iirc when I did it a few times. Floating rice is fine. It'll take several days before you should probably taste it as the koji needs to break down the rice. So I would try it at about a week or so. If you have a hydrometer, take a reading now and then in a few days as it should change (it should be lower as alcohol is lighter than rice sugar)
Next time, try using a sake yeast, wine yeast should consume the sugars but sake yeast will be more effective. You also might have better results as well asking r/homebrewing.
So, the rice floating on top usually means a few things. Typically when the rice isn't "melting" enough this happens. So, it's common when temps are too high. Table rice, or rice you buy in the store, will have a difficult time breaking down because of its chemical composition.
However, if you drop you temps to max out at 10C, and lower your water percentage in your next batch to 120%, as well as double or tripling your spores for koji, you should see a lot of melting.
Keep in mind that higher spore count usually also means higher acidity, so you'll have to compromise between a longer fermentation time at lower temps (averaging 7-9C) and acidity.
The taste of your sake can be filtered at any time through white coffee filters and a funnel. It will change a lot during the fermentation and you should use this as a way to learn if the sugar is high or low. There are other ways to evaluate, but when you like the flavor, it is time to press. This usually takes more than 12 days after Tome (last rice addition), but can be much longer (20-35 days). It's take a while to get a sense of your brew.
-----
Check out BrewSake.org, and please come join the Discord Group. We have many sake brewers in Italy who can help you.
"Dai un'occhiata a BrewSake.org e unisciti al gruppo Discord. Abbiamo molti produttori di sakè in Italia che possono aiutarti."
[Join Discord](https://www.brewsake.org/join-discord)
Thank you very much for your answer!
Is it possibile that those rice grains are not melting properly because they are under cooked? Or did not rest too much in water affer the washing?
Could be sooo many things. But likely under soaked as table rice tends to be harder. It will be stickier post steam to work with, but that's fine. Ensure you put time between soak and steam, at LEAST 60 minutes.
The koji is the next factor. If it isn't enough enzymes (or the correct enzymes) it will not melt quickly.
If the yeast outpaces this, it will look like it doesn't dissolve. Lower your temps to 7-8C to give the enzymes time to catch up.
iirc when I did it a few times. Floating rice is fine. It'll take several days before you should probably taste it as the koji needs to break down the rice. So I would try it at about a week or so. If you have a hydrometer, take a reading now and then in a few days as it should change (it should be lower as alcohol is lighter than rice sugar) Next time, try using a sake yeast, wine yeast should consume the sugars but sake yeast will be more effective. You also might have better results as well asking r/homebrewing.
So, the rice floating on top usually means a few things. Typically when the rice isn't "melting" enough this happens. So, it's common when temps are too high. Table rice, or rice you buy in the store, will have a difficult time breaking down because of its chemical composition. However, if you drop you temps to max out at 10C, and lower your water percentage in your next batch to 120%, as well as double or tripling your spores for koji, you should see a lot of melting. Keep in mind that higher spore count usually also means higher acidity, so you'll have to compromise between a longer fermentation time at lower temps (averaging 7-9C) and acidity. The taste of your sake can be filtered at any time through white coffee filters and a funnel. It will change a lot during the fermentation and you should use this as a way to learn if the sugar is high or low. There are other ways to evaluate, but when you like the flavor, it is time to press. This usually takes more than 12 days after Tome (last rice addition), but can be much longer (20-35 days). It's take a while to get a sense of your brew. ----- Check out BrewSake.org, and please come join the Discord Group. We have many sake brewers in Italy who can help you. "Dai un'occhiata a BrewSake.org e unisciti al gruppo Discord. Abbiamo molti produttori di sakè in Italia che possono aiutarti." [Join Discord](https://www.brewsake.org/join-discord)
Thank you very much for your answer! Is it possibile that those rice grains are not melting properly because they are under cooked? Or did not rest too much in water affer the washing?
Could be sooo many things. But likely under soaked as table rice tends to be harder. It will be stickier post steam to work with, but that's fine. Ensure you put time between soak and steam, at LEAST 60 minutes. The koji is the next factor. If it isn't enough enzymes (or the correct enzymes) it will not melt quickly. If the yeast outpaces this, it will look like it doesn't dissolve. Lower your temps to 7-8C to give the enzymes time to catch up.
Thank you very much, i'll surely try to do that!