When I started thinking about learning to brew, one of the first things I became afraid of was being that person. You know, the person that is so proud that they fermented anything, that they can't tell whether or not it's any good? That person who gives you a bottle of home-made wine as a serious gift, like it was from a famous chateau in France. Inevitably, they ask you how it was and you smile and promptly begin lying. I remember a certain instance where a man wanted to thank my father-in-law (who doesn't drink) for helping him build a porch by giving him a case of homemade wine. Well, guess who got stuck w/ a majority of those bottles? Needless to say, it was terrible. The label said "Merlot" but it tasted like grape juice mixed with moonshine.
Anyhow, the other day I finally siphoned off the sake I'm making into their secondary fermenters! When this is done, I choose to save a little and drink it fresh as nigorizake. I took about two pints, pasteurized them, and chilled them. I was so excited!!! I tasted it, and I swear to you- it wasn't the pride talking- it really did taste good. Cautiously, I had Mr. Chops taste it, and he confirmed that it was drinkable and actually pretty good. Then, the next thing that popped into my head was, I needed a third opinion! So, I immediately thought of Geof and Carla. They are nice enough to read my blog, so I thought they wouldn't mind being guinea pigs. I called them up and they procured a sample. I felt pretty good about this because, well, I had tasted it, and it seemed pretty much on the mark. They both have excellent taste, so I told them to be honest, and that if it sucked I wanted to know. Fortunately, I spared them the interrogation and ended up answering my own question.
I opened another jar of the fresh sake last night and to my horror, it tasted slightly off and the smell was definitely off. I guess I must have done something wrong. Which is strange, because the jar I had tasted first was prepared exactly the same way and tasted pretty good. Oh dear, I am that person! Sorry Geof and Carla! At least I didn't send over a case.
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4 comments:
I hope you didn't drink &/or pour out that "merlot" w/o trying to let it turn into vinegar - it might turn out to be an o.k. marinade or dressing base.
You didn't tell me about this problem in your e-mail! I'll help you troubleshoot it if you want to fill me in on your process.
Bob, I am still trying to decide whether or not the sake is supposed to taste the way it does, it's not bad...just different.
If you used WYeast Sake #9, the aroma should be reminiscent of vanilla, with maybe some fruit in there (strawberry, melon). It should taste alcoholic, slightly bitter, slightly sour, and with a slight sweetness from the nigori that is perceived by your mouth as body. If it tastes a little harsh now, that's okay - it will age out in a couple of months.
What you DON'T want to smell or taste is any kind of putridity, excessive sourness, or Belgian-type funkayness. That would be an indicator of spoilage, specifically lactobacillus leftover from fermentation due to not pasteurizing or not pasteurizing thoroughly enough.
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