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.

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.

I have had couple like that too.

Here are a couple of sites that I found useful.

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.

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.