Sake Production

Question 1

What is Toji?

Answer 1

Brewmaster

Question 2

What happens to sake rice after it is harvested, prepared, and sold?

Answer 2

Milled used a machine called a seimaiki, staffed by three kurabito (brewery workers, 24 hours a day on, rotating shifts.

Question 3

What is the traditional way of milling rice?

Answer 3

It was washed rigorously through wicker baskets, and only when a grain of rice was small enough would it fall through the calibrated hole of the basket.

Question 4

When did milling machines first appear?

Answer 4

1930s

Question 5

What is the process of milling called?

Answer 5

Seimai

Question 6

Describe the process of seimai.

Answer 6

• begins with brown rice (gemai) grains are slowly milled in a polishing chamber with a roll made from an extremely hard material, which removes the outer layers, now considered hakumai, or white rice.
• Further polishing gently removes the fat and protein outer layers of the hakumai, contributors to rustic, fatty, and earthy flavors.

Question 7

After the grain is sufficiently polished what happens?

Answer 7

• Once the grains leave the polishing chamber, perforated plates separate the resulting flour (nuka) and the polished grains.
• A calibrated hole will reject rice that is not polished, moving it back to the top with a bucket conveyer to go through the process again.
• nuka will be used for cattle feed, fertilizer, rice crackers, and more.
• Controls such as the aperture of the hole that accepts the polished rice and the revolutions per minute of the machine are closely monitored. If the rice gets too hot or dry during the process, it will be useless.

Question 8

What is seimaibuai? “SAY-my-BOO-eye”

Answer 8

Refers to the amount of rice that remains after polishing.

Question 9

How many hours does it take to polish a grain of rice to 50% of its original size?

How much time for another 15%?

Answer 9

50 hours.

50 hours more to remove another 15%

Question 10

Who makes at Super 7 Junami Daiginjo and what is it?

Answer 10

One producer from Miyagi in northern Japan, Hakurakusei, uses a rice polishing machine whose milling roll is made with diamond crystals and purportedly cost three million USD. Using the ultra-hard diamond surface, they released their Super 7 Junmai Daiginjo with a seimaibuai of 7%. This release, with several variations, is the most widely available bottle made with highly polished rice. Yet even this is extremely rare, and bottles are very expensive.

Question 11

What the difference between a lower simaibuai vs a higher seimaibuai?

Answer 11

Typically, lower seimaibuai (more fat and protein removed) leads to more elegance, delicate flavors, and vibrant aromatics, while a higher seimaibuai (less fat and protein removed) produces more rustic and savory styles of sake.

Question 12

Three reasons a producer would add jozo (brewer’s alcohol) to sake?

Answer 12

If more texture, body, and minerality are desired

-this can also soften any overwhelming aromatic components and flavors.

Question 13

Why is sake produced in the winter?

Answer 13

Cool winter temperatures ensure a long and healthy fermentation, resulting in a balanced and clean sake. Working in warmer temperatures would require air conditioning.

Question 14

What’s happen after rice has been milled?

Next three steps?

Answer 14

It is left for about two weeks to rest and absorb ambient moisture.

• -Soaking (same temp water/rice so grain doesn’t crack)
• -Steaming to break up starch molecules and sterilize rice (goal is hard outside and soft inside to encourage koji mold to work toward moist center
• -Cooling

Question 15

What is karashi kikan?

Answer 15

The steaming and cooling period

Question 16

After the steaming and cooling period (karashi kikan) how are batches separated?
How are those individual batches cooked separately?

Answer 16

Most will be used for the day’s yeast starter (moto/shubo)
The rest (20-40%) will be moved to the koji room (koji muro)
–for best environment for bacteria growth, the rice for koji propagation needs to be more gently cooked than the normal rice used in sake production, so the kakemai (non-koji rice) is always at the bottom of the steaming tank while the kojimai (rice that will be sprinkled with koji mold) is at the top for a gentler steam.

Question 17

What is the koju muro?
What does it look like?
What happens here?

Answer 17

• The Koji Room
• Sauna lined with wood or metal (the latter is arguably more sanitary)
• Where the starches locked up in the middle of the grains of sake rice are converted to sugars.

Question 18

What is the difference between koji and koji mold?

Answer 18

• “Koji mold” is the name of the green powdery mold sprinkled on the rice; the mold grows on the steamed rice for about two days.
• the resulting steamed rice upon which the mold is cultivated is simply called the “koji.”

Question 19

What factors are considered in choosing koji from one of the less than 10 koji mold producers in Japan?

Answer 19

• Type of rice that will be introduced to the koji mold
• pH of the water the brewery uses to steam the rice
• temperature at which the koji mold will be introduces to the rice

**the koji chosen will affect everything from acidity to potential alcohol and aromatic potential.

Question 20

How much koji is used to produce a single tank of sake?

Answer 20

100 grams

Question 21

What type of koji is used for sake production?

What else other than sake is koji used for?

Answer 21

Usually yellow koji (Aspergillus Oryzae), while black and white koji are used for shochu production, and typically in warmer climates.

-shochu, miso, soy sauce, and mirin

Question 22

Why is it important to monitor temperature when making koji?

What is the maximum acceptable temperature of koji during koji production?

Answer 22

Keeping temperature is very important when making koji; 32-40 degree Celsius.
—lower than that, enzyme of koji will be deactivated
—higher than that, it will also be dying.

Maximum: 44° Celsius (111° Fahrenheit)

Question 23

What finishes koji production after sprinkling koji mold?

How long does koji-kin normally take to form?

What does the rice look and taste like?

Answer 23

• koji rests for about 24 hours; then moved to a more precise temperature control system of wooden trays and boxes for further propagation and mixing to maximize even distribution of the koji mold.
• after two to three days, it is moved out of the koji muro to stop the spread of the spore and prepare it for the yeast starter.
• rice at this point looks like it has frosting on it (the koji mold) and has a sweet taste reminiscent of frosted flakes.
• most quality producers do most or all their koji production by hand.

Question 24

What ingredients and measurements are combined to start the fermentation process of Sake?

Answer 24

The 25 kilograms of koji and 37 kilograms of non koji (kakemai) rice are combined in a tank with yeast and 80 liters of water.
-This mash will ferment until it has a high enough concentration of yeast cells to support further addition of rice and water (with a little help from some extra koji).

-The seimaibuai of the steamed rice and koji do not have to be the same, but if they are different, this must be stated on the label.

Question 25

What is moto?

Answer 25

The yeast, additional rice and water that are added to koji to create a starter. The moto develops over a period of two weeks; it then becomes the moromi (main fermentation mash) and moved to a larger vessel for fermentation.
—Also known as shubo

Question 26

What is the importance of cultivating lactic acid into the sake fermentation?

Answer 26

It is a crucial step in protecting the fermentation from other, unwanted bacteria.

Question 27

Describe Kimoto (method, time period to produce etc) and the effects on the finished product.

What are the resulting flavors?

Answer 27

Traditional method for cultivating or adding lactic acid to the fermentation process of sake.

• Workers pound the mash with large wooden poles for hours at a time, cultivating naturally occurring lactic bacteria from the air; essentially bâtonnage for sake.
• 30 days to complete
• process results in a creamy, zesty characteristic; higher sweetness and acidity, with richer, deeper, significantly more pronounced flavors. Bitterness in the recesses is not uncommon.

Question 28

Describe Yamahai (method, time period to produce etc) and the effects on the finished product.

What are the resulting flavors?

Answer 28

Simplified Kimoto from 1909 no need for paddles, natural lactic acid could still form on top of the moto (yeast starter) and protect the sake through its fermentation.
-natrually occuring lactic acid production by bacilli, higher temps and no paddles needed.

• 30 days to complete; less refined that Kimoto
• resulting flavors are more vibrant, gamier, and higher in both acid and fruit characteristics.

Question 29

Describe Sokujo (method, time period to produce etc) and the effects on the finished product.

Answer 29

Means “quick fermentation”

• discovered in 1911, when producers found that brewing grade lactic acid could be introduced, so no bacilli required, significantly shortening the process of creating the moto.
• today, most sake is made this way.
• The Sokujo method is by far the most efficient, with moto production taking roughly two weeks.
• can make very clean, refined sake.

Question 30

Describe Kouon Touka (method, time period to produce etc) and the effects on the finished product.

Answer 30

means “high temperation saccharification”

type of Sokujo; high temp removes unwanted micro-organisms 50-60C, then 40C for adding lactic acid, then 20C for adding yeast

7-10 days to complete

famous in Kyushu regions for Junmai and Ginjo

Question 31

What is the Bodaimoto method?

Answer 31

Around the eighth century, a form of sake was made by Bodai monks for the temples, in which they mixed steamed rice with raw rice and water to encourage the natural production of lactic bacteria. Yeast could be added to this starter mash, initiating fermentation

Question 32

What is the difference between So-haze and Tsuki-haze koji making?

Answer 32

So-haze-“so-hah-zay” type of Koji-kin produces a table-grade Futsu-shu saké or a full bodied, high acidity and umami-rich premium style. It is the high vitamin, protein and organic acid content that creates these qualities.

Tsuki-haze- “skee-hah-zay”; stype of Koji-kin with a lighter mold growth; means a slow and very controlled fermentation, ideal for brewing the delicate, crisp and fruity/floral Ginjo and Daiginjo style saké.

Question 33

What is sandan shikomi?

How much of each ingredient does it contain?

How long with the mash run?

Answer 33

The process of adding koji, kakemai, and water (moto) in three stages over six days, gradually building up to a full fermentation tank of sake.

Stages:
Hatsu-zoe
Naka-zoe
Tome-zoe

The shikomi (main fermentation mash) will be roughly 1,310 liters of water, 200 kilograms of koji, and 800 kilograms of rice will be fermenting.

-The mash will run for 20 to 30 days, meaning that, depending on the methods employed, it will take just over 30 to more than 60 days to make one batch of sake.

Question 34

What is odori?

Answer 34

“Dancing ferment” where bubbles form as yeast interacts with sugar and starch is converted to sugar.

Question 35

What is moromi?

Answer 35

Main fermentation mash

-over three successive stages koji, water and steamed rice are added to the moto, doubling in size with each addition and created the moromi.

Question 36

What is Multiple Parallel Fermentation?

Answer 36

It is what makes sake production distinct. In sake production rice starch is converted to fermentable sugars, yet the conversion of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occurs simultaneously in the same vessel. MPF relies on the combined activities of yeast and a mold, the koji-kin to undergo both crucial processes of fermentation at once.

Question 37

How long does fermentation of sake last?

Answer 37

18-32 days

**Once final addition has been made, the sake will ferment up to 45 days

**lasts 3 to 4 weeks. It varies according to the types of sake being produced. Normally, the Ginjo type sake that is produced at a lower temperature takes a longer fermentation time.

**guild somm question “How long is the typical fermentation for Daiginjo-grade sake?” Answer: 35-40 days.

Question 38

What will the alcohol content be approximately, after sake has finished fermentation?
What three steps follow fermentation?

Answer 38

It will reach an alcohol content of approximately 20%—water is generally added back to lower the final alcohol level to around 17%.
—this will traditionally be followed by pressing, filtering, and pasteurizing.

Question 39

During fermentation what is used to adjust temperature?

Answer 39

Heating or cooling jackets

Question 40

What are kasu?

Answer 40

Lees of sake.

Question 41

What is kasu-buai?

Answer 41

“Kasu rate” is the ratio of the weight of leftover kasu to the weight of the original rice and is expressed as a percentage. Lower the number the more the brewer attempted to get every last drop of alcohol out of the rice. The higher the number, the more they were willing to sacrifice potential yield for quality.

***I.e.- if you began with a ton of white rice and after pressing there is 200 kg of kasu left, the kasu-buai would be roughly 200/1,000, or 20 percent.

Question 42

What step is used after fermentation of sake?

Methods?

Answer 42

Pressing Rice; rice must be separated from its lees (kasu)

• assakuki- a balloon-press air compressoris most common; looks like a giant sealed accordion. Yabuta is most popular brand.
• fune, or box press for most treasured (Junmai) Ginjo- or (Junmai) Daiginjo-level sake. More delicate, but more labor intensive, and higer risk of oxidation. Box containing porous cloth filter bags (shibori fukuro), slowly hand-filled with sake from above before pressure is applied

shizuku (tear drop or gravity press) or fukuro-tsuri (hanging bag); employs a bag (called sakabukuro) comprised of special materials and mesh not used for the normal pressing. The bag is hung inside a tank and only what drops out of the bag makes it into the bottle. One bag will usually hold 15 liters of fermented moromi, and the two-day process will yield roughly six liters of free-run sake. After the sake has dropped out of the bag, the rest may be pressed using a fune. This is the most delicate process, used almost exclusively for Junmai Daiginjo sake that is often reserved for Japan’s national sake competitions.

Question 43

Three types of press for sake?

Answer 43

Arabashiri (“first run”) is barely cloudy. Though it can be rough in texture, its flavors and aromas are delicate.

Nakagumi (or nakadori, meaning “taken from the middle”) is usually considered the best of the three stages, with the greatest balance and structure. When separated, it is often reserved for competitions.

Seme (“final run”) may be included in a batch of sake but never separated or sold on its own.

Question 44

Also known as joso, what is the term for wringing the moromi from it lees?

Answer 44

Shibori

***shiboritate=“fresh squeezed”

Question 45

What is sake filtered with?

What is muroka?

Answer 45

• producer determines whether to filter through activated charcoal.
• Non-charcoal-filtered sake is called muroka (a term sometimes but not always appearing on the label.)

-It retains sake’s natural greenish-yellow tinge as well as the impurities that can make a sake taste raw. It also stops the initial flavors that come along with aging and slows color change.

Question 46

What step is after filtration of sake?

Benefits?

Answer 46

Pasteurization

• deactivates heat-sensitive enzymes that may be left over from the fermentation process and stops them from working after sake is bottled.
• also kills many microorganisms alive from the fermentation process.

Question 47

How many times is sake pasteurized?

Answer 47

Hiire-Sake: pasteurized twice, once in tank and once in bottle; most sake

Namazume: pasteurized in tank but not in bottle.

Namachozo- stored in tank then transferred to bottle just before shipment and pasteurized once.

**these terms do not need to be stated on the label.

Question 48

What is nama?

Answer 48

Unpasteurized sake (“raw or “fresh”)

-tastes distinctively vivacious and complex. It must be stored at constant cool temperatures of negative eight to negative five degrees Celsius, the latter considered optimal.

Question 49

How long does sake go through maturation on average?

Answer 49

With pasteurization decisions made, 2-6 months on average, often at below-zero temperatures.

Question 50

What is the optimal maturation temperature for sake?

Answer 50

Maintaining negative five (-5) degrees Celsius can prolong the aging process of both unpasteurized and pasteurized sake. In this environment, an oxygen-reduction system is also employed

Question 51

What is masu?

Answer 51

Small wooden box traditionally used for drinking sake; often made of Japanese cedar and imparted exotic cedar aromas.

Question 52

What barrel is sake traditionally aged in?

Answer 52

Traditionally, sake was also aged in barrel (taru); this continues for religious purposes.

most barrels in Japan are produced from native cedar trees; flavor of the taru is strong, and the sake takes on a peppery, woody aroma and a minor impression of tannin.

• Often, barrels are used to mask quality issues.
• the aging period for taruzake is not regulated and can be as short as a matter of days or even hours.

Question 53

Why at the end of bottling would brewers of sake add water?

Answer 53

To soften alcohol by a few degrees and bring out sweetness or mineral flavors.

Question 54

How are volumes of production of sake recorded?

Answer 54

Volumes of production are recorded for tax purposes using the measurement koku, equivalent to 180 liters.

Question 55

What is sugidama?

Answer 55

When the first sake of the year is ready, the brewery will hang a ball made of cedar branches called a sugidama (sugi means cedar) outside of the brewery. The needles on the branches are green when they are hung, but by the end of the brewery season, they go brown, a symbol of the season’s end.

Question 56

What is shinshu?

What is koshu?

What is ogoshu?

Answer 56

“New sake”; any sake released from the current brewing year.

“Aged sake”; any sake released after one year or several.

“Extra aged sake”; any sake released after one year or several

**terms not legally defined

Question 57

What is a typical Sake production season?

Answer 57

July 1 to June 30

First release: Sake Nouveau; sought after by sake enthusiasts.

Hyaoroshi: Fall release of recently pasteurized sake that had been resting in tank; rounder and mellower style.

Natsunama; Stored at the brewery and released in the summer; often unpasteurized.

Question 58

How soon are most sake to be consumed?

Answer 58

While sake can age, most is made to be consumed within 6-18 months after release.