前回は蒸しでした 蒸し終わったらまずは冷却→種切り このあたりのノウハウも話し出すとキリがないのと、 設備や環境、意図する麹や、最終製品が何かで大きく変わってきますので、 清酒、焼酎、味噌、など各業界のテキストを参照してください 醸造協会のテキストがおすすめです その中でも麹作りについては「麹学」はおすすめです 麹作りの技術でいうと、丁寧さ、製麹の仕上がりのコントロールの使い分けは清酒業界が一番だと思います 寝る間を惜しみ、神経をすり減らし、神がかった麹を作るなんてことは、一般の方は目指さなくても良いと思います （その世界で何十年とやってきた人だけが目指せる世界かと・・・） 味噌には味噌の、焼酎には焼酎の、家庭には家庭の様々な作り方があります 各業界の中で「丁寧な」仕事をすることが大切だと思います というわけで今回はオリゼービール作りの場合で説明します 蒸しが終わりましたら、スコップでテーブルの上に蒸米を広げていきます 一度で終わるほどうちのテーブルは広くないので、複数回に分けて作業します うちの作業場は麹室ではありません。ボトルコンディションルームも兼ねて年中20〜２３度にしていますので、冷えすぎないように迅速に作業します 扇風機で粗熱を飛ばしながら、蒸米をシャモジで広げていきます 蒸米を触る時の基本ですが、上から下へのベクトル方向では力をかけず、斜め方向に力をかける事ですその際に布の摩擦を利用します。布は厚手の帆布がおすすめです。 このルールを守れば上手く広げられると思います 手で触れるほどの温度になれば細かく隙間なく広げていきます (下の動画参照) 広げ終わったら、温度を40度前後まで調整します 高い温度は待てば下がりますし、扇風機で下げることができますが、 下げすぎた温度は、上げることができませんので注意してください 空気が静まるのを待って、種麹を切ります 種麹がばら麹の場合（お米にそのまま麹菌をつけているタイプ）の時は網目の細かい篩で、 種麹が粉状の場合(パウダータイプ、米粉などで種麹を増量して、機械散布にも対応したタイプ)はワンカップの瓶や空き缶などに種麹を入れ、ガーゼやメッシュなどで蓋をして、逆さにして振ります この辺も１冊の本にできるくらいみなさん個性的です プロ野球カードみたいに、杜氏の種切りの容器カードをポテトチップスにつけても良いくらい Youtubeや写真で杜氏さんの種切り風景を見つけたら容器や、振り方、高さなどに注目してみてください 種麹の種類についても、最終製品で異なります 酵素力価や、価格、出麹の色、発熱の性質、機械製麹か手作業かなどなど うちの場合は糖化力の高いものを使っています 種麹を振って１、２分待ってテーブル全体に行き渡ったら、蒸米を裏返して 同じ作業を繰り返します 最後に一箇所に山にしてまとめ、全体をもう一度揉んで終了 発酵機に移し替えます 麦麹の場合は、サラサラなので手間はかかりません 塊になっている麦を細かくほぐし、種麹を目標温度で振るだけです その後、満遍なく混ぜてください Last time it was steamed. After steaming, the first step is to cool and then cut the seed. When it comes to these techniques, there is no end to the knowledge, and it greatly depends on the facilities, environment, intended koji, and the final product. Therefore, please refer to the texts of various industries such as sake, shochu, and miso. I recommend the texts from brewing associations, especially "Koji Studies" for koji making. In terms of koji making techniques, I think the sake industry is the best when it comes to meticulousness and controlling the quality of koji. I believe it's not necessary for ordinary people to aim for making godlike koji by sacrificing sleep and exhausting themselves. It's a world that only those who have been doing it for decades can aspire to, I think. There are various ways to make miso for miso, shochu for shochu, and each household has its own way. I think it's important to do "meticulous" work in each industry. So, this time, I will explain in the context of making Oryzae beer. Once the steaming is done, spread the steamed rice on the table with a scoop. Our table is not large enough to finish in one go, so we divide the work into multiple rounds. Our workspace is not a dedicated koji room. It also serves as a bottle conditioning room, and we maintain a temperature of 20-23 degrees Celsius throughout the year to avoid excessive cooling. Therefore, it is important to work quickly and efficiently to prevent the rice from cooling too much. While using a fan to dissipate the heat, spread the steamed rice on the table with a paddle. The basic rule when touching the steamed rice is to apply force diagonally, not from top to bottom. Utilize the friction of the cloth in the process. Thick canvas is recommended for the cloth. If you follow this rule, you should be able to spread it well. Once it reaches a temperature that you can touch with your hands, spread it evenly without leaving any gaps. （See video below） After spreading, adjust the temperature to around 40 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is too high, it will decrease over time or you can lower it with a fan. However, if the temperature becomes too low, you cannot raise it, so please be careful. Wait for the air to settle down and then cut the seed koji. For loose seed koji (where koji mold is directly applied to the rice), use a fine-mesh sieve. For powdered seed koji (powder type, increased with rice flour, etc., suitable for mechanical sprinkling), put the seed koji in a one-cup bottle or an empty can, cover it with gauze or mesh, and shake it upside down. This aspect is also unique to each person and can fill a whole book. It's like attaching a container card for the koji cutter of the toji (master brewer) to a bag of potato chips, it's that interesting. If you find a video or photo of a toji spreading the seed koji on YouTube, pay attention to the containers, shaking method, height, etc. The type of seed koji also varies depending on the final product, such as enzyme power, price, color during koji production, heat generation characteristics, mechanical or manual koji making, and so on. In our case, we use those with high saccharification power. Shake the seed koji and wait for 1-2 minutes until it spreads throughout the table, then flip the steamed rice and repeat the same process. Finally, gather it in one place, form a mountain, knead the entire mixture once more, and it's done. Transfer it to the fermentation vessel. In the case of barely koji, it is easy to handle as it is in a loose form. Simply break apart the clumps of wheat and shake the seed koji at the desired temperature. After that, please mix it evenly.
