Last time, we talked about the process of pressing the juice, but this time I would like to talk about the same process, but using a hanging bag and an automatic press.

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This person will explain

Toji shop owner/producer Eri Nakano

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In 1995, he opened the Japanese sake bar "Janapese Refined Sake Bar Tojiya" in Tenjinbashisuji, Osaka. He is active in various fields as a sake critic, seminar lecturer, and lyricist.

● Bag hanging ~ Beautiful Bodhisattva water
The method of squeezing sake by putting the sake in a bag, tying the opening (neck) of the bag with a rope, hanging it, and collecting the drops that drip out by their own weight without applying pressure is called "Fukuro-tsuri" (or "Kubi-zuri" in some regions). The sake is squeezed out by the sake of the sake's own weight, not by external pressure.
The dripping drops are collected in a glass container called a tobin, which has a capacity of one to (18 liters). Tobins come in a variety of shapes, from slightly elliptical to irregularly cylindrical with a wide bottom surface, and as far as I know, they come in three colors: clear, refreshing soda blue, and mysterious green.
The sight of freshly brewed sake accumulating in the tobin is never tiring to watch, and the liquid, which contains a small amount of sediment, subtly changes the appearance of the glass, giving it a beauty like Bodhisattva's water from the bottle.
Sake pressed in this way is called "Tobin-gai," "Tobin-tori," "Shizuku-zake," etc., and has a neat and beautiful appearance. It is labor-intensive and the yield is small, so it is mostly used for pressing Daiginjo sake.

● Automatic press ~ Squeezing by machine
"We press the mash with a Yabuta press." If you hear an answer like this when asking how they press the mash, it means they use a Yabuta automatic mash press (made by Yabuta Sangyo Co., Ltd.).

If I were asked, "What is the most popular automatic press?" I would answer without hesitation, "Yabuta type." This is because Yabuta Sangyo's automatic press is thought to have a larger market share than any other manufacturer.

The Yabuta-type automatic mash press has dozens of filter plates with filter cloth attached and compression plates arranged alternately (some large machines have more than a hundred of them) to form a giant accordion-like shape.
The mash is pumped in through the holes at the top of the filter plate, and is squeezed out by the pressure of the air sent into the press plate, and the sake comes out through the holes at the bottom of the filter plate. The sake lees are left behind and adhere to the plate.
Mechanical pressing shortens the process, which takes more than 48 hours using the vat pressing method, to 24 hours, and minimizes the oxidation of the mash.
In addition, since there is no need to pack the mash into bags, the labor required is reduced, and even breweries suffering from labor shortages no longer have to worry about allocating personnel during the transfer process.

However, the reality is that it's not all good...
Even though the squeezing process has been automated, hard work requiring patience is still required, including the careful installation, removal and cleaning of the filter cloth, filter plates and pressing plates, as well as keeping the machine itself clean to prevent it from being infected by mold.
However, the ingenuity of manufacturers has led to the evolution of machines, such as by using PR resin to make the filter plate lighter and by making it possible to wash the filter cloth while it is still set. There are probably many sake brewers who are grateful for the work of the technicians who have protected and supported the traditional industry of sake brewing through innovation.

● Because it was there...
Many people are curious as to why they use a tank or a machine, and which is better?
The method of pressing the mash varies depending on the fermentation process, the desired quality of the sake, and the aspirations of the sake brewer who supports these.
However, there are many sake brewers who say, "Because it was there..." or "Because this is all we have..."

Previous article: [Tell me what you can't ask now!? Series 14]About the process from pressing to pressing