Setup
- 900g sweet sticky rice
- ~1% nuruk (~9g)
- Small splash of added water after mixing
Previous batch had more water overall and ended up noticeably sweeter.
Timeline
Day 1
- Visually dry
- No liquid pooling
- Strong sweet aroma
Day 2
- Still dry on surface
- Soft internally when pressed
- Sweet smell increasing
- Slight fermented undertone
Day 3
- Structure mostly unchanged visually
- No obvious liquid
- Aroma shifting from sweet → lightly alcoholic
Day 4
- First visible liquid forming
- Structure loosening
- Clear, sharp alcoholic smell
Observations
- Sweet smell appears before visible liquid.
- Visual dryness does not mean inactivity.
- Alcohol aroma ramps up quickly rather than gradually.
- Water amount likely affects fermentation speed.
- More water may dilute concentration and require more time for full conversion.
- Perceived sweetness in the previous batch may have been incomplete fermentation rather than a different end result.