A glass of sake in a basin

At this point, the sake brewing process is finally over. There are still many things to do, but let's look at each process one by one.

 

Discount

A glass of sake in a basin

Freshly squeezed raw sakeFine pieces of rice grains, yeast, rice cake, etc. are floating and thinly clouded. This solid matter"Cori"Call it. The work to remove this cage is "origin drawing".

It ’s a way of dragging,First put the liquor in the tank into the storage tank and leave it for a few days. Then, the cloudy part sinks to the bottom and separates from the clear part. Take out this clear part.

In the part near the bottom of the side of the storage tank,`` Hot hole '' (Minaana)There are 2 types of outlets called. The upper outlet is"Kamijo" (Wow only), The takeout port is about 15㎝ below the topShimojo (only)It is called. In normal dragging, the clear part is removed from the upper bowl.

The liquor that comes out from Shimojo contains a lot of sedimented cauldron, which is called “origin”..

There is also a sake called “Ogarami”, which is made by mixing the cage taken from the lower bowl with the transparent liquid taken from the upper bowl. It is sometimes called "Sasagori", "Usunigori" or "Kasumi Sake".

Basically, you can drink these alcoholic drinks after mixing them. is.

In the cageRich in rice extract and rich in amino acidsis. Therefore, by putting a cage,It is darker than the one with normal dragging, and it is finished to a taste that makes you feel the richness of rice..

In addition, the remaining live yeast generates carbon dioxide, which makes it a fun place for a refreshing mouth with a fine foam.

There are not so many places where you can make “orisake”, and it may be a type of liquor that you have no chance to drink.

But if you are interested, I would like to recommend Tsukinawa Sake Brewery (Shinami-cho, Shiwa-gun, Iwate), which was founded in 1886 (Meiji 19).`` Moon Ring Wine ''It is a product. Shiwa-cho is famous as the birthplace of Nanbu-san, Japan's largest group.

Explaining how to make this “Tsukino Wakan Sake”, we will mix various types of brewed liquor taken using a traditional squeeze tank. When the tank is full, it is bottled.

When it comes to the tastes you care about, it creates a complex taste that can't be expressed in a single word. Limited to 3,000 bottles every year and sold in late February, this is a popular liquor with many core repeat fans who are waiting for its release every year.

By the way, the alcohol content is 18.5%, higher than ordinary sake. The ingredients vary from year to year, but there is no significant difference.

 

filtration

Ash

Once you've finished the drag, the next common drink is"filtration"Enter the process. The purpose of filtration isRemove remaining solids and yeast that cannot be removed by dragging..

There are 2 filtration methods.

One isMethod using activated carbonis. It is done by putting activated charcoal powder into the tank containing the original sake or by passing the sake with activated charcoal through the filter.

Because activated carbon absorbs extra miscellaneous taste, color and aroma components,The color and miscellaneous taste of Japanese sake disappears and it becomes transparent and refreshing.. Many of the light and dry liquors use a lot of activated carbon. By the way, the activated carbon used for filtration is of course separated and removed, so don't worry.

Another 1 isJust pass the filter without using activated carbonIt is a method. This is called “elementary filtration”.

There are several types of filters, such as a simple type that allows a filter to pass through, and a type that allows more precise filtration, and the type of machine to use depends on the application.

The filter paper used for the filter includes filter media such as diatoms, and filters with fine holes of about 0.2 to 3 microns (1 microns = 1000 millimeters of 1) called microfiltration.

If activated carbon is used, fragrance components may be absorbed more than necessary.Filtering only with a filter removes only impurities.It does not impair the characteristics of the sake and retains its aroma, color and umami, making it a dark blue and volumey taste..

Yamabuki-colored sake is beautiful in your eyes and will tickles your drinks.

By the way, in recent years, the popularity has increased, and it is often seen at liquor stores,"No filtration"This type of sake. When you say no filtration, you tend to think that you don't even use a filter, but there are many products that are labeled as non-filtered in fact.

At present, there is no strict provision for no filtration, so the interpretation of the labeling is divided and left to the discretion of the brewery.Recently, in addition to “no filtration”, there is also an increasing number of sakes labeled “elementary filtration”.. By the way, the fact that no elemental filtration is performed is called “completely no filtration”.

 

Burning

Warehouse with dark light

-What is burning? ~

Sake usually undergoes heat treatment 2 times. This process is called "fire".

There are two main purposes for burning.

One isStop the work of "enzyme"is. At this stage, it still contains saccharifying enzymes and proteolytic enzymes, which may change the quality of sake. To prevent it,It is necessary to deactivate the enzyme by heatingThat's why.

The other isPreventing the growth of "fire-breaking bacteria"is. Fire eradication bacteria are a type of lactic acid bacterium that has a high risk of growing at this timing. If this fire bacterium is mixed,Sake is white and cloudy, and a bad smell called fire odor is generated, making it a terrible substitute for drinking.It becomes.

Many sakes have an alcohol content of about 15%, and most bacteria cannot survive at such high alcohol concentrations. However, fire-fighting bacteria are very resistant to alcohol and have the special feature that they can easily grow in sake. It is a terrible fungus that can be said to be a natural enemy of sake.

~ Various methods of burning ~

Speaking of fire, some people may have an image that makes the word "fire" boil.Actually it is done at low temperature. The temperature is about60 to 65 ℃.

It is common to do 2 times before storage and before bottlingis. In many sake breweries, a pipe called a snake tube is placed in a tank filled with hot water, and Japanese sake is poured into it.

In recent years, the number of sake breweries that use a machine called a plate heater for burning is increasing.The advantage of plate heaters is that they can be heated and cooled in a very short time..

That time is just a few seconds. By significantly reducing time,Makes it possible to preserve the taste and aroma of sakeIt ’s a new machine. It seems that more and more delicious sake will increase.

さ ら に,"Bottle-fired"The number of places that adopt this method is also increasing.After bottled with sake and `` lightly '' stoppered (if the stopper is tightened tightly, the hot liquor expands and the stopper flies off), then put the bottle into the water HeatIt is a method of burning.

The reason for boiling water from water is that it needs to be warmed in a bottle. When the temperature rises to about 60 to 70 ° C, drain the hot water and cool it down quickly. Since suddenly cold water may break the bottle, first cool it down with lukewarm water, cold water, and finally ice water.

If you use this “bottle holder”It is possible to tightly confine flavor components and flavors that are damaged by heating in a general firing in a bottle.

Therefore, it tastes fresher than the ones that have been fired in general. It's a very luxurious burning method that takes a lot of time and effort, so I want to drink it with deep respect and gratitude.

Recently, we have automated bottle firing."Path riser"There is also a machine called.While the bottled liquor is moved by a belt conveyor, spray a hot shower on the bottle and then cool it with a cold shower.That's it.

After this, store the bottle in the refrigerator. Compared to manual jar firing,You can make a great amount of delicious liquor that constrains the fragrance and taste with much less laborIt's a really appreciated facility for sake breweries and for us drinkers.

There are things that do n’t fire? ~

By the way, burning is not done with all sake.

There are things that don't fire at all, while there are ways to only fire 2 times where you usually fire.

① Fresh sake

The one that does not fire at all is called “fresh sake”. It is also called “Honsei” or “Namama”.

The biggest attraction of sake isAfter all, its overflowing freshnessis. It's fresh and can't be played.

When you open the stopper,As the quality of liquor changes day by day, it is one of the pleasures to enjoy the changes while comparing them..

② Fresh storage

Stored without firing and fired 1 times just before bottlingIs called "raw storage liquor".

Because the raw state of unburned will continue throughout the storage,Along with a moderate freshness, you can also taste a sense of maturityType.

③ Raw stuffed sake

Fired 1 times before storage and not fired when bottlingIs called “raw stuffed sake”. Compared to raw sake and fresh sakeFreshness is calm and a good sense of aging.

Raw sake, raw stored liquor, and freshly brewed sake are not cooked or fired little, so the quality is extremely delicate. When you get home, be sure to put it in the refrigerator and store it below 5 ℃.

By the way, it is difficult to put a jar in a refrigerator for home use, so I use a wine cellar in which the jar can fit in as a refrigerator for sake.

 

storage

Woman talking about storage

The sake after burning is moved to a storage tank for storage for a while.The purpose of storage is to ripen the liquor, increase its taste and depth, and calm the quality of the liquor.

For storage, enamel tanks are usually used, but sometimes they are stored in bottles or wooden barrels such as cedar.

The merit of storing in a bottle isCompared to tank storage, there is less risk of oxidation due to less air contactis. Also, when stored in wooden barrels, the scent of cedar wood moves to liquor, and you can enjoy the unique refreshingness. The wooden barrel is especially famous for its use of Yoshino cedar from Nara.

The storage period varies depending on the quality of the target liquor.If the period is short, the taste becomes fresh and youthful. On the other hand, if the period is long, the maturation progresses, and the taste becomes round and calm..
For each type, the storage period ends at the best time when the taste has come.

Also, during storage, aging progresses too much if the temperature is high,Perform temperature management appropriately according to the quality of the sakeThere is a need.

Generally, it is managed at around 15 ℃, but Daiginjo sake is5 ℃ ~ 10 ℃It seems to be stored in many cases. In addition, in the case of fresh sake that has not been fired, it must be stored at a lower temperature. Some breweries store fresh sake at minus 5 degrees Celsius.

 

Until shipment

Masuku on the tray with maple

After storage, the following processes are performed for shipment.

① Formulation

Even if the ingredients, preparation method, and brewing method are the same, the flavor of Japanese sake that has been stored is slightly different. Therefore,Blended sake from multiple tanks to equalize qualityTo do. This work"Formulation"Is called.

On the premise of mixing from the beginning, there are cases where sakes with different flavors are brewed and then bottled.

In any case, this formulation isA very important process that determines the concept and characteristics of each brewery's flavorIt is done carefully with careful tasting and component analysis to determine the balance of the formulation.

② Water

Adding water to the original liquor to adjust the alcohol content and flavor according to the desired qualityI will do it. This process is also called “warimizu”. In many cases, the water used here is charged water.

The alcohol content of Japanese sake isAbout 18 to 21%It has become. Most sakes are made into water after being diluted to the original sake and diluted to an alcohol content of around 15%.

But someSome products are sold as raw liquor without any water addition. The original sake has a rich aroma and rich flavor that are inherent to Japanese sake, and it is characterized by many dark and firm flavors.

In the past, it was hard to drink outside of sake breweries, but in recent years many products such as unfiltered raw sake and brewed raw sake have been born and gained popularity. Raw alcohol has a high alcohol content, so it is also popular to smash with ice and drink on the rock.

Recently, the trend of low alcohol isThe number of alcoholic beverages with a low alcohol content of about 10 to 15% has increased..

Of particular note is Niigata Daiichi Sake Brewery (Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture), known for its `` Koshi no Shiratori ''“YANMA 13% (Thirteen) Yamama Special Pure Rice Unfiltered Raw Sake”.

As you can see from the product name,Alcohol content is 13%. The taste is light due to the low alcohol, but it has a firm taste and rich taste.

③ Bottled

Many sakesAfter 2 fire, bottling and plugging. After that, on the front and back of the bottle body,"Shoulder label"Paste.

Shoulder labels are labels that are affixed at an angle, like a basket. Some do not attach the back and shoulders.

In addition, some white semi-transparent paper may be placed after the label is applied.

Now we can finally ship. Isn't it possible to make a debut to the sake shop? Even so, creating delicious sake is a really tough job.