I’ve come to understand that a subtle hint of Koji is normal in a homebrew-sake, or even off-the-shelf sake, but the sort of smell I’m dealing with here is of the “impossible-to-bear” kind.
Frankly, it makes drinking the stuff impossible.
I guess my question here is: how do I get rid of the pugnant Koji smell in my sake?
Yesterday I decided to press half a gallon or so of nigorizake.
I had some friends coming over, the wife’s making sushi and here I am: going to present a first offering of some homemade Sake: i.c. nigorizake.
By this time Moromi is in it’s eighteenth day of fermenting.
Fermenting has been going on nicely. There is still some foaming going on.
SG is 1004.
Moromi has been performed on a stable 50 degrees F (10 Celcius).
Cut a long story short:
I press 1/2 gallon out of a 10 gallon batch fermenting.
Put it in 2 bottles.
Some nice pasteurisation going on at 68 degrees C.
Next cool down.
Nice taste. Alcohol and all.
But the smell of Koji is overwhelming.
Couldn’t get my friends to drink the stuff.
And I don’t blame them for it.
What can I do to get rid of the Koji-smell?
Wait with pressing the main batch which is still at SG=1004?
Rise fermentation temperature to sixties?
Filtering of some kind?
Patience?
I know now that pasteurisation by itself doesn’t chase Koji smells away.
Am I the only one having these Koji smell problems?
questions, questions . . .
