For those of you who want to understand more on how Baijiu is made, the first thing to note is that it depends on the aroma. Sauce, strong, light and rice are made in slightly different ways and each distinction develops its own fascination with ingredient differences (See Baijiu Ingredients)and how those differences affect the taste (and indeed, aroma).
In general, the process starts with fermenting cooked sorghum with other grains, including Jiuqu. Jiuqu is made of crushed wheat, barley, and peas sometimes. It develops yeast and fungi under temperature and humidity adjustments. Mixing jiuqu with sorghum creates enzymes which break down the grains and help to create Baijiu’s many flavours. The yeast leads to ethanol.
Grains are soaked in hot water and as they expand, crushed jiuqu is added to the grains. The mixture is then fermented in a pit or jar depending on what aroma of Baijiu is being made. Fermentation is when sugars, alcohol, amino acids and various flavour compounds really come together. For example, sauce aroma Baijiu will start to smell more like soy and is dominated by the market leader, Moutai.
Read more
