# sake



## deadhead (Feb 7, 2010)

does anyone kno anything about making sake? is it true you need a special mold to start the fermentation?


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## arcticsid (Feb 7, 2010)

take a look at this.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3443&highlight=rice+wine

Go to the search in here and type in rice wine, several threads in there about sake.


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## Sacalait (Feb 8, 2010)

The Feb./March issue of WINEMAKER Mag. has a section devoted to sake. It gives you a step by step process with pictures. If you're serious about this endevor try to get your hands on a copy.


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## deadhead (Feb 8, 2010)

thanx 4 the info!


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## TheTooth (Feb 8, 2010)

Lots of info can be found here:

http://www.taylor-madeak.org/index.php


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## deadhead (Feb 9, 2010)

so the mold is available at wine shops then?


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## Taylor-MadeAK (Mar 11, 2010)

deadhead said:


> so the mold is available at wine shops then?



The mold spores (_koji-kin_) is generally available at homebrew supply shops, locally or online. Alternatively, prepared _koji_ can be purchased from Asian grocers. If neither happens to be available in your area, you can order prepared _koji_ from HomeBrewSaké.com or F. H. Steinbart Co.; and _koji-kin_ from online homebrew supply shops like Northern Brewer or William's Brewing.


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## robie (Mar 12, 2010)

You can buy a complete sake making kit at many LHBS's. The Wine Maker's Toy Store sells them, I know.


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## Mud (Mar 12, 2010)

I saw a kits in the HBS. Came with rice, spores, etc. Looked like the one from MoreWine. It was $25 for enough to make a quart. no thanks. Sake looks interesting, though.


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## Taylor-MadeAK (Mar 12, 2010)

robie said:


> You can buy a complete sake making kit at many LHBS's. The Wine Maker's Toy Store sells them, I know.



You mean this? No offense intended, but that is a far cry from being a *complete* sake making kit. Where's the fermenter? How about a _joso_ bag? Glass jugs, stoppers, and airlocks for secondary? How about some bentonite or some other fining agent? Or maybe some bottles?

Okay, okay, so it's just an _ingredient_ kit. Wait...where's the *rice*? How about some proper sake yeast? And what the hell is that citric acid doing in there?!

No. If you really want a *complete* sake making ingredient kit, the only one I can recommend with a clear conscience is this one, sold by HomeBrewSaké.com. You will still need to supply your own hardware, but so far that is the only place _anywhere_ that offers a real sake kit.


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## Torch404 (Mar 12, 2010)

Then you're paying for shipping 10lbs of rice.


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## Taylor-MadeAK (Mar 12, 2010)

Torch404 said:


> Then you're paying for shipping 10lbs of rice.



Yeah, and? Did you actually read the description of the rice sold in that kit? This ain't no supermarket white rice, my friend. What he sells is premium _ginjo_ grade sake rice, milled down to 60% of its original weight, that is supplied to him from the SakeOne brewery there in Portland.

If it's good enough for a professional sake brewery to use, it's good enough for me to pay shipping for - and I live in *Alaska!*

Seriously, don't diss it until you've tried it.


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## TheTooth (Mar 12, 2010)

Taylor-MadeAK said:


> Yeah, and? Did you actually read the description of the rice sold in that kit? This ain't no supermarket white rice, my friend. What he sells is premium _ginjo_ grade sake rice, milled down to 60% of its original weight, that is supplied to him from the SakeOne brewery there in Portland.
> 
> If it's good enough for a professional sake brewery to use, it's good enough for me to pay shipping for - and I live in *Alaska!*
> 
> Seriously, don't diss it until you've tried it.



Awesome... I was wondering where he/she was getting that rice from. I won't have room in my fermentation fridge for my initial sake try for a few months, but I'll be taking a good hard look at that kit now that I know that. I'll have to check out the rest of the site as well... maybe they sell the rice by itself as well.


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## arcticsid (Mar 12, 2010)

I have to go with Taylor on this one. I too live in Alaska, and as he said, if you want quality and the correct equipment/ingredients, you pay.

I see alot of this on this forumn, people wanting to take shortcuts, even after the correct advice is given, people want to continue with shortcuts and they are back in a couple weeks asking what went wrong.

Troy


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## Taylor-MadeAK (Mar 12, 2010)

TheTooth said:


> maybe they sell the rice by itself as well.


He does. So does F. H. Steinbart Co..



arcticsid said:


> I see alot of this on this forumn, people wanting to take shortcuts, even after the correct advice is given, people want to continue with shortcuts and they are back in a couple weeks asking what went wrong.


You see it a lot on many forums, actually. Sometimes it makes me want to explode.  But, I try to be polite and point out that I've streamlined the process described in my guides as much as is absolutely possible without damaging the end product. If they still want to shortcut it after that, that's their business. I further warn them, however, that there will be a big fat "I told you so!" waiting for them when they come back lol!


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## Torch404 (Mar 14, 2010)

I don't have a problem paying for quality. I just don't know if I could tell difference in quality with Sake as I have not drank that much of it. Although on the cheap kit the ABV of 14-18 seems really high compared to most Sake I've seen.


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## Taylor-MadeAK (Mar 14, 2010)

Torch404 said:


> I don't have a problem paying for quality. I just don't know if I could tell difference in quality with Sake as I have not drank that much of it. Although on the cheap kit the ABV of 14-18 seems really high compared to most Sake I've seen.


You're both right and wrong there. That's a high estimate for that kit, but it would be a low estimate for a properly made sake. My sake routinely comes in at 19-20% ABV, which is normal even for commercial varieties. This is called _genshu_ sake, and it's usually diluted down to 14-16% ABV before being sold. This is done for many reasons: taxes, flavor, and yield being chief among them.


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## TheTooth (Mar 15, 2010)

Taylor-MadeAK said:


> He does. So does F. H. Steinbart Co..



Awesome! Thanks so much for that link. I can't wait to free up some space to try my hand at sake later this year.


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