rice is enriched with stay in the wine? Could a bit of the libation also contain a wee bit of said vitamins, making the wine more healthful than say, a merlot?

 

[Hoon]

Anyone have anything negative to say about using a gallon clear plastic food storage jar to ferment in? No problems with taste or alcohol affecting the plastic?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brew because I must.

 

[ChefRex]

Oh no! Chefrex, Did you even taste it? It looks like it was starting to fall. But flavor is good even with particulate. My last batch is now gone. ;'-( It never had a chance to fully seperate. Two more weeks till another bigger batch is ready. Need to get another started.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

I had tasted it when I removed the solids while not nasty it wasn't good. I figured I would cold crash and see what it did, in three days normally it separated, not this time. I have plenty in various stages, done experimenting.

 

[ChefRex]

Anyone have anything negative to say about using a gallon clear plastic food storage jar to ferment in? No problems with taste or alcohol affecting the plastic?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brew because I must.

I have been using a code 2 container on some of my batches with no issues.

 

[darkillumine]

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread (I'm only 100 pages in :cross but I've got a bit of a paranoia...

Anyone find any concerns re: botulism in homebrew rice wine? I've pretty much lost my fear when it comes to wine and mead, but after having to be so careful with my home canning I can't help worrying. Hope someone can alleviate my paranoia.

Going to start my first batch tonight!
(Question is a little more academic than essential, I suppose, as enough people seem to have this recipe working for them that I'm willing to try)

 

[pdxal]

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread (I'm only 100 pages in :cross but I've got a bit of a paranoia...

Anyone find any concerns re: botulism in homebrew rice wine? I've pretty much lost my fear when it comes to wine and mead, but after having to be so careful with my home canning I can't help worrying. Hope someone can alleviate my paranoia.

Going to start my first batch tonight!
(Question is a little more academic than essential, I suppose, as enough people seem to have this recipe working for them that I'm willing to try)

RDWHAHBRW
(relax, don't worry, have a home brewed rice wine)

 

[Temptd2]

Anyone have anything negative to say about using a gallon clear plastic food storage jar to ferment in? No problems with taste or alcohol affecting the plastic?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brew because I must.

My favorite brew jar for this is one of those large plastic containers that Costco sells full of biscotti.

It's lightweight, food grade, see-through, and I just back the lid off a twist to let the CO2 escape. I've never had any sign of weird growing stuff in it.

 

[jak1010]

My favorite brew jar for this is one of those large plastic containers that Costco sells full of biscotti.

It's lightweight, food grade, see-through, and I just back the lid off a twist to let the CO2 escape. I've never had any sign of weird growing stuff in it.

Interesting....I may have to try a batch in one of those. Thanks!

 

[MasterCrook]

Ok, so my last batch came out to be about 17% abv. I shared two 750ml bottles with my family and they all thought it was grape wine. They were surprised by how dry is was compared to my first sushi rice batch. It was dry and a sour with a bit of sweetness at first taste.

 

[Hoon]

Ok, so my last batch came out to be about 17% abv. I shared two 750ml bottles with my family and they all thought it was grape wine. They were surprised by how dry is was compared to my first sushi rice batch. It was dry and a sour with a bit of sweetness at first taste.

What type of rice, what water to rice ratio, how long fermenting at what temp?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brew because I must.

 

[Hoon]

Harvested another batch today. Gallon of Calrose steamed rice, about 4 cups dry, steamed in almost 7 cups water, two yeast balls, 19 days, fermented at 70 - 80 degrees, real sake like, more alcohol than cooler temps yielded on my last batch. Got 3/4 gallon wine, at a cost of about $1.50 per quart.

Why aren't you doing it?



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brew because I must.

 

[DanzigsMISFITS]

Two batches on 18 days old the other 16 big difference.. my forst batch is clearer than the smaller 2nd batch but the second batch seamed wetter when I put it in the jar any ideas... drink both?

 

[Zibe]

SCORE!!!!!
Should have over a hundred of those elusive little wonder balls of fermentation. Question though have two brands one says rice flour, water, and yeast. Other brand just says rice and water. Both look the same is it a packaging difference or do you think one is really lacking yeast? The two packs say yeast it's the bigger one that doesn't.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[jak1010]

View attachment 198677

SCORE!!!!!
Should have over a hundred of those elusive little wonder balls of fermentation. Question though have two brands one says rice flour, water, and yeast. Other brand just says rice and water. Both look the same is it a packaging difference or do you think one is really lacking yeast? The two packs say yeast it's the bigger one that doesn't.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Nice! Same items. Both will work. Some name brands will just say yeast others wont. Some don't even mention rice, they just say dried yeast. Do a batch of each and see if there's a difference. I bet there will be.

 

[ChefRex]

Two batches on 18 days old the other 16 big difference.. my forst batch is clearer than the smaller 2nd batch but the second batch seamed wetter when I put it in the jar any ideas... drink both?

Could you explain your process? The batch I made last week has clear separation and several inches of liquid on the bottom. I use a gallon container which is filled then left alone for 3 or 4 weeks.