I am trying to make Sake from a recipe that my girlfriend found. It has you
cook 6 pounds of rice in five gallons of water and put the rice into a sack
(the same for making beer) and add 10 pounds of sugar, 1 teaspoon of acid
blend and 10 cut up plumbs. Before starting the yeast it was reading a SG of
1.090. We are on day 6 and the SG has only dropped to 1.080. I can see CO2
bubbles, but it not eaten the sugar. Is this normal in Sake?

I dont know diddly about the SG; but isnt there a fungus required to
make Sake?

Yep; the starch in rice has to be converted to fermentable sugars. I believe
this is via Koji but I may have the ingredients screwed up.

"Ric" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I dont know diddly about the SG; but isnt there a fungus required to
> make Sake?
>

Roy Boy wrote:
> I am trying to make Sake from a recipe that my girlfriend found. It has you
> cook 6 pounds of rice in five gallons of water and put the rice into a sack
> (the same for making beer) and add 10 pounds of sugar, 1 teaspoon of acid
> blend and 10 cut up plumbs. Before starting the yeast it was reading a SG of
> 1.090. We are on day 6 and the SG has only dropped to 1.080. I can see CO2
> bubbles, but it not eaten the sugar. Is this normal in Sake?
>
>

Sound more like a rice infused light plum wine. Usually Sake is made
with rice and Koji.
You may want to try adding yeast nutrient. If you feel adventurous try
adding breano to break down the starch in the rice.

Brian

"Brian" > wrote in message
news:qk68f.64726$ir4.30990@edtnps90...
> Roy Boy wrote:
>> I am trying to make Sake from a recipe that my girlfriend found. It has
>> you cook 6 pounds of rice in five gallons of water and put the rice into
>> a sack (the same for making beer) and add 10 pounds of sugar, 1 teaspoon
>> of acid blend and 10 cut up plumbs. Before starting the yeast it was
>> reading a SG of 1.090. We are on day 6 and the SG has only dropped to
>> 1.080. I can see CO2 bubbles, but it not eaten the sugar. Is this normal
>> in Sake?
>
> Sound more like a rice infused light plum wine. Usually Sake is made with
> rice and Koji.
> You may want to try adding yeast nutrient. If you feel adventurous try
> adding breano to break down the starch in the rice.
>
> Brian

I am planning on doing another batch with Koji and compare the two. I am
finding out that some people print or post recipes just to print or post
them without making them as I have learned from this Sake recipe. The
recipe is from a wine recipe book. The water melon wine I did that has too
much acid blend is from the same book. You know where that book is going....

Actually the koji kin converts the starch (rice) to a sugar so that the
yeast anaerobically can convert the sugar to ethanol. I have made sake, and
it is kind of tricky, but do-able.

"Ric" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I dont know diddly about the SG; but isnt there a fungus required to
> make Sake?
>

Roy Boy wrote:
> "Brian" > wrote in message
> news:qk68f.64726$ir4.30990@edtnps90...
>
>>Roy Boy wrote:
>>
>>>I am trying to make Sake from a recipe that my girlfriend found. It has
>>>you cook 6 pounds of rice in five gallons of water and put the rice into
>>>a sack (the same for making beer) and add 10 pounds of sugar, 1 teaspoon
>>>of acid blend and 10 cut up plumbs. Before starting the yeast it was
>>>reading a SG of 1.090. We are on day 6 and the SG has only dropped to
>>>1.080. I can see CO2 bubbles, but it not eaten the sugar. Is this normal
>>>in Sake?
>>
>>Sound more like a rice infused light plum wine. Usually Sake is made with
>>rice and Koji.
>>You may want to try adding yeast nutrient. If you feel adventurous try
>>adding breano to break down the starch in the rice.
>>
>>Brian
>
>
> I am planning on doing another batch with Koji and compare the two. I am
> finding out that some people print or post recipes just to print or post
> them without making them as I have learned from this Sake recipe. The
> recipe is from a wine recipe book. The water melon wine I did that has too
> much acid blend is from the same book. You know where that book is going....
>
>

I have had couple like that too.

Here are a couple of sites that I found useful.

http://www.tibbs-vision.com/sake/index.html

http://www.designerinlight.com/eckhardt-sake.pdf

Dan wrote:

> Actually the koji kin converts the starch (rice) to a sugar so that the
> yeast anaerobically can convert the sugar to ethanol. I have made sake, and
> it is kind of tricky, but do-able.
>
> "Ric" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>I dont know diddly about the SG; but isnt there a fungus required to
>>make Sake?
>>
>
>
>
Your Lucky I have not found a place in British Columbia that carries koji.
If you know of any it would helpful.

Brian wrote:

> Dan wrote:
>
>> Actually the koji kin converts the starch (rice) to a sugar so that
>> the yeast anaerobically can convert the sugar to ethanol. I have made
>> sake, and it is kind of tricky, but do-able.
>>
>> "Ric" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>
>>> I dont know diddly about the SG; but isnt there a fungus required to
>>> make Sake?
>>>
>>
>>
>>
> Your Lucky I have not found a place in British Columbia that carries koji.
> If you know of any it would helpful.

If you can't find Koji, the enzyme amylase is the primary active
ingredient. It'll do the trick, but just like each type of yeast adds
its own special nuances to the product, so Koji does to sake.

Gene

You can, but koji also sours the mix and adds mroe flavor.

Look in asian markets. They sell it most of the time.

Droopy wrote:
> You can, but koji also sours the mix and adds mroe flavor.
>
> Look in asian markets. They sell it most of the time.
>

Tried most Asian markets on Vancouver Island and came up empty.
Contacted Cold Mountain (very helpful) but they don't sell up here yet.

The recipe that I working with has lactic Acid as an ingredient. So I
hope that helps.

"Brian" > wrote in message
news:66x9f.93708$Io.50389@clgrps13...
> Droopy wrote:
>> You can, but koji also sours the mix and adds mroe flavor.
>> Look in asian markets. They sell it most of the time.
>>
>
> Tried most Asian markets on Vancouver Island and came up empty. Contacted
> Cold Mountain (very helpful) but they don't sell up here yet.
>
> The recipe that I working with has lactic Acid as an ingredient. So I hope
> that helps.

So the starch will not convert to sugar without bacteria. Now I know why we
had such a hard time in the Navy having our freeze dried potatoes to make a
good mash every time. When we were too clean it just did not make a good
torpedo juice

Roy Boy wrote:
> "Brian" > wrote in message
> news:66x9f.93708$Io.50389@clgrps13...
>
>>Droopy wrote:
>>
>>>You can, but koji also sours the mix and adds mroe flavor.
>>> Look in asian markets. They sell it most of the time.
>>>
>>
>>Tried most Asian markets on Vancouver Island and came up empty. Contacted
>>Cold Mountain (very helpful) but they don't sell up here yet.
>>
>>The recipe that I working with has lactic Acid as an ingredient. So I hope
>>that helps.
>
>
> So the starch will not convert to sugar without bacteria. Now I know why we
> had such a hard time in the Navy having our freeze dried potatoes to make a
> good mash every time. When we were too clean it just did not make a good
> torpedo juice
>
>

LOL. I bet it had two uses Stripping paint and degeasing.

Damn the torpedo and pass the Jug....

Brian

Yeah, kinda. Koji is a mold (apsergillus) that converts the starch, it
secretes amylase.

Now what do you think of when you hear amylase and aspergillus?????

BEANO!

Beano is amylase enzyme purified from aspergillus. So you technically
could make sake using lactic acid and beano (or amylase purified from
barley). It would not taste exactally the same...but it would not be
starchy rice alcohol either.

Another thing that aspergillus enzyme is used for is producing grain
syrups (most noteably brown rice syrup) for use by people with celliacs
disease, because the barley amylase used in most grain syrup production
may contain some glutein.