Xiāng | Rice Spirit | Distillers Recipe Kit BeerCo.au

iāng is a Chinese style Rice Spirit Distillers Recipe Kit.   Inside you will find all the ingredients and guidance you need to easily mix, make, ferment and distill a nice and clean Rice Spirit.  Xiāng uses 100% Pure Australian Medium Grain Calrose Rice as the base ingredient and an authentic Angel Leaven (yellow label angel yeast) widely used in China and across Asia for making Rice Wines and Liquors.  If you are a fan of high quality pure Chinese Rice Spirit you will enjoy Xiāng and her sweet fragrant aroma and pure taste! Well, what are you waiting for? Mix, Ferment and Distil Happiness and remember to always distil safely and enjoy responsibly!

Ganbei | Cheers!

Targets:

• SG Target: 
• FG Target: 
• Wash ABV: 6-8%
• Target Final Spirit ABW: 40% ABV
• Batch: 21L Wash 

Fermentables:

• 7 Kg of Sunwhite Medium Grain Calrose Rice 

Aids:

• Angel Yellow Label Yeast – 500g Brick (use only 56g)
• Still Spirits | Alpha-Amylase | Distillers Enzyme 12g
• Still Spirits | Yeast Nutrient Light 60g
• Still Spirits | Turbo Clear 130g 

Method to Make Rice Spirit with a cereal mash:

1. Heat 21 Litres in your Mash Tun, Kettle or Boiler to 75℃.  Place a Brew in a Bag or Grain Basket inside your Mash Tun, Kettle or Boiler.
2. Rinse the Rice with clean water until the water runs clear.
3. Start mixing the rice into the bag/basket inside your mash tun, boiler or cooker.
4. Add the Still Spirits | Alpha-Amylase | Distillers Enzyme 12g after the first third of the rice has been added into the Mash Tun mix and disolve then add the remaining 2/3 of the rice into the Mash.
5. Mash for 60 minutes at 75℃.  Stir periodically to avoid dough balls and clumping and to aid gelantisation and starch conversion.
6. Once Mash is complete allow to cool to fermentation temperature or transfer along with the solids inside the brew in a bag / grain basket into your fermenter.  Top up to 25L of total solids and liquid in your fermenter.
7. While waiting for water to cool, disolve 56g of Angel Yellow Label Yeast in 280ml of 30-35℃ Water.  Dissolve Angel leaven into water completely, standing for 10-20 minutes.
8. Once the Rice and Mash Water mixture has cooled to 25-33℃, pour the Angel Yeast Leaven mixture into the raw material evenly, seal the fermentation..
9. Hold temp between 25-33℃ the lower the temp the longer the fermentation the cleaner the end result.  (Recommend 30℃  for 15 days for a complete conversion and fermentation)
10. Regularly aerate the wash for the first couple of days and perform a staggered yeast nutrient on days 0, 3 and 5 (20g of Still Spirits | Yeast Nutrient Light)
11. When FG reaches 1.000 or stablises down low for 2-3 days and fermentation has stopped remove the rice inside the Brew in a Bag.
12. Once fermentation is complete, stir the wash vigorously to remove all of the gas. Once degassed, add the contents of Part A of the Still Spirits | Turbo Clear and stir well, then leave to stand for 1 hour.
13. Part B: After 1 hour, slowly pour Part B of the Still Spirits | Turbo Clear evenly over the top of the wash while carefully stirring the top surface of the wash only to help spread it evenly. Do not stir vigorously as this will disrupt the clearing process. Leave to clear for 24 hours. During this time Part B will drop down from the top, taking all unwanted yeast and sediment with it to the bottom.
14. Syphon out into still avoiding the floating solids as much as possible to avoid burning during the distillation.  Alternatively filter out the liquid.
15. Syphon liquid into your still, recommended using a reflux column still.  Complete a stripping run suggested to collect low wines down to 5-10%.  Discard the first 50ml (fore-shots).
16. Complete a spirit run making cuts to blend to taste separating the head, hearts and tails
17. Blend the cuts to your taste and dilute down to 40% abv.

Method to Make Rice Spirit without a cereal mash:

1. Mill the Rice to fine grits or flour like consistency.
2. You are going to do a grain on fermentation.  If you have a Brew in a Bag or Grain Basket place inside your Fermenter.
3. Pour 21 Litres of boiling or near boiling water into the fermenter.
4. Leave to naturally cool to about 32℃ (90F).  Mix appropriately to prevent rice from settling into sedimentation during this cooling period.
5. Directly add 56g of Angel Leaven (Yellow Label Yeast) after the temperature is naturally cooled to about 90° F (32°C) and ), evenly mix, and ferment for 8-15
   days.
6. Fermentation: Mix twice every day in the first three days, and control the temperature to be 28-36°C (82° F-97 ° F).  The optimal fermentation temperature is about 32°C (90° F). During primary fermentation the highest fermentation
   temperature should not be over 38°C (100° F), and heat insulation measures shall be taken when the fermentation temperature drops below 26°C (79° F).
7. Mix twice every day in the first three days regularly aerating the wash for the first three days and perform a staggered yeast nutrient on days 1, 2 and 3 (20g of Still Spirits | Yeast Nutrient Light)
8. When FG reaches 1.000 or stablises down low for 2-3 days and fermentation has stopped remove the rice inside the Brew in a Bag.
9. Once fermentation is complete, stir the wash vigorously to remove all of the gas. Once degassed, add the contents of Part A of the Still Spirits | Turbo Clear and stir well, then leave to stand for 1 hour.
10. Part B: After 1 hour, slowly pour Part B of the Still Spirits | Turbo Clear evenly over the top of the wash while carefully stirring the top surface of the wash only to help spread it evenly. Do not stir vigorously as this will disrupt the clearing process. Leave to clear for 24 hours. During this time Part B will drop down from the top, taking all unwanted yeast and sediment with it to the bottom.
11. Syphon out into still avoiding the floating solids as much as possible to avoid burning during the distillation.  Alternatively filter out the liquid.
12. Syphon liquid into your still, recommended using a reflux column still.  Complete a stripping run suggested to collect low wines down to 5-10%.  Discard the first 50ml (fore-shots).
13. Complete a spirit run making cuts to blend to taste separating the head, hearts and tails
14. Blend the cuts to your taste and dilute down to 40% abv.

Further Reading and Watching and Knowledge Sources:

How to use Angel Leaven (Yellow Label Yeast) Correctly

The Use of Rice in Brewing

Rice & Easy: Extract Brewing for Maximum Crispness

Improve Your Mead with Staggered Nutrient Additions | American Homebrewers Assn