Has anyone had experiance making Sake'?

[Aaronh]

I am wondering if anyone has any experiance making Sake'. I have been yurning to make some Sake' for cooking oriental dishes.

I have read some recepies but im looking for more of a hands on experiance standpoint of the process, sucess and failures.

 

[smurfe]

It is fairly easy to do. You get a packet of the bacteria, steam the proper amount of short grain white rice, cool the rice and follow the directions. I have never made the kit sold here as I didn't want 5-6 gallons. I picked up a small complete kit once where I buy my beer grains that made about 1]4=1]2 gallon. It was pretty good.






The type and quality of the rice makes the difference. Don't use the regular off the shelf rice. I used Kapika Milled Rice which is great for Sake. But most any SHORT GRAIN milled rice will work. If you can successfully/correctly steam rice, you can make Sake.

 

[mississippi mud]

I know its not the same but I made a rice wine with golden raisins that came out great. I just should have let it sit longer, had a littlesediment in the bottle.

 

[Aaronh]

Thanks for the replies. Well I got my steam juicer and it should work pretty well. I ussaly boil my rice due to the lower energy required to cook it. i'll have to practice a bit in that area.
<DIV id=ms__id48>
<DIV id=ms__id47>Kome-koji is the bacteria I'm guessing I need. Going to do some searching on how avialable it is way up north here.
<DIV id=ms__id49>
<DIV id=ms__id50>I also read that the fermentaion temp should be in the range of 50-55 degrees or it turns to viniger easly. Im not shure if this is due to exaderaition or bad sanitation. Do you recall your temp you had yours at during fermentation?
<DIV id=ms__id51>
<DIV id=ms__id52>Also thanks for the input MM but im shooting for an as close as possable authentic sake' such as converting the starch to suger to alchohol threw using Kome-koji.

 

[Aaronh]

<DIV id=ms__id58>Edit &gt;&gt;&gt; The mould seeds are called Koji- Kin
<DIV id=ms__id59>
<DIV id=ms__id60>Rice that has the correct mould growing on it will act like malt and convert further rice starch to sugar. This is the principal of Sake making. This special rice is called Kome-Koji. The mould seeds are called Koji- Kin and create the enzyme rich Kome-Koji to create complex and interesting flavors similar to mould use in cheese making.
<DIV id=ms__id65>
<DIV id=ms__id66>I keep running into diffrent recepies but this one belowsounds more on target..............



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cols=1 width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD>MAKING THE KOME-KOJI (malt-rice)
Sake making is a two step process. In step one a portion of rice is prepared and inoculated with the Koji-Kin bacteria and this is allowed to develop for around 40 hours. The rice will become covered with white soft fibers and should be firm and slightly sweet. The Malt-rice (kome-koji) is now able to convert regular steamed cooked rice to brewing sugars.
In step two the Kome-koji (koji rice) is combined with steamed rice and the enzymes on the Koji-Kin convert rice starch to fermentable rice sugar. This sugar is then converted to alcohol.
Ingredients:
<LI>1/2 pound of short grain rice (unprocessed ready to cook)
<LI>1/2 teaspoon of Koji-Kin mould seeds
<LI>1 teaspoon All Purpose Flour </LI></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>Equipment:
<LI>Colander, sieve or bamboo steamer to contain rice
<LI>Cotton cloth to absorb water condensation from the saucepan lid (see additional notes)
<LI>One large saucepan to contain sieve/colander/bamboo steamer </LI></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>Procedure:
<LI>Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
<LI>Soak the rice for about one and a half hours.
<LI>Place the rice in a basket or sieve for at least 20 minutes to drain away any excess water.
<LI>Steam cook the rice.
Making good, enzyme rich, Kome-Koji depends on the quality of the steam rice. When steaming rice, place the rice in a colander and then into a saucepan with an adequate amount of water and make sure the rice never contacts the boiling water. Place a thick cloth over the rice to prevent water condensation from the lid from dripping onto the rice. Steam with the lid on for one hour (checking the water level occasionally). When cooked, the rice should be very slightly sticky, easy to separate and rubbery when tested between the front teeth. Great care must be taken to get the correct texture. A bamboo steamer is perfect for steaming rice. Place the soaked rice in the steamer, place the steamer in a wok with water in the bottom and steam for one hour. Make sure the lid is on the steamer.</LI></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<LI>Cool down the cooked rice to 86° F.
<LI>Combine 1/2 teaspoon of Koji-Kin with 1 teaspoon of flour. The flour helps distribute the mould into the streamed rice. The spore packet contents are unaffected by repeated openings.
<LI>Put the rice into an enamel or stainless steel container and gently mix in the Koji-Kin and flour. Make sure you get an even distribution. A fine metal sieve or tea strainer is useful.
<LI>Cover the container with moistened cheese cloth to prevent drying.
<LI>Keep the inoculated rice in a warm place at 86° F. Stir the grains every 10 hours to distribute the mould evenly. Notice the rice becomes white after 15 hours accompanied by a strong cheese like aroma.
<LI>Maintain the rice at 86° F for a total of 40 hours. Your rice will become covered with white soft fibers and should be firm and slightly sweet. The Malt-rice (kome-koji) is now ready to convert regular steamed cooked rice to brewing sugars. </LI></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>

When you are making your malt-rice (Kome-Koji), you are growing a mould on rice. Providing you grow this mould and no other there are no health concerns. It is possible for the beginner to grow a strange exotic mould or bacteria in error and if used to make a brew, could be toxic and unpleasant to drink. Please use your common sense, if something is unpleasant smelling or tasting, don't consume it!. Below are a few tips to help you recognize and grow Kome-Koji.

1. 
   <LI>Kome-Koji is always white or slightly tan colored.
   <LI>The smell of Kome-Koji is a cheesy strong smell (not a mouldy smell), perhaps not a lovely smell but not an unpleasant "off" smell.
   <LI>Small white fibers are seen to be growing from the rice in the later stages. If you grow fibers that are not white in color, do not use this batch as you are growing another mould as well as Koji.
   <LI>To grow a mono culture of only Koji, distribute your Koji-Kin (seeds) very evenly and liberally using a fine metal sieve or tea strainer, making sure you thoroughly mix the rice and seeds. </LI>

</TD></TR></T></TABLE>taken from http://www.leeners.com/sake.htmlEdited by: Aaronh