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There is some debate about yeast! What you need to know is that unlike wine where the grapes are just pressed, in sake the rice is polished, rinsed and then steamed to make it gelatinous, so that after all these steps the rice is free of its indigenous yeasts. Traditionally, it was the yeasts living in the air of the brewery that allowed the transformation of sugar into alcohol. The problem in this case is that as long as there is not enough lactic acid in the yeast starter (called shubo) to protect the fermenting juice, unwanted bacteria and yeast will come in and spoil the sake and give it a bad taste. Sometimes, even if there is not enough yeast, the fermentation cannot be completed. Sometimes, by chance, in the brewery environment, a dominant and good quality yeast would develop. At the turn of the century, researchers succeeded in isolating some sake yeasts for conducting sake fermentation. This was a revolution in sake production, as it greatly improved the quality of sake. There are many types of selected yeasts. The most commonly used are yeasts No. 6, 7 and 9. But today, laboratories are creating modern, highly aromatic yeasts that compensate for the loss of brewery know-how, and these new yeasts are very successful among brewers. At the same time some breweries, very much influenced by the natural wine movement which is very fashionable in Japan, are reverting to indigenous yeasts, these sakes are often very acidic, probably due to the lack of lactic acid at the beginning of the fermentation, sometimes the lactic acid will develop too much which will give a yoghurt-like taste to the sake.

Sake rice is called Shuzo kotekimai rice // shuzo = to make sake // koteki = usable // mai = rice // Rice that can be used to make sake = Sake rice // Sake rice is rice that has a large core of pure starch, It is the opposite of food rice, which does not have a heart, but we still like it.

What water should be used?

Sake is made of at least 80% water. It is the main ingredient and undeniably influences the taste. In the final stages of the sake-making process, water is even added to adjust the taste. Water is also used to clean, soak and steam the rice, and to clean utensils and equipment. The taste of the water leaves its mark.

The taste of sake is determined by its mineral content. Iron and manganese cause unpleasant odours and flavours, while potassium, magnesium and certain phosphorus compounds will feed the koji* and yeast, which will become active and spread more quickly, reducing the possibility of the brew being contaminated by other pests.

So you need pure spring water. It is said that hard water is better for making good sake than soft water. Hard water will make a drier sake, while soft water will make a sweeter sake.

Beware! Some breweries use mains tap water which they filter and re-mineralise. it is also always possible to rebalance the minerals in your water, even spring water, to have ideal water. I don't think it's a problem, but if you do it, it's good to say so. Too many breweries communicate about their water or their traditions, making lies by omission.

The hardness of water varies from source to source. It is determined by the concentration of certain minerals, especially magnesium, calcium and calcium carbonate. It is measured in parts per million (ppm). At less than 60 ppm, the water will be considered very soft; in Japanese it is called nansui 軟水. Par contre, si elle contient plus de 120 ppm, on la qualifiera de dure; on l'appelle kôsui 硬水

soft water = 0 to 60ppm // medium hard water = 60 to 120ppm // hard water = 120ppm or more

evian = 345ppm

Koji* = microscopic fungus ( aspergillus orizae ) that enables enzymatic fermentation by transforming rice starch into sugar