Organic Short Grain Brown Rice Wine Alcohol Homebrew Fermentation Experiment

I've been looking forward to making rice wine for some time now. I've been making mead for years though I wanted to experiment with rice wine both so save money, and to have a brewing base material that could also be an emergency food supply if I had to rely on it. Honey is a great nutrient dense food and definitely belongs in every pantry, though isn't very viable as a meal option. Rice on the other hand, is a food I enjoy and while I'm mostly avoiding grains now in my diet, short grain organic brown rice has been one of the grains that agrees with me for the most part.

Soon after starting the first two batches of the experimental rice wine, I've noticed that it's fermentation rate is very slow compared to honey. That makes a lot of sense as the density of the sugars in honey is much greater, not to mention it's already in a fluid form which makes the yeast have no trouble devouring it. The whole grain rice however is quite protected by its fibrous seed structure. I figured as much but was willing to give it a try. Next time and from now on I'll be pre-grinding the rice to get it to as much of a powdered state as possible. This should increase the fermentation rate and hopefully the alcohol production will outpace the growth of other microbes. The core of my experimental projects with fermentation is the notion that I've got to make them work without expending the energy of cooking. I haven't yet built a reliable solar oven and am learning to adapt strategies to a totally raw standard.

Whereas many brewing recipes call for diligent sterilization by boiling ingredients and disinfecting surfaces, I've proven out for myself that with making mead and cider, as long as the sugars are readily available to the yeast, the alcohol production works fast enough to inhibit microbes that would spoil the batch. I don't have a medical scientific lab, so I rely on the "sniff test" and a visual inspection of any types of abnormal molds. So far I've been fine. I've never had a batch turn my stomach, cause illness, or even taste foul. The flavor is always different which is an interesting side-effect of not have the most perfectly controlled conditions. Again, so far I've had great luck. I've made wine with fruit juices, taro root, beets and beet juice, honey, raisins, and now rice is my latest experiment. I have hope that future batches will perform better after grinding to a powder.