# Sake. Hydrometer pointless?



## Cyle (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm making sake, and I have read that the conversion of starch from the rice into sugar and the conversion from sugar into alcohol are simultaneous. So is there no way to take a hydrometer reading? My hydrometer is reading about 30 s.g. No sugars were added, but I did add about half a pound of prunes.


----------



## TouronVineyards (Mar 19, 2012)

I'm making some saki now, and am using my hydrometer. I started at about 30% but after about a week my recipe told me to check it again and add more sugar. I don't have the specific numbers in front of me, but I can forward them to you later when I get home. Good luck


----------



## TouronVineyards (Mar 19, 2012)

Hope this helps


----------



## Trev (May 6, 2013)

Hi! I haven't made wine since I was 15 or so with out anyway to test SG. or PH. I always seemed to have wine that was too sweet the best luck I had was a rice wine , it turned out dry and very clear and drinkable.

I started a rice wine (polished rice, I knew unpolished sticky rice or basmati is said to be better??) on April 6...for 3 gallons, 15 litres of mash 

9, cups rice
4 pounds of sugar
2 ounces fresh ginger 
(just because I thought it would be like ginger ale or something, turns out ginger has amylase enzyme and 
that may help break down the starch to sugar at a slow rate.) 


I cup cranberries dried like raisins ( was worried preservatives would kill the yeast and stop fermentation, but it didn't)

1 cup fresh strawberries ( I had them)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
I packet ( I used slightly less for 3 gallons) Lalvin EC-1118 for sparkling wine rehydrated 
so in a pot with around 1.5 gallons of water I dissolved the sugar at low heat added rice and cranberries at about 120-130F
cooled to 80 or 90 degrees F added lemon juice and strawberries
into primary ferment at SG. of batches varying around 1.090 to 1.095 and added yeast covered with cheesecloth for about 21 days
Racked into secondary ferment at 1.030 but after toped up with a fresher batch that was SG. 1.040 I had 1.035
Now its May 5 and SG. is 1.020 it is still sweet..a couple of more weeks I guess..It should be 1.000 or lower. 
Should I take it to a cooler place now to slow down the ferment to allow the starch to break down slow allowing for a higher alcohol? Should have used a sherry yeast? Don't want a sweet wine. Any advise? 
Thanks wine makers!


----------



## gratus_fermentatio (Sep 6, 2015)

I'm curious to know how these 3 sakes turned out. None of them mentioned inoculation with koji, and according to the recipe info posted, without koji I don't see how the starch conversion can happen as there are no diastatic enzymes present.
Regards, GF.


----------



## BernardSmith (Sep 6, 2015)

I suspect that what they made was a rice flavored wine and not sake per se. There would be no need to add sugars to make sake. Many, many years ago I made a wine with rice (not sake) and it was quite drinkable...


----------



## Cyle (Feb 17, 2016)

This is an OLD thread, but I just wanted to revisit it.

I was making Sake using rice that had been inoculated in Koji (a bacteria that converts the starches in the rice into a fermentable sugar) But I was unsure whether I could take an accurate hydrometer reading. 

This is different from the recipes posted above requiring that you add sugar. I have tried to chaptilize my wine very sparingly. I feel like using more fruit and less refined sugar gives a better flavor. 

that being said, the finished sake didn't turn out all that well. I believe I may have inoculated the rice with some other bacteria at the same time as the koji, but it did have a pleasant and sweet smell. The taste was good at first, but within a few weeks it started looking a little "funky"

It was a cool project though and i would love to repeat it again... you can buy the koji spores at some home-brew supply stores.


----------



## winehomie (Oct 7, 2016)

I make rice wine very often, I buy yeast balls from ebay for it. it is a very easy, very tasty wine to make and drink. My basic recipe is:
8 cups (dry) sticky or jasmine rice, soak for at least 1 hr rinse until water is clear
Cook or steam rice (I've had best results from cooked) let rice cool to room temp
crush 5/6 yeast balls, they contain the Koji and yeast mix well into rice
put in a gallon jar with airlock
21-30 days later strain, and enjoy or put in fridge and let clear then enjoy.
I usually add pineapple or tart cherry juice for extra flavoring, I don't like a sweet juice in this because there is always a lot of sugar left over after fermentation has finished.


----------



## Grabo (Oct 7, 2016)

winehomie said:


> I make rice wine very often, I buy yeast balls from ebay for it. it is a very easy, very tasty wine to make and drink. My basic recipe is:
> 8 cups (dry) sticky or jasmine rice, soak for at least 1 hr rinse until water is clear
> Cook or steam rice (I've had best results from cooked) let rice cool to room temp
> crush 5/6 yeast balls, they contain the Koji and yeast mix well into rice
> ...



Interesting! Thanks for posting this. I have been considering making a similar style rice concoction (I'm not sure if it would be called wine, sake, or something else) following this thread:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=361095

Do you have a link to the yeast balls you find on ebay?


----------



## winehomie (Oct 7, 2016)

Sure I buy from a seller named asianjungle77 http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Chinese-...659682?hash=item4d4bb56062:g:JuYAAOSwAuNW28SW


----------



## AkTom (Oct 8, 2016)

Try your local Asian food store. A lot of them will have yeast balls.


----------



## winehomie (Oct 8, 2016)

AkTom said:


> Try your local Asian food store. A lot of them will have yeast balls.



Yes, I forget not everyone lives in the boonies like I do, if you have access to an Asian food store try there first.


----------



## AkTom (Oct 8, 2016)

winehomie said:


> Yes, I forget not everyone lives in the boonies like I do, if you have access to an Asian food store try there first.



I live almost in the boonies. It's a 3 hour drive to get my brew supplies. 
Needless to say, I make a list.


----------

