Brewing Japanese-Sake Winter 2017/2018 ~ Filtered!

Sake after filtered

   The last a couple posts were related "Amateur Radio" related topics, however, I update a project to brew Japanese-Sake this winter.
   The brewing started around Christmas last year.  It's been 9 weeks.  It is not much rain this winter in northern California and it has been cold days.  I guess that is probably why the fermentation took longer this winter.   Finally, it was getting ready to be filtered.

   This is also "Ginjo" quality and it tastes really good.  I just need to bottle it a couple days after.  The taste is getting much better.  I think the key is Ginjo level milled rice and raw Koji (rice malt).  The recipe this winter is basically good!  It is probably all right to use rice cooker instead of steaming.

   This is probably the last one this winter and I will probably adjust the amount try not to overflow next winter.  Also, it is probably all right to use 5 gallon tank instead of 2 gallon tank next year since the taste can be under control now.  Other than the material, closed tank and fermentation in lower temperature is probably another tips for a good sake!

Brewing Japanese-Sake ~ Winter 2017/2018 (3) ~ in progress

Brewing Japanese Sake this winter is in progress

I mentioned that I would brew Japanese-Sake in my previous post last year.   I have not had any update since then.   I started it right before Christmas last year and the fermentation is in progress now.

Here is the recipe this year:

		Shu-bo	First Addition	Second Addition	Third Addition	Total
Rice	ml	450	450	720	720	2340
Koji (Rice malt)	g	116	116	180	180	592
Water	ml	600	600	936	936	3.72

   This recipe is very similar as a recipe last year.  Therefore, I did not post any update.   The rice malt is "raw malt" and rice is milled up to 60% which is "Ginjo" quality.

   The only issue with this recipe was "overflow" with 2 gallon tank.  Right after the third addition, the fermentation was very active and it was overflow.  I guess it might be better to reduce the amount of  rice for "Shu-bo" and the first addition from 450 mil to 360 mil.

   I also shot a video when I made "Shubo" and I will post the video to YouTube when editing is done.  Originally, I planned to post this article with a video and I have not done it yet.  Therefore, I decided just post this first and will post the video later.

   The next step is filtering about a few weeks later.   I will also shoot a video and post it later.

Brewing Sake 2017-2018 (1) ~ Start preparing ....

Home brew Sake!

It's getting cold ....

November is coming.   There were some warm days in October, however, it is getting chilly in the morning and the evening last a several days.   There is still some time to start brewing Japanese sake this winter.  I plan to start sometime around Christmas time.  So, it is time to start preparing now.

Brewing last season
It's been 4th years and I got some tips from my past experiences.   Last year, I used rice up to 60 % milled which is Ginjo-class and raw Koji.  As a result, I think it was the best one in last three years.

The plan for this season, I probably want to try a similar condition to re-produce a similar result.   There is an option to "steam" rice instead of cooking by rice-cooker.   The process is a little more effort for me and I am thinking to stay "rice cooker" method this year.


First of all ....
The first thing I need to do is to get all material for brewing, which is Koji and yeast.
We can purchase them from "Home Brew Sake"
Koji (40 oz.) USD$11 and Yeast #9  USD$6.5.   I also plan to use Koji for other purpose, therefore I might want to buy some extra amounts.  You can also get a special rice milled up to 60% from the site.  The price is 10 lbs USD$24.
Also, it is very good site for the process of brewing and recipe.

The plan is starting around Christmas, therefore I probably need to place order some time in the end of October.   I will post my progress this year.