How to make sake
Sake is a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage. The method of making it is unique. If you know how to make it, you’ll be able to drink sake even more deliciously! Introducing how to make sake for sake beginners!
How to make sake
Seimai 精米
The process of shaving rice.
We will remove the outer fats and proteins that can be perceived as unpleasant tastes.
- Kentaro’s comment
On some sake labels, it is written how much the sake has been shaved.
An expression such as “X% polished rice” is called the rice polishing ratio, and it indicates what percentage of brown rice is used. In other words, in the case of 60% milled rice, 40% has been removed.
The smaller the rice polishing ratio number, the more polished the rice is! Considering that white rice is about 90% polished, while sake is typically polished by 70% or more, you can see how much emphasis is placed on the delicateness of the taste!
In order to let you enjoy the depth of rice, some sake is intentionally made without rice polishing. For those who have a strong taste and have mastered sake! Sake that has been polished a lot has a refreshing taste and is easier to drink, so please use this as a reference when choosing.
Senmai 洗米・浸漬
Wash the rice and soak it in water.
- Kentaro’s comment
If the water absorption time is short, the rice will not be steamed sufficiently due to lack of moisture, and if the water absorption time is long, the mash will dissolve too much during the fermentation process. Another important point about sake brewing is that the optimal water absorption time for sake brewing is not always constant! If the temperature is low, it will be difficult for water to seep in, and the amount of water that can be absorbed differs depending on the variety of sake rice.
Depending on the climate and temperature at the time, as well as the variety of sake rice, the soaking time is changed in seconds to ensure that the right amount of water is absorbed. Sake brewing is very delicate!
Mushimai 蒸米
It is steamed in a koshiki pot.
- Kentaro’s comment
Steaming makes it more susceptible to the action of “Aspergillus Aspergillus” in the next process. “Steam” instead of “cook”!
When rice is cooked, it becomes fluffy and chewy and delicious, but if sake is sticky, the rice will dissolve during brewing and give off unpleasant flavors.
Therefore, by steaming it, it absorbs only the necessary amount of moisture. This is steamed rice. It seems like the best is one that is hard enough not to stick to your hands!
Koji 麹づくり
Move the steamed rice to the koji-muro.
- Kentaro’s comment
The koji-muro is kept at a temperature of about 35 degrees Celsius, and the steamed rice is spread out and the koji mold is sprinkled on it to allow it to grow!
The product made by increasing the number of koji molds is called koji, and it is essential for making sake.
Koji has the role of converting starch into glucose. Alcohol is fermented from glucose to alcohol.
For example, the main ingredient in grapes, the raw material for wine, is glucose. Glucose undergoes alcoholic fermentation over time after adding water.
However, the ingredient in rice is starch. Starch cannot be fermented into alcohol simply by adding water, so starch must first be converted to glucose. That is the role of koji.
The person who discovered koji that breaks down rice into glucose and made sake is amazing!
Shubo 酒母づくり
Yeast and steamed rice are added to the mixture of koji and water and fermented.
The state in which a large amount of yeast has increased is called shubo. Yeast has the role of converting glucose into alcohol, so sake cannot be made without a large amount of yeast. Increase yeast and make shubo.
- Kentaro’s comment
Yeast is a type of microorganism. Yeast, which is responsible for making bread rise, is also a type of yeast.
When making sake mash, the surface will swell over time. As time passes, bubbles will appear. At this time, it also has the power to emit a scent, and just by smelling it, you will feel like you have drunk it!
Shikomi 仕込み
Transfer the mash to a large tank and add koji, steamed rice, and water in three parts to make mash. This process is called “three-stage preparation” or “preparation”.
- Kentaro’s comment
The koji mold decomposes rice into glucose and the yeast decomposes glucose into alcohol at the same time. If you add the entire amount at once and ferment it, the yeast won’t be able to grow in time.
This brewing method is unique to Japanese sake and not found in other alcoholic beverages.
As fermentation progresses, bubbles will appear, just like when making shubo.
The product that is slowly fermented for about three weeks to a month is called “moromi もろみ”, and the prototype of sake is finally completed at this stage.
Shibori 搾り
Pressure is applied to the mash and it is strained. This is “shibori”.
By squeezing, it is separated into water and solids. Simply put, it is divided into “sake” and “sake lees.”
- Kentaro’s comment
Depending on the sake brewery, there are two methods of squeezing:putting it in a bag and squeezing it by gravity'' andsqueezing it with a machine called an automatic squeeze filter.”
However, recently the latter method of squeezing with a machine seems to have become mainstream. The flavor of the sake changes depending on the pressure with which it is squeezed, so this is one of the tasks that reveals the uniqueness of the sake brewery!
Roka 濾過
After squeezing, the sake is filtered.
- Kentaro’s comment
Before being filtered, sake may be a little cloudy or have a slight sparkle. By filtering it, you can end up with clear sake! Nowadays, it seems common to filter the through. In the past, activated charcoal was often used, but it is no longer mainstream because it removes many of the umami ingredients. Sake that has been filtered through a filter has a beautiful taste.
Hiire 火入れ
The first pasteurization is performed immediately after filtration.
To prevent residual yeast from accelerating fermentation and changing the taste, heat must be applied to inactivate the yeast.
- Kentaro’s comment
There is a possibility that the sake contains lactic acid bacteria that oxidizes it and gives it a bad smell, so this step is necessary to kill it! The word “hiire” makes you think of work that involves putting something directly on fire. Pasteurize at 60℃ to 65℃ using a method similar to boiling water. The secret is to maintain a temperature that kills and deactivates the bacteria and maintains the deliciousness! Now you can enjoy delicious sake for a long time.
Chozo 貯蔵
Store to ripen.
Sake that has been stored and aged has a mellow taste, making it easier to drink.
After being pasteurized, it is carefully stored in a tank for about six months to a year.
- Kentaro’s comment
Although there is sake called Namazake that is shipped without storage, the sake that is generally distributed is stored. Even if sake is made in the same tank, you will notice a difference in taste when you compare the taste of raw sake and the stored sake. That’s one way to enjoy sake, so if you see one, be sure to try it and compare!
Chogo 調合
Aged sake is combined with sake from another tank, or water is added to it.
The reason for matching them is that even if they are made in the same way, each tank has a slightly different taste.
- Kentaro’s comment
One reason is the temperature difference depending on the location of the tank. It seems that small things can make a slight difference in the fermentation rate. Also, even if the alcohol content of sake differs by just 0.5 degrees, it will have a completely different taste!
To get the right taste, you may need to add water to make fine adjustments.
This process is called compounding. In this way, the final taste is achieved by blending or adding water to the stored sake.
Bintsume 瓶詰め
This is the final process of packing into bottles or packs. This work is also important! Don’t let your guard down until the end!
- Kentaro’s comment
Even at the bottling stage, if the temperature is not properly controlled, the taste may change or deteriorate. Each piece is inspected for foreign objects. Only alcohol that passes strict inspections will be shipped. Sake brewing is a careful and delicate process from beginning to end.
Ingredients and people are essential to making delicious sake
So far, we have explained how to make sake, but there are two conditions that are essential for delicious sake.
- Good “raw materials”
- “People” with good skills
These two things are very important. If the rice and water are not of good quality, no matter how skilled someone is at making sake, they will not be able to make delicious sake. In other words, delicious sake requires both good ingredients and human technology.
Additionally, the raw material, rice, is grown by farmers.
Considering the preparation of the rice soil, it will take at least a year to produce sake. It takes about 2 years to mature. After spending a lot of time, we can finally taste it.
Japanese people have a history of honing their labor and techniques in order to drink delicious sake, and when you think about how they update their techniques every day, you feel sorry for the makers if you don’t take the time to enjoy the sake.
When you think about the countless number of sakes that come out every year, it means that there are just as many efforts and thoughts from the makers.
There are many kinds of Japanese sake with different stories behind them, so when you drink it, we recommend that you take a look at the label, flyer, website, etc., and taste the background behind the sake, as this will make you enjoy it even more.
Summary
How was that. Sake goes through a total of 12 processes before it reaches our hands.
After reading it, I think some of you might want to see it for yourself.
Some sake breweries are offering programs where you can actually experience making sake and planting sake rice, so if you’re interested, why not try participating?
Please enjoy the “sake life” by learning more deeply about sake and Japanese culture.
