Narrator:
SAKE IS JAPANESE RICE WINE.
IT'S DISTINGUISHED
BY TWO MAIN FACTORS --
HOW THE RICE IS MILLED
BEFORE FERMENTATION,
AND WHETHER THERE'S
ANY DISTILLED ALCOHOL
ADDED TO THE FINAL BLEND.
SAKE CAN BE MASS-PRODUCED
OR HANDCRAFTED
THE TRADITIONAL WAY.
THIS CANADIAN MICROBREWERY
ONLY MAKES PURE RICE WINE
CALLED JUNMAI-SHU.
THE BREWERY DOESN'T ADD
ANY EXTRA ALCOHOL TO THEIR
SAKE.
THE CLEAR SAKE, KNOWN AS
SEISHU,
HAVE A SUBTLE, FRUITIER,
NUTTY FLAVOR.
CLOUDIER SAKE IS CALLED
NIGORI.
IT CONTAINS RICE SEDIMENT,
WHICH PRODUCES
ITS CREAMIER TEXTURE.
THE RICE IS MILLED BEFORE
IT ARRIVES AT THE BREWERY.
MILLING REMOVES
THE PROTEINS AND LIPIDS
ON THE OUTSIDE LAYERS
OF THE RICE GRAIN.
THIS RICE HAS 30 PERCENT
OF ITS GRAIN MILLED AWAY.
THE STARCH OF THE CORE
WILL PRODUCE PREMIUM SAKE.
FIRST, THEY WASH THE RICE.
THEN, THE POUR IT
IN A POROUS BAG
AND SOAK IT
IN COLD FILTERED WATER.
THE BREWMASTER CHECKS THE RICE
WITH HIS HANDS.
ONCE IT REACHES
THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY,
THEY DRAIN THE BAG OVERNIGHT.
THEN, THEY POUR THE RICE
INTO A STEAMER.
THE STEAMER COOKS THE RICE
UNDER
PRESSURE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR.
THEY COVER THE STEAMER
WITH CLOTH
TO CONTAIN THE RICE AS IT
COOKS.
THE STEAMER SOFTENS THE RICE
BUT DOESN'T OVERCOOK IT.
TO FERMENT AT THE RIGHT SPEED,
THE RICE NEEDS TO BE FIRM
ON THE OUTSIDE AND SOFT
IN THE CENTER.
WORKERS SEPARATE THE RICE
BY HAND,
THEN USE FANS TO COOL THE RICE
DOWN TO ABOUT 98 DEGREES.
NEXT, THEY TRANSFER IT
TO A HEATED ROOM.
THEY SPREAD OUT THE RICE
AND COVER IT WITH MOLD SPORES
IMPORTED FROM JAPAN.
WHEN HEATED, THE SPORES
GERMINATE AND GROW ON THE
RICE.
THE SPORES SECRETE ENZYMES
THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE STARCH
INTO FERMENTABLE SUGARS.
WORKERS INSERT A THERMOMETER
INTO THE RICE
THEN WRAP IT IN CLOTH
TO HOLD IN THE HEAT.
48 HOURS LATER,
THE SWEET RICE, CALLED KOJI,
IS READY.
NOW, THEY BEGIN
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS.
THEY MIX 3/4 OF STEAMED RICE
WITH 1/4 OF KOJI
IN A TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED
FERMENTATION TANK.
THEN, THEY ADD SPRING WATER
AND YEAST.
THE MOLD ENZYMES IN THE KOJI
CONVERT THE STARCH
IN THE STEAMED RICE INTO
SUGARS.
THE YEAST CONSUMES THOSE
SUGARS
AND PRODUCES ALCOHOL.
THE PROCESS TAKES
ABOUT THREE WEEKS.
THE BREWMASTER CHECKS
THE TEMPERATURE, ACIDITY,
RESIDUAL SUGAR,
AND ALCOHOL LEVELS EVERY DAY.
WHEN THE BREW IS READY,
THEY POUR IT INTO CLOTH BAGS.
THEY NEATLY STACK THE BAGS
IN A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE
MECHANICAL PRESS.
LARGE SAKE BREWERIES
AUTOMATE THIS ENTIRE PROCESS,
BUT THIS SMALLER OPERATION
FOLLOWS CENTURY-OLD TRADITIONS
AND DOES EVERYTHING BY HAND.
AS THE PRESS FILLS UP,
THE WEIGHT OF THE BAGS
KICK-STARTS THE PRESSING.
THEY SEAL THE PRESS
WITH HEAVY STEEL PLATES
AND MOUNT
THE PRESSING MECHANISM.
AS THEY TURN THE CRANK,
THE PRESS SQUEEZES
ALL THE LIQUID OUT OF THE
BAGS.
WHEN THEY'RE DONE,
ONLY UNFERMENTED RICE
WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.
THE LIQUID SAKE
DRAINS OUT OF A SPOUT
AT THE BASE OF THE PRESS.
THEY AGE THE SAKE
IN REFRIGERATED TANKS
FOR UP TO 4 MONTHS.
AS IT AGES, THE SAKE DEVELOPS
DEEPER AND MORE COMPLEX
FLAVORS.
NOT ONLY IS THIS SAKE
ENTIRELY HANDCRAFTED,
IT'S ALSO HAND-BOTTLED.
WORKERS USE
A GRAVITY-FED FILLING MACHINE
TO POUR SAKE
INTO THESE GLASS BOTTLES.
THE DARK BOTTLES
PROTECTS THE SAKE FROM UV
RAYS,
WHICH WOULD SPOIL ITS COLOR
AND FLAVOR.
NEXT,
THEY ADD THE ALUMINUM TWIST
CAP.
A MACHINE MOLDS IT TO THE
SHAPE
OF THE BOTTLENECK
AND CRIMPS THE BOTTOM RIM.
THEY APPLY A LABEL
TO EACH BOTTLE
WITH A SIMPLE
HAND-CRANK MACHINE.
FULL-STRENGTH SAKE HAS AN
ALCOHOL CONTENT OF 18 PERCENT.
SOME SAKE IS DILUTED
WITH SPRING WATER
TO BRING THE ALCOHOL CONTENT
DOWN BEFORE BOTTLING.
THE SAKE THIS BREWERY
PRODUCES IS UNPASTEURIZED.
THIS ENHANCES THE FLAVOR
BUT REQUIRES REFRIGERATION.
