the mash is often divided into smaller
containers and held at cooler temperatures for
weeks or months. The liquid is then pressed
from the solids, filtered, adjusted with water
and colored with caramel, pasteurized at 190–
200ºF/85–90ºC for 5–10 minutes, matured for
several months, then filtered and packaged.
The high-temperature pasteurization helps
develop the finished flavor.
Japanese Practice: Polished Rice and Low
Temperatures Chinese brewers use rice that
has been milled to remove about 10% of the
grain, only slightly more than is removed to
make ordinary white rice for cooking (p. 472).
In Japan, however, the rice for anything above
the standard grade of sake must be milled to
remove a minimum of 30% of the grain, and
the highest grades of sake are made with rice
that has been polished down to 50% or less of
its original weight. The center of the rice
grain is the portion that contains the most