Michelle and I were lucky enough to check out the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum in Kyoto, Japan during our Asia adventure.
Sake is rice wine and presently the national beverage of Japan. The alcohol percentages usually run from 15%–20%.
In a process more similar to beer, the starches are converted into sugars which then ferment into alcohol.
The super simple sake explanation: sake is created by adding kōji mold to steamed rice and water and then letting fermentation do its thing.
The Process Of Brewing Sake 酒
Step 1 The brewers polish the rice to remove protein and oils from the outside of the grains, the starch is left behind. The freshly polished rice then sits so moisture can be absorbed from the air, which prevents cracking when immersed in water.
Step 2 After the first resting period, brewers wash the rice clean off the powder produced during milling and steep in water.
Step 3 Next the brewers steam the rice on a conveyor belt and must take care to not over or undercook the rice.
Step 4 Kōji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) is added onto the steamed rice and set aside to ferment.
It is important to note that sake rice does not comprise amylase which is necessary for converting starch to sugar. Because of this sake requires multiple parallel fermentation.
Step 5 After fermentation, brewers use a filtration process to separate the solid mixtures from the sake.
Step 6 Finally the sake is allowed to rest and mature. Most brewers then diluted the sake with water.
Like many other alcohols, sake improves with age. Sake should mature at least nine to twelve months for best results.
Cedar balls often hang outside sake breweries. They are called sugidama 杉玉.
The sugidama was originally put outside the brewery when new sake was brewed and the green leaves would gradually turn brown, thus showing the age of the sake on sale. Once opened, a bottle of Japanese sake should be drunk within a month.
Traditional Sake Making Tools
Sake Taste Time!
We tried all types of sake at the brewery. Our favorite was the plum wine.
Complimentary Sake Bottle:
The Gekkeikan Sake Brewery was super cool. I am really glad we got to check it out. It wasn't as cool as the Guinness Factory in Dublin, Ireland where you can drink Guinness and see the entire city. Nonetheless it was a unique and fun Japanese experience.
Michelle and I took a month to travel across Japan and China this past May. It was epic! Follow me @slickwilly and Michelle @curiouser for posts about our adventures!
Hi there, I’m Will. First and foremost I am an entrepreneur and voluntaryist. I aspire to help build a more free world, one that we all want to live in. Some of my biggest passions include cryptocurrencies, marketing, finance, cannabis, traveling, bodybuilding, snowboarding, motorcycles, and Subarus. All pictures are my own, taken with a GS7 Edge or GoPro Hero 4. I release everything under CC0 unless otherwise stated.
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