HARVEST
There are over 60 different sake rice varieties that are used for brewing—each with its unique characteristics. Some breweries grow and harvest their own rice.
POLISH
Rice is polished to remove proteins, amino and fatty acids that can produce unpleasant flavors in sake. The rice is slowly polished for over 2 days and cooled for 2 weeks. (left is 50% polished away, right is unpolished)
SOAK
The polished rice is washed and soaked in water. The amount of water that is absorbed by the rice is very tightly controlled. Many toji consider this the most crucial step in sake making.
STEAM
Since rice contains no sugar, koji mold is used to saccharify starch. The mold spores seek out moisture in the rice and dig tunnels deep into the core—all the while increasing its sugar content.
KOJI
Since rice contains no sugar, koji mold is used to saccharify starch. The mold spores seek out moisture in the rice and dig tunnels deep into the core—all the while increasing its sugar content.
FERMENT
The koji rice is mixed together with additional steamed rice, water and specially bred yeast. Flavor and aroma are developed by continuously raising and lowering the temperature of the mash by one degree increments.
FILTER
The fermented mash is poured into long cloth bags. The filtered liquid is allowed to drip out under its own weight. The method pictured is called shizuku dori.
BOTTLE
Sake tastes the best right after it is filtered. Freshly filtered sake is called shiboritate. The brewery and Banzai Beverage preserve the sake in this fresh vibrant state until it arrives to you.