Name: Gyukatsu Roses Sawanotsuru Recipe
Cook time: 24 h
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 0.12 kg polished short-grain sake rice (e.g., Yamada Nishiki or similar); 0.03 kg koji rice (rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae); 0.22 L water (brewing quality, low mineral content); 0.03 L white brewer's alcohol (jozo alcohol) or neutral distilled spirit; 0.0005 kg sake yeast (preferred: neutral or aromatic strain); 1 tsp lactic acid solution (0.2% final titratable acidity adjustment) or starter lactic acid; 2 tsp sugar or rice koji-saccharified wort (for boosting final ABV if needed); 0.5 g dried umeboshi (small piece) or ume extract (optional — for candied fruit note); 0.5 g dried shiitake cap (tiny piece) or shiitake soaking liquid (for subtle earthiness); 0.01 L finishing water (for dilution before bottling)

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Japanese pale lager, 180ml flask, 15.5% abv, earthy, candied fruity aroma

If starting from unpolished rice, ensure rice is polished to ~60% remaining. Rinse the polished rice under cold water until runoff is clear, then soak in water for 45–60 minutes, drain for 30 minutes.

Polish and wash rice

Steam the soaked rice for 40–50 minutes until the grains are tender but intact. Let the steamed rice cool to about 30–32°C (86–90°F). Keep covered to prevent drying.

Steam rice

If making koji: inoculate 30 g of steamed rice with a small sprinkle of koji spores, keep at 30–32°C and 90% humidity for ~40 hours, turning periodically until rice is fragrant and powdered with koji.

Prepare koji (if not purchased)

Make a small starter to build yeast population and control acidity. In a sanitized jar, combine 60 g steamed rice (cooled), 15 g koji rice, 120 ml warm brewing water (30°C), 1 tsp lactic acid solution, and the sake yeast. Mash lightly to create a porridge-like consistency. Keep at 18–20°C for 48–72 hours until active fermentation (bubbles and light foam) is visible.

Stage 1 (Hatsuzoe): In a sanitized small fermenter, add 30 g steamed rice, 7 g koji rice, and 80 ml warm water (30°C) to 25–48 hours active shubo. Stir gently. Maintain temperature at 12–15°C to favor clean lager-like profile with subtle aroma. Ferment for 24 hours.

Stage 2 (Nakazoe): After 24 hours, add 40 g steamed rice, 10 g koji rice, and 60 ml water. Stir gently to homogenize. Continue fermentation at 12–15°C for 24–36 hours.

Stage 3 (Tomezoe): Add remaining 50 g steamed rice, 13 g koji rice, and 40 ml water. Stir to integrate. The total mash will gradually become a viscous moromi. Keep at 10–12°C for a slow and steady fermentation for about 10–14 days, monitoring CO2 release and specific gravity (or density) decline.

Optional: At mid-fermentation (day 5–7), add 2 tsp sugar or a small portion of saccharified rice to support higher attenuation and approach target ABV of ~15.5%. Also add 2 tsp of jozo alcohol during or after main fermentation to help extract aroma and stabilize.

Press and separate sake from lees: After fermentation slows (low bubble activity and stable gravity), allow moromi to settle for 1–2 days, then press using a small mesh strainer or a cheesecloth-wrapped press to collect clear sake. Aim to collect about 180–200 ml of clear liquid.

Filtration and clarification: Float or decant and/or filter through a fine paper filter to remove particulate matter and yeast. Chill to 0–4°C for 24–48 hours to encourage cold break and further clarification.

Add finishing touches: Dissolve the tiny pieces of dried umeboshi and shiitake in 10 ml warm finishing water, steep for 10–15 minutes, then strain. Add the strained infusion to the sake in very small quantity (taste and adjust) to introduce a subtle candied-fruit and earthy note. If needed, adjust final volume with finishing water to reach 180 ml.

Pasteurization (optional for stability): Warm the filled flask to 60–65°C for 3–5 minutes (kanzake) and then cool quickly to preserve flavor and shelf-stability. Alternatively, keep refrigerated and consume fresh.

Let the bottle rest for 3–7 days at cool temperature to allow flavors to integrate before serving.

polished short-grain sake rice (e.g., Yamada Nishiki or similar)

koji rice (rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae)

water (brewing quality, low mineral content)

white brewer's alcohol (jozo alcohol) or neutral distilled spirit

sake yeast (preferred: neutral or aromatic strain)

lactic acid solution (0.2% final titratable acidity adjustment) or starter lactic acid

sugar or rice koji-saccharified wort (for boosting final ABV if needed)

dried umeboshi (small piece) or ume extract (optional — for candied fruit note)

dried shiitake cap (tiny piece) or shiitake soaking liquid (for subtle earthiness)

finishing water (for dilution before bottling)

Sawanotsuru

Make Sawanotsuru Recipe in just 24h . Japanese pale lager, 180ml flask, 15.5% abv, earthy, candied fruity aroma

Sawanotsuru

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

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