Q&A for How to Make Rice Wine

No! "Yeast Ball" is somewhat of a misnomer. It is actually a bacteria starter culture which breaks down the rice starch into sugars. The yeast can then convert the sugars to alcohol. The yeast ball is one-stop-shopping (and you can get them online), but you can get other starter cultures. I use Angel brand Rice Leaven and add Red Star Premier Blanc yeast.

No, rice wine is not the same thing as sake, although it can be used as a substitute for sake in recipes.

I used 600g rice and got 300ml of wine. I only fermented for 3 weeks, though, as my Chinese yeast instructions said ferment for 2 weeks (I went for in between).

At the final stage, after racking, but before bottling.

When making rice wine, the starch is converted into sugar, then to alcohol. Depending on the yeast you use, the wine would either become stronger, or could just become sickeningly sweet.

It is 18-25% ABV (alcohol by volume). This means it has a similar alcohol content to regular wine.

Only when distilling into spirits (which is illegal in many countries); methanol is present in all alcohol, but is diluted and causes no real problem or concern. When condensed, methanol becomes potentially fatal. Look into top and tailing for spirits. This is how the bad alcohols are removed; one boils at a lower temperature, the other at a higher.

You would not want it completely airtight, because you must let some of the excess carbon dioxide release or the container could explode. Using baking yeast would not produce an alcohol that would taste very good. Although it would work, it would be very difficult to drink. Try using champagne yeast or consult with a store that sells supplies and equipment for home brewing.

It would make alcohol, but it would not taste as good as the wine with the yeast ball.

Yes but it would not taste the same so you should try to use yeast balls if at all possible.

You need to let the rice cool down to near room temperature before adding yeast. If rice is too hot, yeast will die and will not ferment.

18-25 ABV (alcohol by volume). No, alcohol content will not increase with time. Once all sugar has been converted to alcohol, alcohol content remains constant. Alcohol content also depends on type of yeast used.

You can, but it is not ideal. Check and see if these are any Asian groceries near you. If there are you should be able to find sweet rice in large bags, as well as cheap Chinese yeast balls.

It takes between two and three weeks, depending on how warm the place you're fermenting the rice is. The warmer the room, the quicker the starch from the rice will convert to sugar and then alcohol.

It could take a month or more to ferment, depending on where you store it and the temperature.

2 cups of sticky rice per rice yeast ball is a rule of thumb for making rice wine.

I have made many batches of rice wine at different times of the year. I have noticed that if I have a very "hot" mix, and the ferment is very active, the wine will finish in a shorter time, maybe 14 days, but if it is very sweet, that indicates that the sugars are not being completely converted to alcohol. The sweeter it is, the less alcohol there is. I generally let mine go 21-30 days or more. I like a semi-sweet strong wine, but the longer you let it go, the stronger it should get. When you see no more gas bubbles, it is done.

I would stir the mix to distribute the yeast, but water doesn't help. Water just thins the wine (which can be thick and syrupy when finished).

If it has been that long, the issue is probably too low an initial fermenting temperature, or perhaps too little yeast ball mix. Try using a heating pad on low, and a blanket around the vat to contain the heat. (All water does is thin the wine when finished.)

Yes, but it will not taste good.

Wine should ferment in a container with an air lock to allow ventilation of CO2 and prevent contaminants or insects from entering the bottle.

If you keep the wine in a closed and sterilized bottle, then it could mature for years. The alcohol content will not change during maturing (if you mature the wine in a barrel, an amount of alcohol will evaporate. This is called the angels' share.)

If you have a grocery store or market that sells ingredients for Chinese or other Asian cuisines, you'll likely be able to find these yeast balls. You can also go online to see if there are any online grocers that sell them.

Since your rice has already been fermented, it likely won't be able to be reused for a second batch. However, there are many kinds of desserts and sweet breads that incorporate fermented rice.

Technically yes. However, since it's not the same type of yeast, your rice wine may come out tasting different from how it's supposed to.