My sake always comes out very dry, with a final gravity of about 0.996 (SMV +6 or so), and I like it that way. In my experience, skipping the
moromi buildup and just adding all of the rice and
koji at once will usually result in very sweet sake with a final gravity of around 1.012 - 1.015.
Where was my site a few years ago? That's a good question, man. I didn't start seeing all these homebrew forums start adding a sake section until 2007, and when I saw that start happening I figured there was a growing interest in the subject of making sake at home. After looking around on the web to see what other kinds of resources were already available, I decided that a better guide was needed. So I wrote one, and posted it on one of my own forums. Then I translated it over to Northern Brewer. After watching it get a huge response, I decided the guide needed its own web site.
Thus taylor-madeak.org, a domain name I've owned for 10 years or so, was reborn.
I always welcome questions, man. Need a brain to pick? Pick away!
I've never heard of "dong dong ju." The only Korean homebrew rice wine I've heard of are
takju,
makgeolli, and the
soju that is distilled from them.
Takju is similar to Japanese
doburoku, but the diastatic component isn't a mold like
koji, it's a product called
nuruk that is made from
malt (barley or wheat) that has been pressed into cakes and toasted, then crumbled or ground before use. I've never made it before, but you can find a detailed method for making it
here. If I were to try making that, I would make suitable changes to the process to bring it more in line with modern American homebrewing practices.