Sake – a “wine” that is … a beer?
National fungus | Sake is an ancient alcoholic beverage made from a mash of steamed rice. However, because rice, unlike barley, lacks enzymes for converting its own starch into fermentable sugars that yeast can metabolize, mashing rice to produce a fermentable extract requires the introduction of exogenous enzymes. This article tells the story of how Japanese alcohol makers have mastered this challenge and, by implication, how today’s brewers can make sake with modern equipment.
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