First batch underway

[Ty Finn]

Hi all,

My first batch is underway.

I am using koshihikari rice and I milled it down to 60% for Ginjo using the Twinbird.

Yesterday I created the moto water, prepped the rice, and got the shubo started.

I am using:

-Distilled water

-Wyeast #9 (healthy)

-Cold Mountain Koji

-Fermaid O nutrient

-Potassium chloride

-Epsom salt

-Lactic acid 88%

The amounts added were all inline with the method outlined by Will Auld. The shubo is currently in a fermentation chamber between 19-20C. This morning was my first stir of the shubo. Ive got some bubbles and activity. My question is though... is smells slightly sour. Is it already "infected"/ruined? I know traditionally bugs are encouraged at the start and then they are killed off during the moromi to get the right amount of acid (but I artificially added the acid). Is the "sweetness" still to come? Is this normal?

Thanks!

Tyler

[Mark Hunter]

The smell sounds pretty normal to me. 20C is a bit warm if you're holding it at that temperature for the entire shubo. At homebrew size, the shubo smells largely of yeast slurry, koji, and lactic acid, giving it a bit of a funky smell, especially at the start. That will quickly change once you start your additions.