Brewing brown rice (Jozo-yo Genmai)

Brewing brown rice (jozo-yo genmai) is rice specialized for the production of sake. Under the Agricultural Products Inspection Act, it has its own standards suited to sake brewing, which differ from those for ordinary non-glutinous paddy rice. Brewing brown rice is divided into six grades in total, from special top grade (tokujo) through third grade, plus below-grade (tokai), and is evaluated according to quality and intended use. Representative varieties include Yamada Nishiki, Gohyakumangoku, Miyama Nishiki and Hattan Nishiki No. 1, which are especially popular in sake brewing and are chosen because they greatly influence the quality of the sake. As an important factor in determining the character and flavor of sake, brewing brown rice is indispensable for producing high-quality sake.