All-season Sake Brewing
A sake brewing plant equipped to produce sake year-round is called “all-season sake brewing,” or “all season sake brewery.” Also, the production of sake year-round during all four seasons is also referred to as “all season sake brewing”. Currently, all major sake manufacturers produce sake in plants equipped with these facilities. Since the mid-to-late Edo Era (1603 ~ 1868), sake was mostly produced during the winter season, ever since the custom of “traditional sake brewed only in the winter” was established in Itami and Nada. This is because the temperature to ferment mash and the suppression of bacteria from proliferation was more easily managed during the winter season.
Traditional sake production still practiced in various sake breweries to this day is brewed using sake-brewing methods applied during the winter sake production season. However, as sake production became rapidly modernized during the Meiji Era (1868 ~ 1912), research started to continue stable sake production throughout all four seasons. Attempt to produce all-season sake brewing started towards the end of the Taisho Era (1912 ~ 1926), and already made practical in Hawaii, even before the war. However, all-season sake brewing during this era was done using traditional brewing methods as is, with sake production possible only four or five times a year.
Major developments towards all-season sake brewing started after World War II, when various devices started to be introduced into the sake production process.
As sake-brewing facilities became more mechanized, the need to increase both the mechanical operational rate and productivity became apparent. Therefore, automated all-season sake brewing with mechanized brewing process became urgent; and year-round, large-scale sake production started in 1965. During the midst of a high economic growth period from 1955 to 1965, many breweries started to significantly mechanize their brewing facilities. Major sake manufacturers competed to construct all-season sake brewing, drastically increasing production capabilities.
To make all-season sake brewing possible, the same sake production environment as the winter season that is operational year-round must be constructed within the plant. These plants are equipped with air conditioning facilities that use freezers to maintain low-temperatures suitable for sake production. During the summer season, with high temperatures and humidity, dehumidifying the air, eliminating bacteria, and sterilization is necessary in addition to cooling the temperature due to concern for contamination from the outside air. All-season sake brewing is possible in much greater volumes, and labor is also made more efficient. Especially in recent years, automated operations advanced to management controlled by computers, enabling sake production without master sake brewers or other skilled sake production workers, eliminating the tasks handled by overnight and holiday workers.
Traditional sake production still practiced in various sake breweries to this day is brewed using sake-brewing methods applied during the winter sake production season. However, as sake production became rapidly modernized during the Meiji Era (1868 ~ 1912), research started to continue stable sake production throughout all four seasons. Attempt to produce all-season sake brewing started towards the end of the Taisho Era (1912 ~ 1926), and already made practical in Hawaii, even before the war. However, all-season sake brewing during this era was done using traditional brewing methods as is, with sake production possible only four or five times a year.
Major developments towards all-season sake brewing started after World War II, when various devices started to be introduced into the sake production process.
As sake-brewing facilities became more mechanized, the need to increase both the mechanical operational rate and productivity became apparent. Therefore, automated all-season sake brewing with mechanized brewing process became urgent; and year-round, large-scale sake production started in 1965. During the midst of a high economic growth period from 1955 to 1965, many breweries started to significantly mechanize their brewing facilities. Major sake manufacturers competed to construct all-season sake brewing, drastically increasing production capabilities.
To make all-season sake brewing possible, the same sake production environment as the winter season that is operational year-round must be constructed within the plant. These plants are equipped with air conditioning facilities that use freezers to maintain low-temperatures suitable for sake production. During the summer season, with high temperatures and humidity, dehumidifying the air, eliminating bacteria, and sterilization is necessary in addition to cooling the temperature due to concern for contamination from the outside air. All-season sake brewing is possible in much greater volumes, and labor is also made more efficient. Especially in recent years, automated operations advanced to management controlled by computers, enabling sake production without master sake brewers or other skilled sake production workers, eliminating the tasks handled by overnight and holiday workers.
四季醸造とは
年間を通じて酒造りをできるように設備された酒造工場のことを、「四季醸造」または「四季醸造蔵」（略して「四季蔵」とも）という。また、四季を通じて酒の醸造を行なうことも、同じく四季醸造という。現在、大手酒造メーカーはすべて、この設備を擁する工場で生産を行なっている。 江戸時代の中期から後期にかけて、当時の酒の主生産地であった伊丹、灘で「寒造り」が完成されて以来、日本酒の醸造時期はずっと冬季が主体だった。冬の寒い時期のほうがもろみの温度管理がしやすいし、雑菌の繁殖も抑えやすい。現在も各地の酒蔵で続いている伝統的な酒造りは、すべて寒造りの酒造法で行なわれているといってよい。しかし、明治に入って日本酒造りが急速に近代化するとともに、四季を通じて安定した酒造りを可能にするための研究が行なわれるようになった。 四季醸造の試みは大正の未頃から始められ、ハワイでは戦前から実用化されていた。しかし、この時代の四季醸造は伝統的な醸造方法のままで、 年に４、５回ほど酒造りが行なえるというだけの程度でしかなかった。
本格的な四季醸造に向けての動きが始まったのは、酒造工程にさまざまな機械が導入されるようになった戦後のことである。
酒造工場の機械化が進むにつれて、機械の稼働率を高め生産性を上げる必要が出てきた。そのため、製造工程を機械によって自動化した四季醸造の実現が急務になり、昭和３５年に初の本格的な四季醸造蔵が誕生した。３０年代後半から４０年にかけては高度経済成長期の真っ只中であり、多くの酒蔵で設備の機械化が大幅に進んだ時代である。大手酒造メーカーは競って四季醸造蔵の建設を進め、生産能カは飛躍的に増大した。 四季醸造を可能にするためには、まず年間を通して工場内に冬季と同様の環境をつくり出さなければならない。酒造りに適した低温を保つため、このような工場では冷凍機を用いた空調設備を備えているが、高温多湿の夏季には外気からの雑菌混入の恐れがあるから、冷却すると同時に、空気の除湿、除菌・滅菌も行なう必要がある。 四季醸造は大幅な増産を可能にしただけでなく、労働面での合理化にも大きく寄与した。とくに近年はコンピューター制御による自動化が進み、杜氏など熟練酒造技術者なしでの酒造りや、夜間・休日の人手による業務の廃止などを実現している。