Ichika | Rice Wine | Brewed Drinks Kit BeerCo.au

Ichika Japanese Sake Style Rice Wine is a nice quick and easy to mix and ferment Rice Wine.  Moderate in alcohol and high in purity and taste this will have you coming back for more.  Ichika comes from the land of 1,000 flowers and she relishes her afternoon walks through the cherry blossom trees and finds peace in the quiet areas surrounding her local temple.  At night Ichika likes to go out with friends enjoying some fine food and her favourite local sake.  Ichika sometimes goes on on to karoke until the wee hours of the morning with her best friends. Ichika comes to life after sunset!

Kanpai | Cheers

Vital Stats:

• SG Target: 1.078
• FG Target: 1.000
• ALC: 11%
• Batch: 20 L
• Boil Time: 0 mins

Fermentables:

• 7 Kg of Sunwhite Medium Grain Calrose Rice 

Yeast:

• LALVIN | EC-1118 3g Sachet x 2

Aids:

• Organic Dry Rice Koji 400g
• Still Spirits | Glucoamylase 11g Sachet
• Still Spirits | Yeast Nutrient Light 60g

Recommended Equipment (Not Included in Kit):

• Brew in a Bag
• Brewing Spoon
• 30L Plastic Fermenter

Method:

Make Koji Starter

1. Sterilise all equipment with alcohol or vinegar
2. Soak Organic Dry Rice Koji in 100ml water until water is absorbed
3. Ideally keep in a warm humid environment until fermentation begins (approx. 24 hours at 35-38 degrees)
4. Keep Koji moist using a damp cloth
5. Keep temperature under 40 degrees, breaking up and mixing Koji if needed
6. After 50 hours the Koji should start to give off sweet chestnut smell, it is now ready to use.

Make Rice Wine:

1. Heat 21 Litres in your Mash Tun, Kettle, or Boiler to 75℃.  Place a Brew in a Bag or Grain Basket inside your Mash Tun, Kettle or Boiler.
2. Rinse the Rice with clean water until the water runs clear.
3. Start mixing the rice into the bag/basket inside your mash tun, boiler or cooker.
4. Mash for 60 minutes at 75℃.  Stir periodically to avoid dough balls and clumping and to aid gelatinisation and starch conversion.
5. Once Mash is complete allow to cool to fermentation temperature or transfer both the liquid and solids into your fermenter.  Top up to 25L of total solids and liquid in your fermenter.
6. While waiting for water to cool, dissolve 2x 5g LALVIN | EC-1118 3g sachets in 100ml of 30-37℃ Water.  Dissolve and leave, standing for 10-20 minutes to rehydrate yeast.
7. Add the Still Spirits | Glucoamylase and rehydrated LALVIN | EC-1118 yeast to the wash when under 30℃,  stir in and sprinkle the rehydrated Koji on top.
8. Hold temp between 15-25℃ the lower the temp the longer the fermentation the better the end result.  (recommended 16-18℃  for 3 week fermentation)
9. Regularly aerate the wash for the first couple of days and perform a staggered yeast nutrient on days 2, 3 and 5 (20g of Still Spirits | Yeast Nutrient Light)
10. When FG reaches 1.000 and fermentation has stopped cold crash for 24-48 hours to let yeast and koji settle at the bottom and top. 
11. Syphon out or filter out the liquid, avoiding the koji rice and yeast deposits floating at the top and bottom of the liquid.
12. Now sit back and relax and enjoy your fermented rice wine (Sake) with some sashimi. ABV 11%

Further Reading and Watching and Knowledge Sources on Sake:

• Making Sake | BYO Magazine