Carol- No I haven't actually brewed sake yet. The kome-koji is the last ingredient I need to start.
Here is the article. I tried to post photos, but it didn't seem to want to work. If you have any questions, please ask them.
Kevin
A Cheap And Easy Method To Control Sake Brewing Temperatures.
I live in Memphis, TN. Temperate climate zone, high summer heat, high humidity. I have seen several questions in the comment sections on Bob Taylor's site about controlling the brewing temperature if you live in a climate area like mine and you don't have a basement, or a box freezer, or refrigerator that can be dedicated for brewing, like me, but no real answers. I believe I have developed a relatively cheap and easy method for doing just that. I have done some initial non-brewing control experiments, using water, and they were very successful. I got the initial idea from the guy that operates one of the local brewing supply stores (Mid-South Malts) here in Memphis, and I have tweaked it a bit, hopefully, to be more sake friendly. It may seem a little labor intensive, but I don't believe any more so than any of the other operations necessary for brewing sake.
I have been very successful in maintaining temperatures at 74 degrees and 50 degrees with a fluctuation of plus or minus two degrees using this method. I have not actually brewed anything using this method yet. All the information I relate is based on using water as a medium. Your results may vary.
Here's, essentially, how it works
Equipment:
A Standard Cooler: Big enough to hold your brewing vessel with a little clearance between the brewing vessel and the inside wall of the cooler. It is not necessary to be able to close the top. I am using a Coleman 75 quart cooler. A normal five gallon brewing bucket, or glass carboy, will work in as small as a 56 quart cooler, but it is a very tight fit.
1/2” to 1” Thick Open Cell Foam Pad: Cut to fit the circumference and height of your brewing vessel. This is the yellow open cell foam style pad normally used as a pad on top of mattresses and for pillow stuffing. You should be able to find it at your local department, hardware, or fabric store.
Plastic Bottles: 2 Liter soft drink, or other similar size. You will need several. I recommend at least eight.
A Thermometer: I use a digital cooking thermometer with a probe attached by a cord. After sanitizing the probe and cord, I simply insert it through the airlock hole in the top of the bucket to take a reading.
The Setup:
1. The day before you start the brewing process fill the bottles with water. Put four in the refrigerator, and four in the freezer.
2. Wrap and secure (tie, tape, however) the cut-to-fit foam pad around your brewing vessel and put it in the cooler.
The Process:
As you are doing the various brewing steps place two, or as many as you need, of the plastic bottles, on either side of the brewing vessel to maintain the necessary temperature for that step. The refrigerated water filled bottles for temperatures in the 70 degree ranges, and the frozen bottles for the 50 degree ranges. You will need to replace the appropriate bottles as they warm up, or melt, as the case may be, to maintain the desired temperature. Depending on your environment, you may need to replace the refrigerated bottles every four to six hours, and the frozen bottles every eight to twelve hours. I recommend, at least in the beginning, that you do temperature checks as often as you feel is necessary until you get the “feel” for how temperatures fluctuate in your situation. I would, at least, do temperature checks at the times you replace the bottles.
Suggestions:
1. Before you start using this system for brewing, conduct your your own experiments, using water as a stand-in for your actual brewing ingredients. Your process may need to be adapted depending on the temperatures and humidity in your area. Example: I have found the cooler I am using maintains the desired temperatures for much longer a period than I expected, and therefore I do not need to change out the bottles as often as I expected. It took me about a week to figure how to work the system. You may find that instead of two refrigerated bottles, one will do the trick for the 70 degree steps, or one frozen bottle may work best to maintain 50 degrees, or you may need more than two. Etc.
2. When reducing the temperature from the 70's to the 50's it will take some time. You may want to use three or all four of the frozen bottles. When you get to about three degrees of the target temperature remove the extra bottle(s) and put them back in the freezer.
3. Warming the temperatures back up from 50 degrees will also take time. Since coolers are designed to maintain a cold environment, you may want to remove the brewing vessel from the cooler to accomplish this in a more timely manner.
) I think I may try brewing up some sake. So thanks much for posting this.
