Sake WSET Level 2 Flashcards
Which 4 ingredients do all Sake have in common?
Steamed white rice
Kōji
Water
Yeast
Which further 2 ingredients can a brewer add to the 4 universal ingredients if they are making either basic or premium sake?
Lactic acid, Jōzō alcohol
Which further 3 ingredients can be added only to basic sake?
Glucose, acids and amino acids
Sake must be below which ABV % ?
22%
A sake which is gold, amber or brown in appearance and has unique aromas such as soy and pickled veg is most likely which kind of sake?
Koshu (aged sake)
What type of rice is used for Sake?
non-sticky, Japonica
Which 3 varieties of rice account for 59% of all sake specific rice harvested in Japan?
Yamada-nishiki, Gohyakuman-goku, Miyama-nishiki
List the components of a grain of sake specific rice.
husk, bran, germ, endosperm, shinpaku
What is removed when creating white rice?
Bran
In which part of the grain is the germ’s food source (starch) stored?
Endosperm
In which season are rice seedlings transplanted?
Spring
How many times during the growing season are the rice paddies drained and reflooded?
once
What appears on the end of the stems, containing the structures that ultimately turn into grains?
Ears
After de-husking under what enviromental conditions must the grains of brown rice be stored?
Cool and dry (can be for several months)
Which enzyme is used to convert starch to glucose?
Amylase
The kōji mould produces enzymes that break rice proteins into which umami rich, nutrients for yeast?
Amino acids and peptides
Which colours are given to sake by kōji mould?
Lemon and Lemon-green
From where do the yeast obtain minerals?
from rice or the water used for the fermentation
Do colder or warmer fermentations produce more acidity in sake?
warmer
By what technique is the bran removed from the grain of rice?
Polishing
What is the name of the spinning abrasive rollers used to rub away the surface of the rice?
Whetstones
Roughly how long does it take to remove 30 percent of the grain?
10 hours
Roughly how long does it take to remove 50 percent of the grain?
45 hours
What is the name of the polishing ratio?
seimai-buai
Why do the brewers tend to wash Daiginjo styles by hand in small batches?
Because at a semai-buai of less than 50% grains can absorb water very quickly. Washing in small batches makes it easier to monitor the moisture content. Hand washing is gentler.
How do modern washing machines remove the rice dust?
They blow bubbles through the water.
Give two reasons as to why rice is steamed.
to make it break up more easily and to gelatinise the starch in the rice.
Which polishing ratio would be soaked for longer, 70% or 50%?
70% (a few hours or even overnight), whilst under 50% may be as little as twenty minutes in small batches and is strictly timed
What are the two types of steamers used in sake production?
Batch steamers and continuous steamers
How long does rice take to cook in a batch steamer?
About an hour
How long does rice take to cook in a continuous steamer?
As little as 30 minutes
What is the minimum percent of rice that must be used for kōji in a premium sake?
15 percent
What are the 4 phases to the kōji making process?
Cooling the rice
Establishing the mould growth
Managing the mould growth
Stopping the mould growth
What two environmental elements are strictly controlled in a kōji room?
Temperature and humidity
How is the kōji mould growth stopped?
By taking the rice out of the kōji room and placing it in a cool dry place
For partially machine-made kōji, from which phase of the kōji making process do the machines control the process?
Start of phase 3 (Managing the mould growth)
Which 3 techniques are typically used to ensure a small amount of mould growth for Tsuki-haze kōji?
- Soaking and steaming precisely managed to stop excessive moisture and mould growth
- Fewer kōji mould spores added at the start of the process
- They use smaller containers at the start of phase 3 (directing mould growth from the surface and into the grain)
From which phase of kōji making will the grains of rice be separated to release heat?
Phase 2
Give two terms for kōji that is moved to smaller containers during phase 3 of the kōji making process.
Tray or Box kōji
Which uses the smaller container Tray or Box kōji?
Tray
Would Tray or Box kōji making give the finest Tsuki-haze?
Tray that is made in the coolest part of the kōji room
After how long from when the rice enters the kōji room is the mould growth stopped by chilling the rice?
About 48 hours
After how many hours from when the rice enters the kōji room does phase 3 of managing the mould growth start?
About 20-23 hours
After how many hours from when the rice enters the kōji room does phase 2 of establishing the mould growth start?
About 1-3 hours
Which process gelatinises the starch (unravelling the glucose molecules that are chemically bonded together)?
Steaming
What, when broken down into amino acids and peptides, gives sake its umami taste?
rice protein
Which mineral is undesirable in water used for sake production?
Iron
What are the three important groups of yeast strains that a sake brewer can choose from?
Reliable fermenters
Early ginjō yeast
Later ginjō yeast
Which Reliable fermenter is the industry standard yeast today?
Number 7 - used for futsū-shu to premium ginjō styles
Which Early ginjō yeast produces very pure ginjō aromas?
Number 9
Which Later ginjō yeast is the current standard for sake brewers when they make their most prestigious ginjō styles of sake?
Number 1801 (produces more ginjō aromas)
Name two ways that brewers can contribute to yeast stress
Creating a fermentation batch that has low levels of amino acids and peptides
Fermenting this batch at low temperatures
How do you achieve low levels of amino acids?
Polish to 60% or less
Use kōji with low levels of enzymes such as Tsuki-haze (not obligatory for ginjō)
Which three techniques do sake brewers use to avoid bacterial spoilage during fermentations?
Keep fermentation temperatures cold enough to avoid microorganisms from becoming active
Increase the acidity of the fermentation
Create a very active yeast population by using a starter and the three addition method
Which two Japanese terms are used for fermentation starter
shubo or moto
How long does it take to create a fermentation starter?
Between 14 and 28 days
Which acid is used to protect the yeast during the creation of the starter?
Lactic acid (Either by adding brewer’s grade lactic acid or by using lactic acid bacteria to create it)
What is the term in Japanese for the main fermentation batch?
moromi
How long does it take to create the moromi?
4 days
Once the moromi has been created how long does it take to complete the fermentation?
21-35 days
What is the temperature range of the main fermentation?
8-18 degrees C
What is the alcohol range typically achieved at the end of the fermentation?
17-20 ABV
Increasing the acidity of the mash by adding lactic acid is called what in Japanese?
sokujō-moto
On day one of the sokujō-moto method at what temperature range are the kōji, yeast, steamed rice, lactic acid and water held?
18-25 degrees to allow rapid starch conversion and yeast growth
On day two of the sokujō-moto method to what temperature is the starter chilled to?
10 degrees celsius
How many days from the start of sokujō-moto does it take for the starter to warm back up to its original temperature?
13 days
On which day is the starter chilled and added to a main fermentation in the sokujō-moto method?
14
At what temperature does the kimoto method start?
6-7 degrees celsius
What are mixed together and split into small containers on day one of the kimoto method?
kōji, steamed white rice and water
On which day of the kimoto method do brewery workers pound the ingredients using long wooden poles with brick shaped wooden blocks on the end to create a paste?
Day 2
