Ch. 2 Sake Production Process

Question 1

What is Genryo Shori

Answer 1

Processing of raw ingredients (washing, soaking, steaming of rice)

Question 2

What is seikiku

Answer 2

Koji making

Question 3

What is the percentage of steamed rice used in koji making (seikiku)

Answer 3

20%

Question 4

What is joso

Answer 4

Pressing of fermentation moromi to separate into sake and sake kasu

Question 5

What is Karashi?

Answer 5

When white rice is stored after polishing for at least 2 weeks to regain some moisture that was lost during polishing process

Question 6

What is the average rice polishing ratio for table rice and ordinary sake

Answer 6

Table rice: 92%
Ordinary sake: 70%

Question 7

What tint does genshu sake have and what causes it?

Answer 7

yellow-green tint from vitamin B

Question 8

What is ori-biki

Answer 8

removal of sediments

Question 9

What is hi-ochi

Answer 9

spoilage

Question 10

What is ori-sage

Answer 10

A process to precipitate proteins which may cause cloudiness

Question 11

Activated carbon is used for:

Answer 11

adjusting color and flavor which change from maturation and storage

Question 12

What is hakumai-kyusui-ritsu?

Answer 12

White rice water absorption rate

% = weight after washing, soaking & draining - initial weight of white rice / initial weight of white rice

Question 13

What is zatsumi

Answer 13

Unpleasant taste

Question 14

What is gentei kyusui

Answer 14

Limited water absorption
It is a process from washing and draining particularly for ginjo shu

Instead of naturally draining the rice, a vacuum suction deive or draining method employing centrifugal force is used. It also eliminates the moisture difference between the upper and lower layers of soaked rice.

Question 15

What are the japanese terms for rice steaming

Answer 15

Jo-kyo or Mushi

Question 16

What is gaiko-nainan

Answer 16

Steamed rice that is not too sticky, hard on the outside and soft on the inside

Question 17

What does steaming due to the starch structure?

Answer 17

Starch chains are tight and koji cannot penetrate through the chains

Steaming opens up and separate the chains creating sufficient space for penetration. This is called pre-gelatinization or gelatinization

Question 18

What are the two equipment used to steam rice?

Answer 18

Koshiki or continuous rice steamer

Question 19

What is a kamado

Answer 19

oven made of heat-resistant bricks

Question 20

How long is rice steamed?

Answer 20

About 60 minutes

Question 21

What is a wagama?

Answer 21

Kettle, housed by a large kamado

Question 22

What is a koma?

Answer 22

A piece of wood with grooves placed on top of the steam hole to disperse the steam in multiple directions

Question 23

What is a sana?

Answer 23

A board that resembles a duckboard placed over the koma

Question 24

How do most sake breweries steam rice today?

Answer 24

Directly send steam generated by a boiler into a metal koshiki

Question 25

What is superheated steam and what does it do?

Answer 25

Steam heated further to 100C. Removes moisture from the surface of steamed rice. Used on the latter half of the steaming process

Question 26

How does a continuous rice steamer work?

Answer 26

Mesh conveyor belt
Inside tunnel 5 compartments each compartment injects with appropriate amount of steam

Travels for 25-40 minutes then goes out to a connected cooler

Question 27

What are the two ways to cool steamed rice?

Answer 27

1. Natural cooling (used for ginjoshu making)
2. Forced cooling with a continuous cooling machine

Question 28

How does cooled steamed rice travel to the moromi and koji making rooms?

Answer 28

By being blown through an air chute of about 20cm in diameter