grain and only the liquid is fermented, the
thick gruel of cooked rice is fermented whole.
And the rice is introduced gradually into the
fermentation, not all at once: new portions of
cooked rice and water are added to the vat at
intervals during the fermentation, which lasts
from two weeks to several months. All of
these practices apparently contribute to the
yeasts’ ability to continue producing alcohol
to high concentrations. When rice is added
toward the end of fermentation, some sugar
remains unmetabolized by the yeasts, and the
resulting alcohol is sweet.
Chinese Practice: Ordinary Rice and High
Temperatures Traditional Chinese brewing
begins with soaking the mold preparation in
water for several days, and then proceeds with
the periodic addition of ordinary cooked rice
over the course of an initial fermentation that
may last one or two weeks at a temperature
around 85ºF/30ºC. At the end of this phase,