前回は種切りでした 今回は麹の手入れです 基礎知識として一つ頭に入れておいていただきたいのは、 日本の醸造業の用語は古い用語がたくさん出てきます 現代では使わない用語ばかり 英語に直せないものも沢山あります 今回だと 床寝せ→麹菌の発芽のステージ 盛り→塊をほぐし、トレイに小分けするステージ １番手入れ、２番手入れ、仕舞い仕事→温度、湿度コントロールのステージ と昭和頃までは名前と作業内容が一致していたのですが、 現代では名前と作業内容がイコールにはなっておりません 現代では麹蓋や箱麹、大吟醸のタライ麹、機械製麹など 容器の種類、規模、サイズなどが異なります ですが、この用語は目的と時間経過のタイミングとして必ず使用されますので、 覚えるのは必須となります もしこれから麹の勉強を始める方 最初はややこしいかもしれませんが、一度古い用語覚えてしまってから 自分の解釈に翻訳すると良いかと思います 私の場合は、大型の機械製麹（800kgぐらい）から、清酒の箱麹、麹蓋の一升盛りと一通りの製麹経験ありです というわけで、詳しいお話は醸造協会発行の「麹学」を参照してください 以下はうちの機械製麹の場合のお話し 使用している製麹機はヤエガキのミニ１５D非常に扱いやすく、初心者でも簡単に扱うことができます アマチュア、セミプロレベルでは最高のものです 全国のお土産系の味噌づくりや甘酒の加工場で使われているシェアNo.1のロングセラー品です これを作っているヤエガキ技研さんは酒造りの技術部が発展し、最終的にはプロペラ機まで作ってしまったことのある最高の会社です この機械15kgまで盛れることになっていますが、 麦麹など15kgまで盛ると夏場などはファンで冷やしきれませんのでご注意 12,3kgが安全なサイズかと思います 昨日の種切り→引き込み（種切りした麹を機械の中に入れる）から 朝、盛りの作業となります うちの場合はブロック状に固まった麹を、バラバラにほぐす作業です この時、金平糖と呼ばれる、米粒が数粒固まったものがありますので、これも一粒一粒になるまで解します これを放っておくと、この小さな塊には麹菌は繁殖しません。 また、この塊は普通のお米とは異なり、酒になったときにえぐみ、雑味の原因となります 一度、この金平糖のみ集めて作った甘酒を作ったことがありますが、最高にエグかったです（笑） 盛りが終われば温度計を挿して、ファンが作動する温度を設定します 最高品温を何度にするか=どの酵素を麹菌に作ってもらいたいか という麹作りのポイントとなります ざっと言うと、40度前後だとアミラーゼが35度前後だとプロテアーゼが多くなります 甘酒など甘く作りたいなら、40度ぐらい、 味噌など旨味のあるものを作りたいなら35度ぐらい となります また、種麹の種類によって最初に発熱しやすいタイプやゆっくりと発熱するタイプなどがあります うちの場合は１番手入れ、２番手入れ、仕舞い仕事と３回ほど手入れします 麹を手でほぐし、温度を下げ、湿度をコントロールしてあげます 詳しい話は割愛しますが、 手入れのポイントは 温度・湿度・体積・表面積 このコントロールです 麹を分厚くすれば保温、保湿できますし 広げて表面積を多くすれば、（気化熱で）乾燥させ温度を下げることができます この時に麹の菌糸の進行方向を意識してあげると良いかと思います 湿度低ければ、米の中に水分を求めますし、 米よりも外側が湿度が高ければ、米の表面に繁殖しようとします この性質を利用して麹作りを進めてください 麹菌がびっしり繁殖しているのが良い麹と思われがちですが、 目的の使い方で「デンプンと酵素の量、菌体量（タンパク質）」の割合を変化させるのが麹作りだと個人的に思っています 酒屋万流、みなさんそれぞれです ハゼ落ちが多い方は、頑張って綺麗に種を切るようにしましょう ちなみに機械製麹の場合は、力技で冷やすという方法です なので、湿気がダイナミックに変化してしまうので注意が必要です 盛りの工程は、まさに酒造りの肝で、各蔵のこだわりの結晶です ブログなどでは書くには限界がありますので、 ぜひお近くの杜氏さんや蔵人さんに苦労話を聞いていただければと思います This time it's about koji maintenance. One fundamental thing to keep in mind is that the terminology used in Japanese brewing industry often includes many old terms. These are mostly outdated terms that are not used in modern times, and there are many terms that cannot be directly translated into English. For example, in this case: * "Tokonese" refers to the stage of koji mold germination. * "Mori" refers to the stage of loosening and dividing the koji into trays. * "1st Teire,” "2nd Teire,” and "shimai work" refer to stages of temperature and humidity control. Until the Showa era, the names of these stages matched their corresponding tasks. However, in modern times, the names and tasks are not necessarily equivalent. In contemporary settings, the types, sizes, and scales of containers, such as “tray koji ," "box koji," "daiginjo tarai koji," and "mechanical koji," vary. However, these terms are always used to indicate the purpose and timing of the process. So, it is essential to learn and remember them. If you are starting to study koji, it may seem complicated at first. However, once you memorize the old terms and interpret them in your own understanding, it will be beneficial. In my case, I have experience in koji production ranging from large-scale mechanical koji (around 800kg) to sake box koji and one-sho (1.8L) portion of tray koji. Therefore, for detailed information, please refer to "Koji-gaku" published by the brewing association. The following discussion is specific to our mechanical koji production: We use the YAEGAKI Mini 15D koji machine. It is extremely user-friendly and even beginners can handle it easily. It is the best choice for amateurs and semi-professionals. It is the number one best-selling brand used in souvenir miso-making and amazake processing facilities nationwide. Yae Gaki Giken, the company that manufactures this machine, has advanced in brewing technology and even developed propeller planes, making it an outstanding company. Although this machine is designed to handle up to 15kg, please be aware that in summer or hot weather, it may not be able to cool properly when filled to the maximum capacity. I would recommend using a safe size of around 12-13kg. In the morning, we proceed to the "mori" stage. In our case, it involves loosening the koji that has formed into block-like clusters and separating them. During this process, there are small clusters called "konpeito(Japanese old sugar candy name),” which are a few grains of rice stuck together. These need to be individually separated as well. If left as clusters, the koji mold will not propagate within these small clusters. Additionally, these clusters, unlike regular rice, can cause astringency and off-flavors in the resulting sake. I once made amazake using only these konpeito clusters, and it turned out extremely bitter (laughs). Once the mori stage is completed, we insert a thermometer and set the temperature at which the fan will operate. Determining the highest temperature corresponds to the desired enzymes we want the koji mold to produce, which is a crucial point in koji-making. In general, if you want to create something sweet like amazake, you would set it around 40 degrees Celsius. If you want to make something with umami, like miso, you would set it around 35 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, different types of starter koji have varying characteristics in terms of how quickly they generate heat or how slowly they do so. In our case, we perform three rounds of maintenance: 1st maintenance, 2nd maintenance, and "shimai(means close)” work. We manually separate the koji, lower the temperature, and control the humidity. I'll skip the detailed discussion, but the key points in the maintenance process are temperature, humidity, volume, and surface area control. Increasing the thickness of the koji helps with insulation and moisture retention. Spreading it out increases the surface area, enabling it to dry ( by vaporization heat) and lower the temperature. It's good to be aware of the direction in which the koji mold hyphae are progressing during this process. If the humidity is low, it will seek moisture within the rice grains. If the humidity is higher on the outer surface than inside, it will try to propagate on the rice's surface. Take advantage of these characteristics to advance the koji-making process. It may be commonly thought that densely populated koji with abundant mold growth is desirable, but personally, I believe koji-making involves adjusting the proportions of starch, enzymes, and fungal biomass (protein) based on the desired usage. Different breweries have their own preferences. If you have many "hazeochi” (Grain of rice that has koji mold and is not growing), make an effort to shake the Koji seeds carefully. By the way, in the case of mechanical koji production, the cooling process relies on brute force. Therefore, it is necessary to be cautious because the humidity changes dynamically. The mori stage is truly the essence of sake production and represents each brewery's unique craftsmanship. It is challenging to describe everything in a blog post, so I highly recommend listening to the stories of experienced sake brewers and brewery workers in your local area.
