Japanese sake brewing project (5) ~ fermentation is in progress!

Surface of MOROMI in the 7th day from the 1st addition (1st building up)

Fermentation is in progress!

It's been about 2 weeks from the first day of the brewing process and the 9th day from the 1st addition (1st building up).   The fermentation is a bit slowing down now, but the bubble from the air lock is still going on in a short period.

Original plan was not to open the lid so often, I was thinking just shaking the tank.   However, there is a layer of rice on the surface and I think it is necessary to stir  a few times a day to get more uniform fermentation.   So that I need to be really careful and have a good sanitation every time to open the lid.

Taste?

Since I open the lid every day, I usually take a small amount of sample and taste it every day.   It is not to bad at all.  The rice is getting softer and taste is getting better day by day.

Next Step?

Probably another week to complete the fermentation and will separate liquid part.   Also, I started to considering how I will do the next batch.    Since the recipe and process is not really completely established and I think it might be better to try more batches other than a large amount.   Therefore, I will try to optimize the amount to fit 2 gallon fermentation tank instead of 5 gallon tank. 

(To be continue)

Japanese sake brewing project (4) ~ NAKAZOE / TOMEZOE (Second / Third addtion)

Before NAKAZOE (Second addition)

NAKAZOE / TOMEZOE (Second / Third addition)

 As I mentioned in the previous posts, a traditional way to brew Japanese SAKE is typically use 3-steps addition.   The first addition is called HATSUZOE, the next one after 2 days of the first addition is called NAKAZOE and the last addition is called TOMEZOE, that is typically the next day of NAKAZOE.   However, I was out of town after NAKAZOE and I could not do TOMOZOE the next day.   So I did it two days after NAKAZOE.

Fermentation is active after the first addition, adding more to keep active fermentation and smelling is getting better.

 Right before the third addition (the last addition), I got a little sample from the tank and filtered with a coffee dripping system.  Since we are addition more materials after the first addition, the alcohol level was getting lower temporally, however, the smell and taste is much better than I was expected.

Early tasting right before TOMEZOE (Third addition)

It is still not really clear, but the taste is already Japanese SAKE.

I think everything is going well at this moment and keep monitoring the fermentation status at lease once a day.

(To be continue)

Japanese sake brewing project (3) ~ The first addition (HATSUZOE)

Changed to a larger fermentation bucket (5 gallon)

The first addition (HATSUZOE in Japanese)

On fourth day, the fermentation activity was slowing down.   Bubbles in the air lock was not frequent as the previous days.   It seems that there was not much sugar left in the starter cultures.   According to many articles on the internet, it may take a few weeks.   However, the sample amount of this trial is not much and there might be enough cells in the original yeast pack.   I guess that might be a reason to slow down the fermentation activity.   It seems that the fermentation of the starter has completed.

The smell was also getting more yeast flavor and I think it might be a sign to tell there are a lot of yeasts in the cultures.

Once the starter (SHUBO) is getting ready, the next step is the first addition (HATSUZOE) that means to start actual fermentation process for SAKE.

Need larger fermentation bucket

Based on observation last a few days, the height of the form on the surface of the starter solution reached to the lid of the small fermentation bucket (2 gallon).   It might be a chance to overflow if I add more into the small tank.  To be safe, I decided to use a larger bucket (5 gallon) for beer.

The first addition

 The material is pretty much the same as what we put into the starter (SHUBO) except the yeast.
This time, I added the followings:

•  Rice (3 Japanese cups, that is 540ml volume) 
• Water (1000ml, bottled water or need to boil)
• Dry KOJI (200g / 0.44 lib)

Rice needs to be cooked as "hard mode" with a bit less water.  The water level on my rice cooker is a level of 2 cups of sticky rice.   The cooked rice should not be soft.  The process is a similar as what the starter process does.
Cooling down the cooked rice and mix it with cold water.  Once the temperature becomes below 30 degrees C (86 degrees F), then mix with the dry KOJI.

 Dry KOJI, it may be found in a Japanese grocery store

 Then put the mixed material into the starter.   The next day of the first addition, it will be a process called "ODORI in Japaese" and just wait for one day without adding next material.

The fermentation was getting back to active after a few hours.   The smell is also getting fruity.

(To be continue) 

 

Japanese sake brawing project (2) ~ Started making a starter (SHUBO)

Started making a starter (SHUBO)

The first batch is started!

All materials are ready and I started the first batch of Japanese SAKE based on a traditional process modified for a home brewer.  The first state is making a starter, which is traditionally called SHUBO in Japanese.

The starter consists of some steam rice, some malted rice (KOJI), some water, the yeast, a little citric acid and a little epsom salt.  The followings is ingridents:

•  Steamed rice -- to simplify the process, 2 cups of rice is cooked in rice cooker instead of steaming with a bit less water than a regular cooking.
• Dry KOJI -- 135g
• Bottled water -- 700ml
• Citric Acid -- 1 Tea spoon
• Epsom salt -- a little
•  Sake Yeast -- Wyeast 4134 SAKE #9

A traditional way, the rice should be steamed.  However steaming rice is not really easy process and I am looking for a simple and easy way.   Therefore, I decided to use a rice cooker instead.   To cook the rice, using 360ml of rice with water level 2 cups of OKOWA with a bit hard finish.
Once the cooking has completed, we need to wait for cooling down.  After that adding bottled cold water and mixing with the cooked rice.   Once the temperature is lower than 30 degrees C, adding KOJI and yeast.   Citric Acid is used to minimize the infection with acid (pH 3.6~3.8).  This process is based on "SOKUJO-MOTO" process.  In the traditional process, lactic acid is typically used.  But it is not very common, so that I used citric acid instead.   It is used for wine brewing and you may find it in brewing supply shop in your area.

Dry KOJI can be found in a Japanese grocery store such as Mitsuwa, Nijiya and Marukai in the San Francisco Bay area.   You can also find it on-line.

Fermentator 

 I got a smaller bucket from on-line.  One for beer I am using is for 5 gallon of beer.   It could be too big for Japanese SAKE and I got 2 gallon bucket from online with air-lock.

As the photo on the top of this article, it started.   According to a typical process, it may take a several days to move to the next steps that is adding additional rice/KOJI and water.


(To be continue)

Japaese sake brewing project (1) ~ Intoroduction

Nigori-Sake (before filter)

Brewing Beer

This summer, I started brewing beer at home.   So far I have done 6 batches, each batch is around 5 gallon of beer.   I tried Golden Ale, Pale Ale, IPA and Summer Pal Ale.  Some of them are twice.  Each batch takes about 4~6 weeks to be ready to drink.  Overall, the taste and smell (aroma) are very good and I stopped buying a commercial beer after that.

Once I understand the process, it is not so difficult and pretty easy to brew beer.   The first day, I need to spend a half day to finish the initial process, but after that it is easy and not taking a lot of time.  This is a good thing of this year.

While I had a chance to drink a home brewed Japanese SAKE in a party.   It was not too bad, actually it is very good.   So that I am also interested in brewing Japanese SAKE.   During summer / autumn, it had been hot and beer is better than SAKE for a while.   However, once it is getting chilly, Japnese SAKE would be preferable drink.

Some experiments

Starting late October, it was getting chilly and I had a chance to do some experiments to brew a sort of SAKE, which is typically called as "DOBROKU" in Japan.  It looks like milk before filtering it to be a SAKE.   It is usually using a simplify version of Japnese SAKE brewing process.

Nowadays, if people search on the internet, they can  find a lot of information how to brew.  Although the brewing more than 1% alcohol by volume is illegal, there is a lot of information on the internet.  Based on the recipe on the internet, I have done experimental brewing twice.  The first time, I used a yeast for beer brewing and used a yeast for bread baking.   The both experiments were successful and they were not bad at all.   However, using beer yeast would be a better taste and smell.

With the experiments, I have a better idea for brewing SAKE and I am ready to go to the next step.  The next step is to try a bit larger batch something around 1 gallon of Japanese SAKE.

I have not established my own process of brewing Japanese SAKE yet.   This is a project to brew a good Japanese SAKE at home.  Based on my beer experiments, it could be better result with very careful execution for a small amount.   I am expecting something better than what we can get in the US with a reasonable price.

As a project, I will report the progress!  I will try to establish a reasonably simple process to brewing Japanese SAKE at home.   Let's see what will happen!

(To be continue)