C1 - What is Sake - completed

Question 1

Any other raw material(s) are added when making beer and sake?

Answer 1

beer: Almost always hops. Sometimes other flavourings

Question 2

What are the raw material(s) used in making beer and sake?

Answer 2

beer: various grains
sake: rice only.

Question 3

How beer and sake break down the starch into sugars?

Answer 3

Beer: using malted grains

Sake: using kōji mould

Question 4

What can the raw material - rice - contribute to the final sake, in terms of:

• colour
• flavour
• tannin
• acid

Answer 4

• no colour
• very little flavours
• no tannin
• very little acid

Question 5

What is the typical alcoholic strength (% abv) of distilled spirits and sake?

Answer 5

distilled spirits: ~40% abv

Sake: 15 - 17% abv

Question 6

What is sake?

Answer 6

sake is an alcoholic beverage made from polished (white) rice.

Question 7

How rice becomes sake?

Answer 7

because rice is a starchy solid, it needs water and koji to transform the solid rice into fermentable sugar, and yeast to converts those sugars into alcohol.

Question 8

What is the typical alcoholic strenght (% abv) of wine and sake?

Answer 8

wine: 12 - 14% abv
sake: 15 - 17% abv

Question 9

What is the difference in making between spirits and sake?

Answer 9

sake is not distilled.

Question 10

How spirits is made to become a highly concentrated alcoholic liquid?

Answer 10

1- after the yeast has fermented the sugars into alcohol,

2- the alcohol goes through distillation by heating the alcohol

3- and then cooling the separated vapour,

4- the vapour are collected as a highly concentrated alcoholic liquid.

Question 11

after distillation, where do the flavours, aromas, water and acidity go?

Answer 11

• most of the flavours and aromas are captured with the alcohol.
• most of the water and acidity is left behind.

Question 12

What is common between fortified wine and some special made sake?

Answer 12

some sake has a small amount of high strength distilled alcohol added.

Question 13

What is common between wine and sake?

Answer 13

• both are fermented beverage.

- similar alcoholic strength

Question 14

What is the main difference between wine and sake?

Answer 14

• raw materials i.e. rice and grapes.

- thus the production process is different.

Question 15

What are the different properties in the raw materials between wine and sake?

Answer 15

Wine grapes:

• high acids
• distinct aromas and flavours
• colour pigments and tannins (black grapes)

sake rice:

• no colour and tannin
• very little acidity and flavour

Question 16

How are the colour, flavours and acidity of ‘typical’ sake compare to wine?

Answer 16

the “typical” sake is almost colourness, lacks tannins; acidity and flavours are more delicate than wine.

Question 17

What is common in the raw material of beer and sake?

Answer 17

both are made from starchy, solid cereal grains.

Question 18

What is the key difference of beer production method compare to sake?

Answer 18

the “starch-to-sugar” conversion method is very different.

Question 19

What is malting?

Answer 19

• whole unpolished grains are encouraged to start germinating
• the grains produce enzymes that convert their stored starch into fermentable sugar.

Question 20

What is malt?

Answer 20

• after malting, the enzymes are released
• the grains are heated to dry in order to halt the conversion of growing into cereal plants
• the chemicals for breaking down the starch into sugar are retained in the grains.
• those grains are called malt.

Question 21

How beer is made from malt to alcohol?

Answer 21

1- by mixing the malt with hot water to start the starch-to-sugar conversion

2- the sugar-to-alcohol fermentation follows after the above conversion is finished.

Question 22

What is the difference of “choices” of raw materials in making beer and sake?

Answer 22

• sake can always been made from rice only
• beer can be made from many different grains e.g. wheat, rye, maize and even rice.
• beer and use a single or combined cereal grains.

Question 23

What are the difference in terms of flavours resulted from processing the raw material of beer and sake?

Answer 23

• beer is common to use unpolished cereal grains which has many flavours can be extracted.
• drying process of malting will add flavours like toast or char.
• sake rice is steamed to avoid adding any flavours
• koji also has very little flavours other than a delicate sweetness.

Question 24

Which additional ingredient is added to beer to provide bitterness and aromas?

Answer 24

hops

Question 25

What is another purpose of adding hops to beer?

Answer 25

as a preservative.

Question 26

What other flavours can be added to beer if local laws allow?

Answer 26

• fruits and spices.

- sake once added with these ingredients is no longer legally called a sake.