hand-pressed

The excitement of brewing sake has sort of been overshadowed with work and the new dog, but luckily it didn't need a lot of help to ferment for the past couple of weeks.  I basically let it sit in my closet where it bubbled away happily until Tuesday.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, but Sam and I spent all evening moving beers to secondary containers and pressing sake.  My directions say to use a wine press, but all of my friends' presses are large and cumbersome to transport.  So I did it the old-fashioned way - with my hands.  And let me tell you, my hands were tired by the end.

However, I did manage to successfully gain 2.25 gallons of approximately 20% ABV unfiltered sake.  It is not finished, however, as it looks like milk and will take several more weeks to fully clarify.  While it may appear unappetizing, it smells wonderful.

DAYS 18-28
Ferment in 50 deg closet

DAY 29
Press with fine-mesh nylon bag
Yield: 2.25 gallons
Secondary in one-gallon jugs with airlocks

DAY 30
Bubbles overflowed airlocks
Put blow-off tube on one jug

DAY 32
Removed blow-off
All looks well