JPH0316111B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a method for producing shochu using the fruit of a horse chestnut tree (ie, horse chestnut) as a raw material.

(Conventional Circumstances) So far, shochu made from various raw materials such as potatoes, rice, barley, and buckwheat has been provided, but to the inventor's knowledge, there has been no one made from horse chestnuts.

(Aim of the Present Invention) It is said that Tochigi Prefecture was named because of its many Japanese horse chestnut trees, and the present inventor lives in Kuriyama Village, Shioya District, which is famous for its virgin forest of Japanese horse chestnut trees. The nuts of the horse chestnut tree contain a large amount of starch, as well as medicinal ingredients such as saponin and aloin, and were once considered a valuable mountain food for people living in mountain villages. It is believed that there is a reason why the Heike refugees established their villages in Nishikawabe, a hot spring in the same area.

Today, it cannot be said that horse chestnuts are highly prized, but the custom of removing the scum, grinding them, and eating them as mochi (rice cakes) still exists. This ``Tochimochi'' is also called Chojumochi.

In view of these circumstances, the present inventor came up with the idea of using horse chestnuts, which have nutritional value and a unique flavor, as a raw material for shochu, and intended to develop them into a product with a local flavor.

[Structure of the Invention] (Example) To explain this with reference to the following example, first, a ripened horse chestnut fruit is collected and the three-lobed shell is peeled off. The seeds are obovate, shiny reddish brown, and have a yellowish brown umbilicus on the bottom half.

Now peel the seeds and leave them in water for about 6 days to remove the bitterness.

However, this alone will still leave some scum, so after applying burnt ash, wash it with water to remove the scum. That is, this removes bitter liquids such as saponin and aloin. The time required for this is approximately 2 days.

Next, this is steamed in a steam pot, and an appropriate amount of koji (koji) is mixed therein as cultured yeast for fermentation. That is, amylase acts on starch, which is the main ingredient, and converts it into sugar, and further yeast works to convert sugar into alcohol, brewing the raw material sake as alcoholic fermented mash.

At this stage, saponins and the like do not meet the conditions for hot dilute alcohol to dissolve them, so the slightly remaining astringent substances remain as they are and are dissolved into alcohol in the subsequent distillation stage, affecting the flavor.

This raw liquor is then distilled using a single distillation method.

That is, from the viewpoint of flavor, ethyl alcohol is primarily distilled out, and other higher alcohols, aldehydes, esters, etc. are also distilled out at the same time.
Furthermore, due to heating during distillation, components unique to horse chestnuts are transformed into furflor, which is also distilled out at the same time.

The thus-completed horse chestnut shochu has a transparent color and has the characteristic flavor and burnt odor of the horse chestnut as a tree nut. Note that sabonin etc. dissolved in alcohol are also distilled out along with the alcohol, adding a slight bitterness.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention uses horse chestnuts, which can be said to be a product of Tochigi Prefecture, as the mash for sake, and therefore produces shochu with a rich local flavor.

Various impurities in the horse chestnut nuts, which are used as mash, are distilled out together with the molten alcohol without being removed by the simple distillation method, resulting in a unique flavor and burnt odor. As a result of tasting by the applicant, we are confident that its mellow taste and elegant aroma will be sufficiently popular.

Since horse chestnut trees grow in clusters throughout the northern part of the prefecture, centering on the above-mentioned Kuriyama village, one of the advantages is that the horse chestnuts used as raw materials can be produced in large quantities at low cost.

Furthermore, if this horse chestnut shochu can be developed into a local industry as a local alcoholic beverage, it will also contribute as a measure against depopulation at a time when population outflow is becoming a problem in remote mountain areas.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Collecting ripened horse chestnut fruit and peeling off the shell,
After peeling off the skin of the egg-shaped seed,
After exposing it to water to remove the bitterness, and then applying burnt ash, washing with water and removing the scum, it is steamed, cultured yeast is mixed with this and fermented to brew raw sake, which is then single-distilled. A method for producing shochu using horse chestnuts as a raw material. 2. The method for producing shochu using horse chestnuts as a raw material according to claim 1, wherein the cultured yeast is koji.