What is Sake and how is it made?

Question 1

What are the 4 essential ingredients of sake?

What is a 5th optional ingredient?

Answer 1

1. Steamed White Rice
2. Kōji
3. Water
4. Yeast
5. High-Strength Distilled Brewer’s Alcohol (100% abv!)

Question 2

What does rice look like before it’s made into sake?

What are the 3 main components of a rice grain?

Answer 2

Hard and brown

1. Brown outer layers (hull/husk)
2. White middle layers (endosperm)
3. Starch core (‘shinpaku’)

Question 3

What is the fermentation starter?

Answer 3

A small portion of steamed rice, koji, water and yeast that is separated out in order to cultivate a healthy population of yeast.

Question 4

What is yeast?

Answer 4

Tiny microorganisms that breakdown sugar to make alcohol

Question 5

What are the basic steps of Alcoholic Fermentation (5)?

Answer 5

Step 1: Sugar dissolved in water
Step 2: Yeast is added to sugary liquid
Step 3: Yeast eats sugar
Step 4: Sugar is turned into alcohol
Step 5: CO2 is produced

Question 6

What is Starch Conversion?

Answer 6

Enzymes (from koji)
–> break down long chains of bonded sugar molecules (starch)
–> into individual sugar molecules

Question 7

Post starch conversion, what are the 3 main steps of sake making?

Answer 7

1. Fermentation
2. Filtration
3. Bottling

Question 8

What are 3 optional steps of sake making?

Answer 8

1. Adding distilled brewer’s alcohol
2. Adding water
3. Pasteurization

Question 9

How + why do you make a Fermentation Starter?

Answer 9

Small amount of steamed rice, koji, water and yeast are mixed together.

This creates a healthy yeast population

Question 10

What is Main Fermentation?

Answer 10

After a few weeks the starter is incrementally mixed in w/ bigger batches of the 4 main ingredients.

Question 11

Why is sake filtered (3) ?

Answer 11

• all sake must be filtered by law
• to remove unwanted rice solids
• to make a clear liquid

Question 12

What is most Sake packaged in?

Answer 12

Nearly all sakes are packaged in glass bottles

Question 13

When + why is extra alcohol added (3)?

Answer 13

• In between fermentation and filtration
• Originally done to increase production volumes when breweries couldn’t afford more rice.
• Now it is done to make a lighter bodied sake and extract fruit/floral aromas.

Question 14

When + why is water added?

Answer 14

• After filtration and before bottling
• Dilution is necessary to lessen the abv from ~20% to 15-17%.

Question 15

What is Pasteurization?

Why is most sake pasteurized?

When does pasteurization occur?

Answer 15

• Flash heat treatment
• Kills pathogens and prevents faulty aromas
• Can be done either before or after bottling

Question 16

What is Multiple Parallel Fermentation?

Answer 16

The process by which starch is broken down by enzymes to make sugar (Starch Conversion) at the same time as sugar is eaten by yeast to make alcohol (Alcoholic Fermentation)