As a wine maker I am blow away by how great this recipe turned out! I think I'm just going to make it as my main wine because I can drink it right away vs aging it. The Nigori turned out even better than the clear Sake! The spirit of this drink is notable too. I get a real happy buzz from the yeast and Koji that is unlike my fruit wines.
@@TheBruSho Sake and Nigori really helped my libido. They have B vitamins, probiotics and selenium I guess... I swear it helps me loose weight and also feels like a magic elixir every time I imbibe.
I just got into brewing a few days ago with a batch of cider, and a batch of sake following this recipe. I initially had some issues with the rice + koji-kin, had to troubleshoot with external resources and my experience with fungi, so hoping to share some tips in case people run into the same issues. Or ideally, before they do, so they don't have to. 1) The rice washing and soaking steps are reversed. Not a big deal, but ideally you want to wash the rice until the water runs clear first, _then_ soak. Reason being, if you soak first, you're soaking the outer layer which gets washed away in the washing step, while not as much water gets absorbed in the remaining inner grain. Wash until clear, soak, another quick rinse, drain. Recommend draining for 30 min with thorough mix 15 min in. 2) The video doesn't go into "how to steam rice" specifics. You don't want to put the lid on as soon as you see steam rising - wait for a steady stream of it to fully penetrate the entire strainer of rice and seamlessly pass through it, and only then put the lid on. And if your strainer doesn't completely cover the width of your pot like in the video, make sure the steam is actually rising through it, rather than just around it. You'll get much more evenly steamed rice if the steam has a chance to work its way through it first. 3) It's really easy to undercook (or "understeam") the rice. Don't go by the 40 minute mark, and even if it looks and feels done when you stir it, it might not be. When it seems done, start taking a (sanitized) teaspoon every 5 minutes and chewing it. It's fine if it still feels tough and chewy, but not if there's any remaining solid uncooked material in the grain cores. 4) Don't keep the initial kome-koji rice in a pan or tray. It's fine to start with that to let your initial batch of rice cool down faster and make it easier to spread around the koji-kin, but as soon as you're done mixing in the koji-kin, you should move it to a large sanitized jar, for multiple reasons. First off, keeping it spread like that makes for a much larger surface area, which means it dries out much faster. Secondly, the koji-kin has much more work to do to colonize it all, meaning the process is much slower. Mixing every 12 hours helps, but isn't ideal. A larger surface area and a functionally open container + slower colonization = larger chance of contamination. So, after initially mixing it, put it in a large sanitized jar with the lid on, but just slightly unscrewed so gasses can escape. Basically, treat it as you would a fermentation vessel or mushroom grain spawn jar. The practically sealed container means you don't have to worry about keeping it humid enough, it's compacted in a cylinder with a much lower surface area so it's much faster to colonize, and it's extremely hard to contaminate compared to a tray (even if it's covered). You might want to shake this once during the first 12-24 hours, but further mixing only stresses the fungi and delays full colonization. 5) Temperature is very important. The video says to wait until the initial rice is at most 30°C so you don't kill the fungi. This isn't wrong, but it sort of implies 30°C is the maximum it should ever be at, which isn't the case. It can often reach 40°C+ when it's growing, and it prefers warmer temperatures during colonization compared to yeast and fermentation temperatures. So, 30°C is fine, but don't treat it as the "maximum" - it's the "optimal". The video does state 86°F (about 30°C) as ideal for incubation, but I guess my point is that you don't want to go significantly below 30°C either, or you'll have issues with slow or no colonization instead. My issue was a combination of things. Slightly undercooked and under-hydrated rice due to points 1-3, which contributed to further complications with drying out in point 4, and then I kept it at "slightly warm" (cca. 25°C) figuring it's "good enough". I was wrong. The rice felt dried out after the first 10 hours, so I had to apply much more moisture which is a contamination risk. Where the video has some initial solid colonization and the distinct aroma after 20 hours, mine had 0 signs of colonization or aroma after the first 30 hours. After looking up some detailed preparation instructions from Japanese koji-kin vendors, and thinking about my experience with mushroom spawn, I quickly figured out my issues. Transferred everything from the tray to a large jar, sprayed in more water because it still felt pretty dry, shook it up, and put it on some padding above my radiator at about 32°C. 10 hours later, I had a ton of colonization throughout the entire jar + an intense sweet aroma, and was pretty much ready to go for the large batch. TL;DR - Steam the rice properly, and keep your iniital kome-koji really warm and packed in a container that retains moisture, and you should have some really fast and trouble-free colonization.
Ok, so after trying out my sake… It turned out pretty good, definitely has that softer characteristic sake taste and is pleasant to drink. It’s not an ideal sake, however… two main problems that I have a pretty good idea how to fix, but it’s just theoretical until a get a chance to ferment another batch… 1) it starts off tasting very subtle and soft as you’d expect, but then hits you with an overly sour lemony note. This should be an easy fix - use the traditional lactic acid instead of citric 2) it lacks the expected depth and complexity. This is probably due to a single rice addition step, and I imagine it could also be easily fixed by just spreading the rice addition into at least 3 steps, with gradually increasing quantities and time between additions. Again, more akin to traditional methods Definitely still makes a good drink as-is, but I suddenly found myself on a quest to make the best homebrew sake imaginable for some reason :D
@@mpddude1233 Glad I could help :) Just started my second batch today, so I’ll be reporting back in some 4 weeks about what effect the other two proposed tweaks (lactic acid and more additions) have. In the meantime, another very important tip for how to make your initial purchase of koji-kin go way further… If you’re using the same brand like in the video, it’s 10 g and probably cost $20, so $2/g. 1) Buy 1 kg of rice, prepare it for the koji-kin like in the video 2) Sprinkle and mix in with 2 g of the koji-kin, incubate until it’s completely colonized (white growth on 100% of the surface, or close to it) 3) Completely dry it under a low temperature (< 35 C), a dehydrator is ideal if you have one, or there are simple DIY solutions you can look up 4) Reduce to a powder using a blender, store in a sealed jar/container in a cold, dark place, maybe with a packet of dessicant (not in contact with the powder) You now have 1010 g of koji-kin, and have effectively paid < $0.02/g. Well, plus however much you paid for the rice, but it can be literally the cheapest kind you can find - doesn’t need to be the fancy highly polished type that you want for the actual sake.
Time gives it everything clarity and flavor ,we made some 6months ago and it's been aging in the fridge. Only now have we started tapping into it. And the wine compared to then and now is like night and day. It's just one of those things where you make it but must wait to have it
@@produceman13 fresh is rather bitter and sour. After several months or more aging the final product becomes smoother. It's not the same as beer where is ready in about a month's clearing time. Wine. ..all wine . .. needs to age
@@produceman13 it fair to say that rice wine is unlike other wines made with fruit and because is made with grain one may call it beer.. However, in Asia regions, rice wine is commonly made and different regionally in tastes and the process in making it. One thing that really separates it from beer and more like wine is that it's not mashed into a wort. The steamed rice is fermented and aged and the extract liquid squeezed out... Whereas with fruit wine the liquid is squeezed out and then fermented and with beer wort the grain is added to a ratio of water, hops are added then strained and then fermented.. Sake, and other rice wines are fermented rice. NOT the liquid. The final liquid that is squeezed from the fermented rice "After Fermentation" is the finished end product "wine"..it can be consumed immediately and it's taste will be somewhat similar to lemonade or aged to smooth out the sourness.. I have made rice beer but it'd process is different from the wine and more directly much more like beer in that I soak the rice overnight, drain the water and allow the rice grab. to sprout, then dry it and malt it, crush it, mash it, strain it, add hops to the wort and cool add beer yeast and ferment cold. Later bottle and Lagar. Tastes great ..red rice or black rice has a slightly sweet taste, works well with sarache ace hops
@@shibuigardenbungalows0420 Wow! Thanks for this very concise tip and info. It makes complete sense to literally make beer out of the rice. I'll have to give it a try for sure. There are so many Sake recipes out there... it makes sense that different regions have different methods.
Been researching sake and rice wine making, this video is by far one of the most straight forward but still appears to follow the "rules" for brewing with koji. This is the method I'm going to try first. Great job Trent!!
@@TheBruSho looking forward to trying this weekend , been all grain brewer for 20years, but this is very different- may look at trying to make soju or shochu down the track as well
I've never brewed anything before but this looks simple enough. Perhaps sake will be my first. Thanks for the tutorial it seems pretty easy to follow along to!
Hi Musho I’m Japanese living in Arizona.I’m so surprised that we can make sake in home! 😳that’s really good to know!Thank you for sharing🥰 I’ll definitely try it!
I've made beers, ciders and meads for well over a decade, but was always too intimidated to try making saké. This video is what convinced me to finally do it! I am now on my (sixth? eighth? I've lost count!) batch and it's starting to get really good and I plan on scaling up to bigger batches soon. It's quickly becoming my favorite alcohol to make! Two things I have started to do differently from this, though: 1) I've started using lactic acid instead of citric. Traditionally saké uses water with lactic acid to prevent the growth of unpleasant microorganisms, and I must say I was floored by the difference in flavor between my last citric batch and my first lactic batch! I don't understand why the internet (and even the package of kōji spores I buy!) recommends citric acid. Perhaps it's easier to obtain in some places? 2) I found that K1V-1116 yeast comes closer to what I've come to expect from a saké. I know this is probably very much into the territory of personal preference, but I like the taste better- even if at least one friend of mine said they liked the EC-1118 batch better. My local homebrew store has special-ordered me a Wyeast saké strain which should be coming in within a couple weeks, and I'm very excited to see how that one comes out. Anyways, thank you for making this video. By far the best and most accessible beginner saké video I've found.
How much lactic acid did you use and what was your batch size, out of curiosity? I was going to do 1ml of 88% lactic acid solution for 1g of citric acid, but not sure if that's quite right.
A quick note about the rice used in this video - it's Korean chapssal, which is used for brewing Korean makgeolli. In Japan, this type of rice is called mochigome and is used to make mochi, but not traditionally used for sake brewing. (There are breweries who use it, but it's more so considered experimental.) Still will be delicious, clearly, but I suggest looking for rice specifically grown and milled for sake brewing. I've been brewing makgeolli for a while now and getting very consistent and delicious results! I just bought some 60% remaining sake rice and sake yeast #9 and am looking to brew some sake this week, thanks to your video!
I'm hoping to make Makgeolli at some point but I just used what I was able to find for this video. But like most things using the right ingredients can help make it even better.
@@TheBruSho I'd be happy to email you my makgeolli recipe. It's a two-stage brew I developed and has resulted in a consistent and delicious brew. There are also some options for playing with the recipe (adding berries, coffee, etc.).
@@CutiePie-oj2lx I'd love to share it - unfortunately, I tried to post the recipe here, but my comment seems to have been blocked by RUclips. I also tried to post my contact info, but it seems like that was also blocked. Frustrating!
I will try this very soon! I have some Angel Yellow Label Yeast which gives off nice Sake flavours and Umami in grain wash. Also able to just put ingredients in a fermenter with cold water and still ferments beautifully
whipped up a batch using these directions. after letting it cold crash for 1 day, the flavor and body turned out to be very much like a pinot grigio, which i believe was due to the liquid sake yeast i used. next time i might use a dry yeast like yours. but overall, it was a success! thank you for posting this!
Very nice sir. Here's a tip for you. Get a "proof & tralles" meter. After the Sake is finished fermenting, use it to find out how much alcohol is in the batch. People say it doesn't work for non distilled beverages which is not completely true. It will be just on the low end of the proof and tralles meter.
I am from Odisha, India and here the santhal tribe makes a similar beverage known as handia using herbs collected from jungle. Also such drinks are pretty common in the nearby states as well. And I can say 4/5 days of fermentation it tastes great and have enough buzz to hook you up.
Just a tip using long grain rice instead of short grain to make the koji can help it. It contains more amylase which the enzymes in aspergillus oryzae break down. Short grain still has it but long grain has more.
I was inspired to brew in this extract method! I’ve been researching sake making for years now, having fallen in love with sake. Coincidentally, I have all the same ingredients. Thank you musho! 😊
I made this recipe a month ago. it cleared up nice but has a slight yellow color. this recipe seems similar to junmai sake and a slight yellow color seems normal. really smooth up front with some citrus notes on the finish. it is way better served warm.... thanks for the recipe!😊
With grape wine, finding the amount of alcohol there is, is as simple as doing a gravity test before fermenting, but for rice wine -since starches are still being converted into sugar during fermentation, it's difficult to know without using a refractometer, so no blame there.
Wow, thanks for the video...I have fermented everything...I mean everything, peppers, cabbage, all fruits and barley to corn! Not rice yet...going to try this. Really enjoyed this vid!
This is a nama genshu sake, meaning unpasteurized and undiluted. To try a commercial version, Kikusui Funaguchi Gold is a delicious and pretty available sake in the States.
If you are making your first, cheapest sake, bread yeast should work fine. It tends to be less alcoholic, and some people prefer the flavor to wine yeasts. I appreciate you describing the notes the wine yeast you added for you! I now have an idea of what to look for if i can actually source the fancy yeast! By then, i should have the process nailed down. I love using it for cooking, and i can tolerate some bad ones as that's all i had access to before the stores stopped carrying it. Koji is an amazing thing. One of my favorite products was shiro koji, which was innoculated rice, water, and salt if i'm not mistaken. It made an amazing marinade. I'd definitely have to make extra rice! If i go to the work of getting koji, i'm going to make all my favorite things....and see if i can keep my fungus alive long enough to make several batches, if possible... more research needed!
We found out making mead that using the champagne yeast made the mead stronger. A LOT stronger. To the point we have a daughter now. I might have my man make this. Now, where to get two gallon glass jugs. My dad used to make chokecherry wine using a gallon glass jug and a balloon as the fermenter. I had to watch the balloon first increase in size then as it deflated. I would inform my dad on it.
I had two attempts with this recipe using citric acid, both ended up tasting like vinegar. I tried mixing only1 gallon of water with 5g citric acid, and the taste was similar to my failed brews. If you want to use this recipe, use hops like in the video. You'll probably have a better chance at success.
I've been brewing beer for the last couple of years and have brewed a batch of mead. I've been dying to try to make sake cuz I love sake. I'm gonna try this.
Thank you for sharing your Sake recipe, it is our Chinese Sweet Ferment Rice 酒酿/醪糟/米酒 that we make that our way. After bottled them, let it stand for days and the rice wine will be clear.
I just found your channel and I love it. Thanks for all the how-to's! I've made a rice wine once using some 'yeast balls' from one of the Asian stores we have here. You crush them up and add them to the rice instead of the koji kin, and you don't need to add yeast later either. I think it's because they contain yeasts and bacterias and yeast foods altogether, but apparently the end quality is a bit of a crap shoot with these, haha. Anyways, I had a delicious result with a strong floral fruity fragrance and flavour.
Awesome video Trent I thoroughly enjoyed it that’s one I’ve always wanted to try to make myself. It looks like it was definitely worth it maybe you've motivated enough now to give it a try 🍻
Thanks! Yeah man if you have ever thought about it then you should definitely try it. A little different from beer but not too different that it’s impossible
Great job on this awesome guide!! Really enjoyed watching it. It was just the right length and your voice an explanation was crisp and clear. I have a question though :- why is using the straining process a big risk when brewing beer and not sake? What is different about sake (or other spirits) that makes it less susceptible to oxidisation?
I guess it just felt wrong from my beer brewing background, it might not be an issue considering the final product was fantastic, but I just know I would never do that to beer lol
i know im a bit late to the party but i have done a lot of reasherch on Sake and though i didn't flollow this to the T it was a really really good sorce for information! Amazing Video thanks so much for making! I would love to see other things like this
Have made many, many gallons of Sake as you have tutored, but leave out the 20 minutes of drying, as that step is not on the back of the Koji-Kin packet. The packet lists the same instructions as your video, minus drying as said. However one question. Do you pasteurize your sake? I haven't found much information regarding it, and don't do it myself and all my sake seems to age well. Of course due to availability and cost, I have been using a medium grain rice which has a more earthy flavor, and occasionally I fortify it with a bit of grain alcohol. Gives it a bit more kick and tastes great! Thanks for your videos. They get you started brewing correctly right off.
I haven't experimented with pasteurization on sake specifically but I have a good amount of experience doing it on other fermentations. My go-to is Potassium Sorbate + Campden tablet (chemical pasteurization). Easy to add and works great, plus I don't have to fuss with heat pasteurizing.
Thanks for your reply. May give your "go-to" a try. So far, haven't had any "spoiled" sake. Mine usually gets a bit more mellow as it ages in the bottle even after three or four weeks, and of course it settles out more and more clearly with time. I will soon be trying for some carbonated sake using the method I use on carbonating my beer recipes. Of course, that I will drink cold, not warm. Thanks again. Your sake video pops up and the first thing each time I go to RUclips!
Very nice. I have been wanting to brew some sort of rice wine for a while and this helped out with some of the steps. I will let you know how it turns out.
I use the rice wash for KNF, I'm going to practice this steam method and use the rice for IMO capturing. And now wine, which I can also use in natural farming. Making second batch of tepache today. Thank you for the information.
I have a question: the weather has been very hot lately (around 30 degrees indoors), would it be a good time to start fermentation in a system which there is no temperature control? While i am on the subject, could you tell me about the influence of the temperature that during primary and secondary fermentation on the taste of the wine? Will fermenting the must at temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius result in a wine that tastes "clean" and "more fruity" in the mouth than at higher temperatures? Thank you very much. I would be happy to know if you have experienced this issue and can comment.
I racked th e brew into a gallon jug and will let it sit for awhile. I tasted about 4oz of it milky white kind of floral/fruity it was very strong I thin.
Lol, I did this with completely uncooked rice and champagne yeast and it turned out exactly like normal sake. I cannot justify a single reason to go with Koji as your starter culture.
@@TheBruSho if you're interested, I'll let you know if it works. Seriously, just trying this for the first time. Koji is just adding natural yeast, so my guess is that the end product just ends up a bit different, but you still have rice "wine".
Great video. Would you recommend drinking this warm? I love warm Sake! If not, what would you recommend doing to make a batch more suited to drink warm? Thanks!
Instead of hops to get the acidity up you can actually leave it out for 3 to 4 week to your starter batch (komekoji, steam rice, water) you will get lactic bacteria which will make lactic acid which is more appropriate for sake (or u can just put lactic acid itself)
Just to be sure, the measurements in the recipe (ie 400g of steamed rice) refers to the weight after steaming it right? Just want to make sure it isn’t “steam 400g of rice and use that”
A few questions, the mold he's referring to, not the black mold but the other mold, is it safe to consume without like first distilling it, though my guess is it would probably turn out better and clearer if he did. What's the total about of time to make it and would allowing it more time to sit make it stronger or better like alcohol makers do. And rather than Hops, could I add some vodka without ruining the taste, to make it stronger or could I add both to make it stronger in ABV but not to the point that it starts making it more vodka tasting than saki and if so, how much vodka could I add without ruining it or making it too strong. Basically Japanese style saki where u see people getting drunk off of it, unless it's the sugars that cause that even at 20% ABV by volume
Can't wait to make some sake following your video! I have a bag of rice that's been inoculated with Koji, can I just grind that into a powder and use that you think? Great video and cheers!
As a wine maker I am blow away by how great this recipe turned out! I think I'm just going to make it as my main wine because I can drink it right away vs aging it. The Nigori turned out even better than the clear Sake! The spirit of this drink is notable too. I get a real happy buzz from the yeast and Koji that is unlike my fruit wines.
Love to hear this!!
@@TheBruSho Sake and Nigori really helped my libido. They have B vitamins, probiotics and selenium I guess... I swear it helps me loose weight and also feels like a magic elixir every time I imbibe.
Some things never change. I love Nigori just like I like my unfiltered wheats. Lol
Well, technically Sake is a beer. It's made from grain....
Yeast doesn't give you a buzz, it's Ethanol that does.
Went to a sake tasting last night, and YOU did a better explanation of the process than the “certified” rep that the sake company had! KUDOS!
Hahah wow that makes me feel good!
I just got into brewing a few days ago with a batch of cider, and a batch of sake following this recipe. I initially had some issues with the rice + koji-kin, had to troubleshoot with external resources and my experience with fungi, so hoping to share some tips in case people run into the same issues. Or ideally, before they do, so they don't have to.
1) The rice washing and soaking steps are reversed. Not a big deal, but ideally you want to wash the rice until the water runs clear first, _then_ soak. Reason being, if you soak first, you're soaking the outer layer which gets washed away in the washing step, while not as much water gets absorbed in the remaining inner grain. Wash until clear, soak, another quick rinse, drain. Recommend draining for 30 min with thorough mix 15 min in.
2) The video doesn't go into "how to steam rice" specifics. You don't want to put the lid on as soon as you see steam rising - wait for a steady stream of it to fully penetrate the entire strainer of rice and seamlessly pass through it, and only then put the lid on. And if your strainer doesn't completely cover the width of your pot like in the video, make sure the steam is actually rising through it, rather than just around it. You'll get much more evenly steamed rice if the steam has a chance to work its way through it first.
3) It's really easy to undercook (or "understeam") the rice. Don't go by the 40 minute mark, and even if it looks and feels done when you stir it, it might not be. When it seems done, start taking a (sanitized) teaspoon every 5 minutes and chewing it. It's fine if it still feels tough and chewy, but not if there's any remaining solid uncooked material in the grain cores.
4) Don't keep the initial kome-koji rice in a pan or tray. It's fine to start with that to let your initial batch of rice cool down faster and make it easier to spread around the koji-kin, but as soon as you're done mixing in the koji-kin, you should move it to a large sanitized jar, for multiple reasons.
First off, keeping it spread like that makes for a much larger surface area, which means it dries out much faster.
Secondly, the koji-kin has much more work to do to colonize it all, meaning the process is much slower. Mixing every 12 hours helps, but isn't ideal. A larger surface area and a functionally open container + slower colonization = larger chance of contamination.
So, after initially mixing it, put it in a large sanitized jar with the lid on, but just slightly unscrewed so gasses can escape. Basically, treat it as you would a fermentation vessel or mushroom grain spawn jar. The practically sealed container means you don't have to worry about keeping it humid enough, it's compacted in a cylinder with a much lower surface area so it's much faster to colonize, and it's extremely hard to contaminate compared to a tray (even if it's covered). You might want to shake this once during the first 12-24 hours, but further mixing only stresses the fungi and delays full colonization.
5) Temperature is very important. The video says to wait until the initial rice is at most 30°C so you don't kill the fungi. This isn't wrong, but it sort of implies 30°C is the maximum it should ever be at, which isn't the case. It can often reach 40°C+ when it's growing, and it prefers warmer temperatures during colonization compared to yeast and fermentation temperatures. So, 30°C is fine, but don't treat it as the "maximum" - it's the "optimal". The video does state 86°F (about 30°C) as ideal for incubation, but I guess my point is that you don't want to go significantly below 30°C either, or you'll have issues with slow or no colonization instead.
My issue was a combination of things. Slightly undercooked and under-hydrated rice due to points 1-3, which contributed to further complications with drying out in point 4, and then I kept it at "slightly warm" (cca. 25°C) figuring it's "good enough". I was wrong. The rice felt dried out after the first 10 hours, so I had to apply much more moisture which is a contamination risk. Where the video has some initial solid colonization and the distinct aroma after 20 hours, mine had 0 signs of colonization or aroma after the first 30 hours. After looking up some detailed preparation instructions from Japanese koji-kin vendors, and thinking about my experience with mushroom spawn, I quickly figured out my issues.
Transferred everything from the tray to a large jar, sprayed in more water because it still felt pretty dry, shook it up, and put it on some padding above my radiator at about 32°C. 10 hours later, I had a ton of colonization throughout the entire jar + an intense sweet aroma, and was pretty much ready to go for the large batch.
TL;DR - Steam the rice properly, and keep your iniital kome-koji really warm and packed in a container that retains moisture, and you should have some really fast and trouble-free colonization.
Ok, so after trying out my sake… It turned out pretty good, definitely has that softer characteristic sake taste and is pleasant to drink. It’s not an ideal sake, however… two main problems that I have a pretty good idea how to fix, but it’s just theoretical until a get a chance to ferment another batch…
1) it starts off tasting very subtle and soft as you’d expect, but then hits you with an overly sour lemony note. This should be an easy fix - use the traditional lactic acid instead of citric
2) it lacks the expected depth and complexity. This is probably due to a single rice addition step, and I imagine it could also be easily fixed by just spreading the rice addition into at least 3 steps, with gradually increasing quantities and time between additions. Again, more akin to traditional methods
Definitely still makes a good drink as-is, but I suddenly found myself on a quest to make the best homebrew sake imaginable for some reason :D
Thank you!!!
You are legit a savior. Had the same issue. No colonization. Ima move it to a jar and see what happens. Hopefully it works.
Bro I tried it and I got growth. Absolutely legenf
@@mpddude1233 Glad I could help :)
Just started my second batch today, so I’ll be reporting back in some 4 weeks about what effect the other two proposed tweaks (lactic acid and more additions) have.
In the meantime, another very important tip for how to make your initial purchase of koji-kin go way further… If you’re using the same brand like in the video, it’s 10 g and probably cost $20, so $2/g.
1) Buy 1 kg of rice, prepare it for the koji-kin like in the video
2) Sprinkle and mix in with 2 g of the koji-kin, incubate until it’s completely colonized (white growth on 100% of the surface, or close to it)
3) Completely dry it under a low temperature (< 35 C), a dehydrator is ideal if you have one, or there are simple DIY solutions you can look up
4) Reduce to a powder using a blender, store in a sealed jar/container in a cold, dark place, maybe with a packet of dessicant (not in contact with the powder)
You now have 1010 g of koji-kin, and have effectively paid < $0.02/g. Well, plus however much you paid for the rice, but it can be literally the cheapest kind you can find - doesn’t need to be the fancy highly polished type that you want for the actual sake.
Time gives it everything clarity and flavor ,we made some 6months ago and it's been aging in the fridge. Only now have we started tapping into it. And the wine compared to then and now is like night and day. It's just one of those things where you make it but must wait to have it
I've heard not to age Sake. But I wonder about that cuz wine yeast is pretty strong tasting...
@@produceman13 fresh is rather bitter and sour. After several months or more aging the final product becomes smoother. It's not the same as beer where is ready in about a month's clearing time. Wine. ..all wine . .. needs to age
@@shibuigardenbungalows0420 Good to know as I age all my other wines. I thought Sake was different cuz its more like a flat beer.
@@produceman13 it fair to say that rice wine is unlike other wines made with fruit and because is made with grain one may call it beer.. However, in Asia regions, rice wine is commonly made and different regionally in tastes and the process in making it. One thing that really separates it from beer and more like wine is that it's not mashed into a wort. The steamed rice is fermented and aged and the extract liquid squeezed out... Whereas with fruit wine the liquid is squeezed out and then fermented and with beer wort the grain is added to a ratio of water, hops are added then strained and then fermented..
Sake, and other rice wines are fermented rice. NOT the liquid. The final liquid that is squeezed from the fermented rice "After Fermentation" is the finished end product "wine"..it can be consumed immediately and it's taste will be somewhat similar to lemonade or aged to smooth out the sourness.. I have made rice beer but it'd process is different from the wine and more directly much more like beer in that I soak the rice overnight, drain the water and allow the rice grab. to sprout, then dry it and malt it, crush it, mash it, strain it, add hops to the wort and cool add beer yeast and ferment cold. Later bottle and Lagar. Tastes great ..red rice or black rice has a slightly sweet taste, works well with sarache ace hops
@@shibuigardenbungalows0420 Wow! Thanks for this very concise tip and info. It makes complete sense to literally make beer out of the rice. I'll have to give it a try for sure. There are so many Sake recipes out there... it makes sense that different regions have different methods.
Been researching sake and rice wine making, this video is by far one of the most straight forward but still appears to follow the "rules" for brewing with koji. This is the method I'm going to try first. Great job Trent!!
Thank you so much, I appreciate that. And let me know how it goes! I’m still enjoying having this around for special occasions
@@TheBruSho looking forward to trying this weekend , been all grain brewer for 20years, but this is very different- may look at trying to make soju or shochu down the track as well
@@ianmcgregor9630 those are on my list too, once I figure out distilling
I've never brewed anything before but this looks simple enough. Perhaps sake will be my first. Thanks for the tutorial it seems pretty easy to follow along to!
Yeah it’s not too hard, just a few steps and some key details to nail. But well worth it, good luck!
Hi Musho
I’m Japanese living in Arizona.I’m so surprised that we can make sake in home! 😳that’s really good to know!Thank you for sharing🥰 I’ll definitely try it!
For sure! It’s a very rewarding process. I would love to do more types of fermented rice wines
demo oishi deska? wakaranai, Momoume san.
@@br5448 Japanese sake,watashiwa daisuki desuyo🥰🍶
@@shihomomoume watashimo demo Amerikajin tsukatannoney. Soshite wakaranai
@@br5448 you can speak Japanese!👍
But many of my American’s friends love Sake:)
watching this after I am banned from my local pub
I've made beers, ciders and meads for well over a decade, but was always too intimidated to try making saké. This video is what convinced me to finally do it! I am now on my (sixth? eighth? I've lost count!) batch and it's starting to get really good and I plan on scaling up to bigger batches soon. It's quickly becoming my favorite alcohol to make!
Two things I have started to do differently from this, though:
1) I've started using lactic acid instead of citric. Traditionally saké uses water with lactic acid to prevent the growth of unpleasant microorganisms, and I must say I was floored by the difference in flavor between my last citric batch and my first lactic batch! I don't understand why the internet (and even the package of kōji spores I buy!) recommends citric acid. Perhaps it's easier to obtain in some places?
2) I found that K1V-1116 yeast comes closer to what I've come to expect from a saké. I know this is probably very much into the territory of personal preference, but I like the taste better- even if at least one friend of mine said they liked the EC-1118 batch better. My local homebrew store has special-ordered me a Wyeast saké strain which should be coming in within a couple weeks, and I'm very excited to see how that one comes out.
Anyways, thank you for making this video. By far the best and most accessible beginner saké video I've found.
How much lactic acid did you use and what was your batch size, out of curiosity? I was going to do 1ml of 88% lactic acid solution for 1g of citric acid, but not sure if that's quite right.
@@rahulbr87 I'm only making one-gallon batches at the moment, and using about 1.5ml of 88% lactic solution.
killer video braj! from the tunes to the history! Super rad u proposed in Japan, lets go back!
Thanks man. And I’m always down to go back!
A quick note about the rice used in this video - it's Korean chapssal, which is used for brewing Korean makgeolli. In Japan, this type of rice is called mochigome and is used to make mochi, but not traditionally used for sake brewing. (There are breweries who use it, but it's more so considered experimental.) Still will be delicious, clearly, but I suggest looking for rice specifically grown and milled for sake brewing.
I've been brewing makgeolli for a while now and getting very consistent and delicious results! I just bought some 60% remaining sake rice and sake yeast #9 and am looking to brew some sake this week, thanks to your video!
I'm hoping to make Makgeolli at some point but I just used what I was able to find for this video. But like most things using the right ingredients can help make it even better.
@@TheBruSho I'd be happy to email you my makgeolli recipe. It's a two-stage brew I developed and has resulted in a consistent and delicious brew. There are also some options for playing with the recipe (adding berries, coffee, etc.).
@@MikePouchif you don’t mind can I also get the recipe 😅? I’ve gotten into making some mead recently but I want to try something new!
@@MikePouchI would also be interested in the recipe thank you
@@CutiePie-oj2lx I'd love to share it - unfortunately, I tried to post the recipe here, but my comment seems to have been blocked by RUclips. I also tried to post my contact info, but it seems like that was also blocked. Frustrating!
I will try this very soon! I have some Angel Yellow Label Yeast which gives off nice Sake flavours and Umami in grain wash. Also able to just put ingredients in a fermenter with cold water and still ferments beautifully
whipped up a batch using these directions. after letting it cold crash for 1 day, the flavor and body turned out to be very much like a pinot grigio, which i believe was due to the liquid sake yeast i used. next time i might use a dry yeast like yours. but overall, it was a success! thank you for posting this!
Nice recipe, worked a treat for me. I used the cloudier sake for cooking and served the clear sake hot to accompany the meals. Very happy, nice one.
Very nice sir. Here's a tip for you. Get a "proof & tralles" meter. After the Sake is finished fermenting, use it to find out how much alcohol is in the batch. People say it doesn't work for non distilled beverages which is not completely true. It will be just on the low end of the proof and tralles meter.
I am from Odisha, India and here the santhal tribe makes a similar beverage known as handia using herbs collected from jungle. Also such drinks are pretty common in the nearby states as well. And I can say 4/5 days of fermentation it tastes great and have enough buzz to hook you up.
Wow this video was awesome. Mad respect for following the traditional techniques and really paying mind to producing a quality and authentic product.
Just a tip using long grain rice instead of short grain to make the koji can help it. It contains more amylase which the enzymes in aspergillus oryzae break down. Short grain still has it but long grain has more.
Thanks for explaining to enzyme/koji process! You quickly cleared up some of the confusion I had.
i think this is my favorite brusho episode so far cheers!
Awesome thank makes me feel good, hitting that groove!
This is one of the best videos explaining the process of making the Koji to using it to make the Saki, I will be making this soon. Great video thanks.
Appreciate that! 🍶
Thank you this is just what I was looking for.
Love the Totoro design on your bottle!
Wow! This is awesome, I may have to try this. I really love sake and learned a ton during this video. Great job as usual Trent!
Thank you! And give it a try. Super fun experience
I love sake and always wonder why they are not sold outside of Japan ( India) your video inspires me. God Bless you 😊❤
Great job! I have a ton of experience making spirits and wine, but this is like making wine & beer all in one; gonna try it!
I was inspired to brew in this extract method! I’ve been researching sake making for years now, having fallen in love with sake. Coincidentally, I have all the same ingredients. Thank you musho! 😊
I made this recipe a month ago.
it cleared up nice but has a slight yellow color. this recipe seems similar to junmai sake and a slight yellow color seems normal.
really smooth up front with some citrus notes on the finish. it is way better served warm....
thanks for the recipe!😊
Buenísima la explicación...!!!!!
Saludos desde Argentina.. 👋🏻👋🏻🤗🤗
You've inspired me to try this. My dad and I are going to have a sake brewing contest now.
That's so cool!!
Excellent video - interesting, with high production and editing value!
With grape wine, finding the amount of alcohol there is, is as simple as doing a gravity test before fermenting, but for rice wine -since starches are still being converted into sugar during fermentation, it's difficult to know without using a refractometer, so no blame there.
Thank you 👍 I'm working on my second batch now, 2 gallon this time. First one gallon came out fine 😃.
Wow, thanks for the video...I have fermented everything...I mean everything, peppers, cabbage, all fruits and barley to corn! Not rice yet...going to try this. Really enjoyed this vid!
Oyster shooters!
Awesome. I love that the brusho is about about beer and beyond.
Thanks! Yeah it’s fun to ferment other things and get new inspiration
I hadn’t thought about making sake before, but this looks pretty fun. Thanks!
Give it a try, it was definitely rewarding!
I'm going to watch this at least 10times.....been looking for a way to make clear sake for years.
Thank you so much dude 🙏 ❤ ☺
Amazing, I hope you have great results!
What is the shelf life once bottled I wonder?
Good instruction. Thank you.
Too bad about the 'industrial noise pollution'!!!
Before watching I though I would never been interested in trying to make sake, now I am. Cheers!
Awesome! Yeah I never thought it was accessible for a home brewer before this
This is a nama genshu sake, meaning unpasteurized and undiluted. To try a commercial version, Kikusui Funaguchi Gold is a delicious and pretty available sake in the States.
Sake! sakeee!
Thank you from Asia!
looking fwd to try this. its diff recipe then the one i follow. i make in small qty. it is beneficial for health
If you are making your first, cheapest sake, bread yeast should work fine. It tends to be less alcoholic, and some people prefer the flavor to wine yeasts.
I appreciate you describing the notes the wine yeast you added for you! I now have an idea of what to look for if i can actually source the fancy yeast! By then, i should have the process nailed down. I love using it for cooking, and i can tolerate some bad ones as that's all i had access to before the stores stopped carrying it.
Koji is an amazing thing. One of my favorite products was shiro koji, which was innoculated rice, water, and salt if i'm not mistaken. It made an amazing marinade. I'd definitely have to make extra rice! If i go to the work of getting koji, i'm going to make all my favorite things....and see if i can keep my fungus alive long enough to make several batches, if possible... more research needed!
This is a very cool video…very enjoyable and interesting. It’s obvious that you really enjoyed learning a new process and experimenting with sake.
Yes, and thanks! Really unique experience and glad I finally did it!
That Totoro label on the sake bottle is fire!
“Hey let’s go!”
We found out making mead that using the champagne yeast made the mead stronger. A LOT stronger. To the point we have a daughter now.
I might have my man make this. Now, where to get two gallon glass jugs.
My dad used to make chokecherry wine using a gallon glass jug and a balloon as the fermenter. I had to watch the balloon first increase in size then as it deflated. I would inform my dad on it.
Another fantastic BruShoPro. Thanks for doing it. Definitely adding this to the attempt list.
ah! for heaven's SAKE!
I had two attempts with this recipe using citric acid, both ended up tasting like vinegar. I tried mixing only1 gallon of water with 5g citric acid, and the taste was similar to my failed brews. If you want to use this recipe, use hops like in the video. You'll probably have a better chance at success.
I've been brewing beer for the last couple of years and have brewed a batch of mead. I've been dying to try to make sake cuz I love sake. I'm gonna try this.
Yo, just wanted to compliment you on the editing and filming. This is very quality and concise content for the amount of subscribers you have.
Thank you so much for that!
@@TheBruSho no problem, looking forward to seing your account grow.
Thank you for sharing your Sake recipe, it is our Chinese Sweet Ferment Rice 酒酿/醪糟/米酒 that we make that our way. After bottled them, let it stand for days and the rice wine will be clear.
the skull cup is a reference to Oda Nobunaga.
I just found your channel and I love it. Thanks for all the how-to's! I've made a rice wine once using some 'yeast balls' from one of the Asian stores we have here. You crush them up and add them to the rice instead of the koji kin, and you don't need to add yeast later either. I think it's because they contain yeasts and bacterias and yeast foods altogether, but apparently the end quality is a bit of a crap shoot with these, haha. Anyways, I had a delicious result with a strong floral fruity fragrance and flavour.
Oh wow thats really cool I haven't heard that, might have to experiment with that thanks!
Awesome video Trent I thoroughly enjoyed it that’s one I’ve always wanted to try to make myself. It looks like it was definitely worth it maybe you've motivated enough now to give it a try 🍻
Thanks! Yeah man if you have ever thought about it then you should definitely try it. A little different from beer but not too different that it’s impossible
Thank you 👍 my recipe comes out pretty good but I'm going to try your recipe, again thank you very much.
Thanks for the tutorial.. after watching this, I'm now going to the liquor store and just grab a sake bottle 😂
I used this same recipe with awesome results! My only problem was that the nigori was still going after bottling. Explosive when opening!
You got me so excited to try this.
Great job on this awesome guide!! Really enjoyed watching it. It was just the right length and your voice an explanation was crisp and clear. I have a question though :- why is using the straining process a big risk when brewing beer and not sake? What is different about sake (or other spirits) that makes it less susceptible to oxidisation?
I guess it just felt wrong from my beer brewing background, it might not be an issue considering the final product was fantastic, but I just know I would never do that to beer lol
i make Korean rice wine(makguelli) at home and it's surprisingly similar :) great video
i know im a bit late to the party but i have done a lot of reasherch on Sake and though i didn't flollow this to the T it was a really really good sorce for information! Amazing Video thanks so much for making! I would love to see other things like this
There will always be someone trying to ice skate uphill.
Have made many, many gallons of Sake as you have tutored, but leave out the 20 minutes of drying, as that step is not on the back of the Koji-Kin packet. The packet lists the same instructions as your video, minus drying as said. However one question. Do you pasteurize your sake? I haven't found much information regarding it, and don't do it myself and all my sake seems to age well. Of course due to availability and cost, I have been using a medium grain rice which has a more earthy flavor, and occasionally I fortify it with a bit of grain alcohol. Gives it a bit more kick and tastes great! Thanks for your videos. They get you started brewing correctly right off.
I haven't experimented with pasteurization on sake specifically but I have a good amount of experience doing it on other fermentations. My go-to is Potassium Sorbate + Campden tablet (chemical pasteurization). Easy to add and works great, plus I don't have to fuss with heat pasteurizing.
Thanks for your reply. May give your "go-to" a try. So far, haven't had any "spoiled" sake. Mine usually gets a bit more mellow as it ages in the bottle even after three or four weeks, and of course it settles out more and more clearly with time. I will soon be trying for some carbonated sake using the method I use on carbonating my beer recipes. Of course, that I will drink cold, not warm. Thanks again. Your sake video pops up and the first thing each time I go to RUclips!
Very nice. I have been wanting to brew some sort of rice wine for a while and this helped out with some of the steps. I will let you know how it turns out.
Thank you for your video
Please what method did you use in producing your wine
Back in the day I used to make rice wine...
My friends and I had some wild nights drinking that.
Most of them we don't remember 😅😂
Very nice. Thank you. 美味そう
How much citric acid do you recommend using in this recipe? For beer it’s generally 5 grams/liter?
I've seen a recipe that says about 5 g of citric acid per gallon and I've seen a recommendation for the pH to be around 4
I have never made sake before but i do make mead. Ill try my 4x4 yeast that i use for my mead and see how that works out.
Sake is a beer -- it's a fermented grain.
Wine applies to fermented fruit.
8:32 newbie here, what exactly is the oxidation risk, the squeezing or the pouring?
You should try making Makgeolli!
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Great video! Clear and simple. Please can you refresh the links to buy though? They are all out of stock now
I use the rice wash for KNF, I'm going to practice this steam method and use the rice for IMO capturing. And now wine, which I can also use in natural farming. Making second batch of tepache today. Thank you for the information.
that's very nice, thank you
I tried this feciepe will filter today. Thanks
Sweet! Can’t wait for you to try it
I have a question: the weather has been very hot lately (around 30 degrees indoors), would it be a good time to start fermentation in a system which there is no temperature control? While i am on the subject, could you tell me about the influence of the temperature that during primary and secondary fermentation on the taste of the wine? Will fermenting the must at temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius result in a wine that tastes "clean" and "more fruity" in the mouth than at higher temperatures? Thank you very much. I would be happy to know if you have experienced this issue and can comment.
I racked th e brew into a gallon jug and will let it sit for awhile. I tasted about 4oz of it milky white kind of floral/fruity it was very strong I thin.
I want to try this
Lol, I did this with completely uncooked rice and champagne yeast and it turned out exactly like normal sake. I cannot justify a single reason to go with Koji as your starter culture.
Oh thats interesting, its my understanding there would be almost no fermentable sugars if you dont use koji, but thats cool it worked for you
@@TheBruSho if you're interested, I'll let you know if it works. Seriously, just trying this for the first time. Koji is just adding natural yeast, so my guess is that the end product just ends up a bit different, but you still have rice "wine".
How often do you have to stir the wine rice during fermentation? Every day for 2 weeks / until no bubbles come out?
I really REALLY want to try this!
Do it!!
We've probably all made Sake tasting drink by mistake making hard seltzer. Soooo this is how it's really made!
Haha true!
Stinky-Cheese-Head Man graphic was used. Great video!
Cheers! D😃
Great video 🎉
Drunk slot of Sake, it is some good wine!👍
Were you drinking it when you wrote this comment?
Was hoping for a kill bill "waaarrmmm saaakkeee" reference but still a soild vid non the less! You gotta do a blind taste test now 🤘🍻
Hahah yes great movie and reference, thanks!
Amazing! Looks like a rewarding process! 🍶
It really was! 😋
Great video. Would you recommend drinking this warm? I love warm Sake! If not, what would you recommend doing to make a batch more suited to drink warm? Thanks!
You could totally drink this warm
Instead of hops to get the acidity up you can actually leave it out for 3 to 4 week to your starter batch (komekoji, steam rice, water) you will get lactic bacteria which will make lactic acid which is more appropriate for sake (or u can just put lactic acid itself)
Great tip, I’ll have to try that out, thanks!
Do you have a recipe for regular rice, no enzymes, no yeast?
Just to be sure, the measurements in the recipe (ie 400g of steamed rice) refers to the weight after steaming it right? Just want to make sure it isn’t “steam 400g of rice and use that”
A few questions, the mold he's referring to, not the black mold but the other mold, is it safe to consume without like first distilling it, though my guess is it would probably turn out better and clearer if he did. What's the total about of time to make it and would allowing it more time to sit make it stronger or better like alcohol makers do. And rather than Hops, could I add some vodka without ruining the taste, to make it stronger or could I add both to make it stronger in ABV but not to the point that it starts making it more vodka tasting than saki and if so, how much vodka could I add without ruining it or making it too strong. Basically Japanese style saki where u see people getting drunk off of it, unless it's the sugars that cause that even at 20% ABV by volume
great video, I may try this, thanks!
Thanks! Yeah give it a try it’s very rewarding!
Can't wait to make some sake following your video! I have a bag of rice that's been inoculated with Koji, can I just grind that into a powder and use that you think? Great video and cheers!
Can you do a video making sake with different kinds of rice? Could be an interesting experiment especially if done with controls