When the conidia of koji mold are added to the intensely steamed white rice, and then it is kept warm, the mycelium grows on the rice grains, which is called koji.

Ever since alcohol appeared in human society, it has been accompanied by the appearance of koji.

In the beginning, it was discovered that grains that sprouted and rotted due to improper storage would ferment under various conditions and eventually produce alcohol, which is where liquor comes from. As a result, the sprouted or moldy grains are the most primitive koji, that is, the fermented raw materials.

In the beginning, there was no special distinction between moldy and sprouted grains, and people mixed them together as koji, which was used to ferment alcohol and make liquor. However, with the progress of practice, koji began to be subdivided, and people began to use various methods to make more professional and stable koji, which greatly promoted the development of the sake brewing industry.

Looking at the history of sake brewing in China, which is actually the history of the development of koji, this kind of fermentation using mold began thousands of years ago, and it cannot but be said that it is a major achievement of biotechnology. This kind of technology, which no one could understand in ancient times, has not only influenced the brewing process and development in China, but also affected the brewing industry in various parts of Asia, which is of far-reaching significance.

After thousands of years of development, the production of koji has long been not as simple as it was at the beginning, and the koji has been subdivided into countless types according to the needs of rice wine. Of course, if you want to explain all the types one by one, I'm afraid you will have to spend a book explaining them slowly.

Nowadays, not only is the composition of koji complex, but the production process has also been greatly improved, and it is not easy to make it well.

After the raw materials were bought, Liu Rui and Liu Jiahong first put all the herbs on the yard to dry, hoping to dry the moisture on the herbs, and in addition, they had to remove some parts of the herbs that were not suitable for adding koji, so as to ensure the purity of the raw materials.

Dozens of herbs are densely arranged on the courtyard dam, which is dazzling. Because it is the first time to configure special koji, Liu Rui and Liu Jiahong have no experience, and they don't know what the effect of each herb is? To be on the safe side, they had to prepare every ingredient listed in the secret recipe and try to replicate these special koji perfectly.

The winter sun is warm, and this kind of sunlight is just right for drying herbs, which will not dry the skin of the herbs because of too strong sunlight and still have a lot of moisture inside, and can slowly dry the herbs, so that their medicinal effects will not be volatilized.

After the herbs are dried, they have to be mashed in a stone mortar, and then passed through a bamboo sieve to select small and uniform particles. This kind of process is not something that can be done by talking, because it is all done by hand, the procedure is cumbersome and the efficiency is very low.

Of course, there are now all kinds of grinders and knives, and the efficiency is naturally much higher than that of manual work.

But Liu Rui did not trust the machine, but spent a lot of time and energy with Liu Jiahong to manually grind the herbs he bought, which was time-consuming and laborious. The reason is that Liu Rui is still unwilling to be contaminated with some metallic flavors in order to ensure the production of the purest koji.

Liu Rui knew that if a pulverizer was used, some metal powder would naturally fall into the herbs, which would have a slight impact on the koji. Of course, in other links, there will be certain factors that will have a negative impact on the brewed rice wine, but from Liu Rui's point of view, if this kind of impact can be avoided, try to avoid it, even if it takes more time and energy.

After the herbs were ready, Liu Rui began to mix various grains in a certain proportion according to the requirements of the secret recipe, and then stirred the prepared herbal powder well, and then made koji embryos. After the koji embryo is made, it is placed in a special house and subjected to a series of treatments before it can finally be turned into koji.

The production time of koji is quite long, and the process is extremely cumbersome, if it were not for the positioning of the distillery in the future as a mid-to-high-end rice wine market, Liu Rui would not want to make koji by himself. After all, there are koji factories in the market that produce koji for sale, so you can save more time.

However, according to the ancestral recipe, in order to make rice wine with a special taste, it is necessary to use special koji prepared with Chinese herbs, so as to achieve a leap in quality.

After the koji was sent to the koji house for fermentation, Liu Rui fell into a long wait, and only after the koji was made could Liu Rui try to brew new varieties. Of course, because he was worried that the production of koji was not perfect, during this period, Liu Rui had to carefully analyze the various brewed rice wines, and finally come up with the most suitable recipe, and then determine it.

After all, the proportions written on the ancestral secret recipe are not necessarily very stable, and Liu Rui has to adjust accordingly according to the actual situation, and perfectly combine the various processes of making koji and brewing rice wine.

After the production of koji was on the right track, Liu Rui and Liu Jiahong were also relieved, and then they saw if the koji could ferment the rice and brew a mellow and delicious wine.

After finally finishing a stage of things, Liu Rui was in the mood to get up early in the morning and stand on the courtyard dam to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the early morning.

In the countryside in January, because of the feng shui treasures such as Xiaoqing Mountain and Xiaojing Lake, the air is much colder than in the city, and there is a trace of mist everywhere. These mist were like light veils, drifting slowly through the mountains and forests in the small green hills, skimming the sky, and then landing inside and outside Liang Village.

The early morning mountain village is undoubtedly a quiet world, and the sleeping mountain village has not yet woken up, and even the animals that are active during the day are still enjoying this rare quiet, which makes the early morning countryside fall into a fascinating silence.

The light mist like a thin gauze shrouded Liang Village, and even with Liu Rui's eyesight, he could only see the shadowy houses in the village, as well as the mixed yellow lights lit by those early risers. The occasional barking of dogs and the crowing of chickens clearly traveled through time and space, reverberating leisurely among the mountains, adding to the tranquility of the early morning in the mountain village.

As time passed, the royal blue night sky in the sky began to change slightly and became transparent. The change in color of the night sky also gave the already tired stars a chance to breathe and slowly retreat.

Soon, all the stars in the sky were gone, and only a large piece of royal blue gem hung above people's heads. Occasionally, white clouds float by, as if you were painting on a drawing board. This may be the precursor to the beginning of the clouds, which is paving the way for the sun to rise.

As usual, the east side was still white, and the gentle white light was dazzling against the background of the royal blue sky. As soon as the white light came out, the dim feeling between the entire heaven and earth weakened a lot, and Liu Rui also found that his vision was much better. It seems to feel that the sun is about to rise, and the mountain wind flowing in the air has also accelerated a lot, as if to indicate something to people.

The revival of mountain villages often begins with the smoke of cooking in farmers' homes.

As if it had been agreed, the curling smoke slowly rose from all corners of the village, bringing the long-dormant mountain village to life. A faint cloud of green smoke drifted through the air, but it didn't disperse easily. They mingled with the light gauzy mist around them, never separating each other from each other.

With the addition of Qingyan, the whole mountain village is more hazy and psychedelic, and it is like a blurred fairyland.

The rise of the smoke indicates that the housewife of the farmer has begun to prepare breakfast for the laborers of the household, and has begun to feed the chickens and ducks, and the cows and pigs. Soon, one after another, lights lit up in the room, adding a lot of bright colors to this psychedelic world.

Soon, the whole village was boiling, and the sound of chickens and dogs barking resounded, and of course, the sound of adults beating children and crying noses was also mixed in. But this is life, with a little warmth in the chaos, which makes people feel the incomparably real life.

Soon, the hands of the clock were already pointing to eight o'clock in the morning, and the warm red sky had already transferred its heat to the earth. In the grass and on the leaves, those crystal clear dew drops are also slowly steaming and disappearing under the sunlight.

Yuanba is an open field, and you can see the low hills nearby, and you can see the houses of Liang Village under the pure blue sky in the distance. Although the altitude here is not high, Liu Rui can still feel the taste of seeing the mountains at a glance.

The brilliant red light hangs in the blue sky, like a red fireball, which makes people still feel the warmth under the mountain breeze. The golden sunlight shines evenly on the earth, gilding it with a layer of charming color, making the world much more vivid.

Above the mountains near and far, the fog between the mountains and forests began to dissipate and become thinner. Unlike the dense fog that covers the sky in the early morning, these morning fogs, which are a few points thinner than light veil, have another kind of seductive temperament. It is precisely because of these mist that the entire Xiaoqingshan has become a bit like a fairyland, which makes people dare not have a blasphemous heart.

The gust of mountain wind blows, and the pine waves on the mountain are like ocean waves, rolling and undulating, slowly moving towards the distance. Those light fogs are also constantly changing shapes under the action of the mountain wind, which makes people feel the magic of creation.

As its name suggests, the small mirror lake at the foot of the mountain is like a huge mirror, reflecting sparkling waves, as if thousands of gold coins have been sprinkled into it.

Everything in the new brewery has entered the orbit, and Liu Rui feels that these ordinary scenery in front of him has become extremely beautiful!

(To be continued)