This chapter explains in simple terms what sake is, and the ways in which it differs from other familiar alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits.

這一章簡單介紹一下清酒的概念以及它與其他酒類主要的區(qū)別，諸如啤酒掏颊、葡萄酒和烈酒乌叶。

Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from polished (white) rice.

清酒是一種用精白米釀制的酒精飲料准浴。

? ? Because rice is a starchy solid, two other ingredients (water and a type of mouldy rice called kōji) are used together to transform the solid rice into a sugary liquid. The fourth ingredient (yeast) converts those sugars into alcohol using a process called fermentation, to make an alcoholic beverage we can drink.

因為米實際是淀粉顆粒乐横，它和另外兩類原料（水和酒麯（一種被真菌感染的米））被一起將固體的米粒轉(zhuǎn)化成糖液阳藻。

? ? Before describing the details of how these ingredients are used to make sake, it is helpful to contrast sake with some other common alcoholic beverages. This way it is possible to show why sake is in a category of its own, and therefore cannot accurately be considered as a special kind of beer, wine or spirit.

在詳細(xì)講解這個原料如何釀造清酒之前匾南，我們很有必要將清酒和其他類型的酒進行一個對比蛆楞。通過這種方式我們可以理解為什么清酒與眾不同豹爹，而不能歸類于啤酒、葡萄酒或烈酒矛纹。

HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM SPIRITS

清酒與烈酒的區(qū)別

Sake is a relatively strong alcoholic beverage (around 15-17% abv), but its alcoholic strength is closer to that of wine (12-14% abv), rather than to that of spirits such as whisky, vodka or brandy (around 40% abv). The reason for this difference is simple.

清酒已經(jīng)算是相當(dāng)高的酒精度的飲料（大概15-17度）臂聋，但是相對于威士忌，伏特加或白蘭地這些烈酒（酒精度在40度左右）來說，它的酒精度更接近于葡萄酒（12-14度）孩等。這是一個顯而易見的不同之處艾君。

? ? After the yeast has fermented the sugars into alcohol, spirits need to go through an additional production process to concentrate that alcohol further. This process is called distillation, and is typically achieved by heating the fermented alcoholic liquid so the alcohol selectively boils off, and then cooling the separated alcoholic vapour so that it can be collected as a more highly concentrated alcoholic liquid.

在酵母經(jīng)過發(fā)酵將糖轉(zhuǎn)化為酒精之后，烈酒還需要增加一個工藝步驟去濃縮肄方，提高酒度冰垄。這個步驟稱作蒸餾，通常是通過加熱發(fā)酵后的酒液讓其中的酒精有選擇的進行氣化权她，之后再冷卻已經(jīng)氣化分離的酒精蒸氣虹茶，從而收集到更為濃縮的酒液。

? ? Most of the aromas and flavours are captured with the alcohol, but most of the water and acidity is left behind.

同時隅要，眾多香氣和味道也會被酒精所吸收，但是大部分的水和酸被剔除了洲炊。

? ? Sake is not a spirit because it is not distilled. As such, it has moderate alcohol (around 15-17% abv, rather than around 40% abv) and keeps its delicate acidity intact. This makes sake more similar to wine and beer.

清酒并不是烈酒，因為它并沒有蒸餾狂巢。正因為如此，清酒有更加適中的酒度（在15-17度左右斩个，而不是在40度左右）并且保留了自身完美的酸度鸽心。這使得清酒更相似于葡萄酒和啤酒藤肢。

? ? However, like some kinds of wine, certain kinds of sake have a small amount of high strength distilled alcohol added (see Chapter 13 Jōzō Alcohol and Filtration for more details).

但是省骂，如同葡萄酒中的一些類型温学，有一些類型清酒也會添加少量的高度蒸餾酒精。（參見第十三章 酒精添加與過濾有更詳細(xì)的講解）

HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM WINE

清酒與葡萄酒的區(qū)別

Like wine, sake is a fermented beverage. It has an alcoholic strength that is similar to wine. However, the use of rice as a raw material, rather than grapes, results in very different flavours and requires different production processes.

像葡萄酒一樣，清酒也是酒精發(fā)酵酒。它也有與葡萄酒比較相近的酒精度俐末，但是相對于葡萄垄潮，用米來做釀造原料旅急，成品會擁有非常獨特的風(fēng)味，工藝也會非常不同炎码。

? ? ? Grapes contain high levels of acids and distinct aromas and flavours that are expressed in the final wine. Black grapes additionally contain colour pigments (to make the wine red) and preservative tannins (that give red wine a dry, mouth-drying texture rather like black tea). Colour and tannins are absent in polished (white) rice, and there is very little acidity and flavour. The production process usually adds little or none of these, so a 'typical' sake is almost colourless, lacks tannins, is only delicately acidic and its flavours are more delicate than those of wine.

葡萄含有非常高的酸度迫皱、豐富的香氣和口味和敬，這些都在最終的葡萄酒中表現(xiàn)出。而紅葡萄只是增加了顏色和單寧的因素（色素使葡萄酒呈現(xiàn)紅色变骡，單寧會給紅葡萄酒口感帶來一種干澀的感覺類似于紅茶）台妆。顏色和單寧并不存在于白精米中，只會有一點酸和味道。在釀造工藝中通常很少或者幾乎不添加這些因素桐汤，所以這樣導(dǎo)致清酒偏向于幾乎無色腾降，少單寧抗果，只有微妙的酸度寄啼，口味比葡萄酒更加的微妙嗡综。

HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM BEER

清酒與啤酒的不同

Like sake, beer is made from starchy, solid, cereal grains but it differs in a number of ways.

像清酒一樣，啤酒也是用堅硬顆粒的淀粉谷物釀制，但是在細(xì)節(jié)上有很多不同之處异吻。

? ? ? Comparing beer and sake, the starch-to-sugar conversion uses very different methods. In beer production, whole unpolished grains (usually barley) are encouraged to start germinating, and this makes the grains produce substances (called enzymes) that convert their densely stored starch into fermentable sugar. This process is called malting. Once the enzymes are released, the grains are heated to dry them out. This halts the conversion process and stops the grains growing into cereal plants, but leaves the chemicals available for the brewer to use to break starch down into fermentable sugar. These grains are called malt.

將啤酒與清酒比較睛竣，其淀粉轉(zhuǎn)化為糖的過程使用的是完全不同的工藝。在啤酒的生產(chǎn)過程中，會將完整的沒有經(jīng)過研磨的谷物（通常是大麥）誘使其開始發(fā)芽共屈，同時谷物會產(chǎn)生一種物質(zhì)（我們稱作酶），它可以將谷物中密集的儲存的淀粉轉(zhuǎn)化為可以發(fā)酵的糖泼掠。這個過程被稱作發(fā)麥括改。一旦酶產(chǎn)生惹骂，谷物就需要被加熱干燥著拭。停止轉(zhuǎn)化過程以便防止谷物生長成幼苗鄙币，但是此時留下的化學(xué)成分? 卻可以幫助釀酒師來分解淀粉成為可以用來發(fā)酵的糖分筛欢。? ? ? 這些谷物被稱作麥芽剥险。

? ? ? Sake is made from polished rice. It is not possible to make polished rice grains germinate because the part that would grow into a plant is removed during the polishing process (see Chaper 8 Rice Preparation). Instead, a mould (called kōji mould) is encouraged to grow on steamed rice. In order for kōji mould to feed on the rice starch, it also needs to convert that starch into fermentable sugar and it releases its own enzymes to do this. The resulting mouldy rice is called kōji.

清酒使用精米釀制的，但它不可能使用精米去發(fā)芽。因為米粒中可以發(fā)芽的胚芽已經(jīng)在拋光過程中被去除了（參見第八章 大米的預(yù)處理）。而取而代之的摧找，用一種能夠在蒸米上生長的真菌（稱作酒麯菌）。為了酒麯菌以精米的淀粉為食，它需要將淀粉轉(zhuǎn)化成發(fā)酵的糖而其自身產(chǎn)生的酶就是完成這個步驟的。我們將有霉菌的精米稱作酒麯抓于。

? ? In beer production, the starch-to-sugar conversion happens first by mixing the malt with hot water, and the sugar-to-alcohol fermentation follows when the conversion has finished. In sake, the kōji is added to the fermentation so that these two processes happen at the same time.

而啤酒生產(chǎn)中肉康，淀粉轉(zhuǎn)化為糖的工藝過程卻發(fā)生在熱水與發(fā)麥第一次混合時尤辱，而酒精發(fā)酵的過程是在其淀粉轉(zhuǎn)化糖完成之后结借。清酒去需要在酒精發(fā)酵過程中添加酒麯，以便兩個工藝同時進行。

? ? ? Sake can only be made from rice, never from other cereal grains. Beer is most commonly made from barley, but many different grains (wheat, rye, maize and even rice) can be used separately or combined together. The use of whole unpolished cereal grains in beer production means many flavours can be extracted into the final product. The drying process of malting also makes it possible to toast, or char the grains, adding extra flavours. By contrast, sake uses polished rice that is then steamed (a process that avoids adding any flavours). The kōji also has very little flavour, other than a delicate sweetness.

清酒只能用大米釀制拉盾，從來不用其他谷物。啤酒通常也會用大麥來釀制，但是其他各種谷物（小麥酷麦，黑麥糊肤，玉米升酣，甚至大米）也可以通過分別或者混合的方式來使用噩茄。在啤酒生產(chǎn)中使用完全沒有拋光的谷物意味著會有非常多的味道提取到酒中君纫。麥芽干燥的過程也會讓其經(jīng)歷烘烤或是谷物碳化蓄髓，從而增加額外的風(fēng)味。相比之下，清酒使用蒸熟精米（這個過程為了避免增加任何味道）。而酒麯也只有非常少的味道，除了一種微妙的甜味。

? ? ? In addition to the flavours from the whole, unpolished and malted grains, almost all beers are flavoured with hops, which provide bitterness and aromas, and act as a preservative. Depending on local laws and traditions, some beers can be flavoured with other ingredients, such as fruits and spices. Flavoured drinks are sometimes made using sake, but once flavours are added, the drink is no longer legally sake.

除了來自完全沒有拋光的谷物的味道之外存皂，幾乎所有的啤酒都會用酒花來做防腐劑祭阀，它帶來苦味和一些香味鲜戒。根據(jù)各國的法律和傳統(tǒng)专控，有些啤酒添加一些其他成分來增加獨特的味道，例如水果遏餐、香料伦腐。調(diào)味飲料中也會有時用到清酒，但是一旦添加其他香味成分失都，那么這個飲料法律上就不再是清酒了柏蘑。