Rice "Wine"
Rice Centered Beverages Originating in Korea and Japan
Index
| Name | Style | ABV % | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hana Takju 16 | Makgeolli | 16% | Brooklyn |
| Sho Chuku Bai | Sake, Nigori | 15% | Berkeley |
| Gekkeikan Traditional | Junmai | 15.6% | Folsom |
| Sho Chiku Bai | Junmai Ginjo | 14% | Berkeley |
| Konteki Pearls of Simplicity | Junami Daiginjo | 15.5% | Japan |
| Chum Churum | Soju | 16.5 | Korea |
Today's Samples
- Remember Beverage "Styles" Are Relatively New
- Alcohol made with whatever is on hand
- Western Tradition
- Beer is grain based, lower in alcohol
- Wine is fruit/sugar based, higher in alcohol
- Sake/Soju/etc tend to be more wine like in aroma and alcohol level
- The overall category is broad with many different strength levels, filtration, flavors, etc (Wikipedia has 42 types of "Rice Wine" across Asia)
- This is just a super skimming primer - each of these beverages has countless subcategories
Why "RICE WINE"
Makgeolli
Makgeolli
- Usually a "low alcohol" beverage of 6-9%
- higher abv = "Takju"
- Sometimes referred to in English as "Drunken Rice"
- Oldest recorded alcohol in Korea (~100BCE)
- Traditionally it's a household product
- Steamed Unpolished Rice
- Water
- Mixed bacterial culture ("nuruk")
- Month long fermentation, rough filtration
- Exported versions are pasteurized to stop fermentation
Sake
Sake
- Probably the first thing you think of when you think of "rice wine"
- Made with polished rice.
- polishing removes the outer layers that are fat and protein laden
- Process:
- Wash the rice, soak it to add moisture
- Steam and cool the rice
- Uses yeast and koji (Aspergillus Oryzae)
- The koji converts starch, the yeast ferments
- Multiple additions of freshly steamed rice
- 40-80 days
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Junmai | "Pure Rice Sake" rice, water, koji, yeast |
| Honjozo | Sake with distilled alcohol added |
| Nigori | "Milky" Unfiltered Sake |
| Ginjo | Rice polished by 40% |
| Dai Ginjo | Rice polished by 50% |
| Futsushu | "Table Sake" - this is probably the stuff you're getting warm at the sushi bar |
Sake Terms
Soju/Shochu
Soju
- distilled clear "neutral" spirit from Korea
- Sochu is the Japanese version, different, but same idea
- traditionally made from rice wine
- The clearer, unsedimented part of the makgeoilli process.
- today can be made, like Vodka from anything, especially wheat
- Most Soju is around 20% abv
- Since 1999, California law allowed Soju to be served under a Type 41 beer/wine license under 25% abv
Beer
Echigo
Rice is an incredibly common and useful adjunct for brewing.
Echigo claims Japan's oldest microbrewery in 1995.
Niigata Prefecture is famous for it's rice, featured in this lager.
The brewery has also received international awards for their Wit and Stout
Sapporo Black
Oldest Japanese Beer Brand
Contains barley, roasted malts, corn, rice and noble hops
Also a steel can (according to legend back in the day)
RiceWines
By Drew Beechum
