This chapter explains in simple terms what sake is, and the ways in which it differs from other familiar alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits.
这一章简单介绍一下清酒的概念以及它与其他酒类主要的区别，诸如啤酒、葡萄酒和烈酒。
Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from polished (white) rice.
清酒是一种用精白米酿制的酒精饮料。
Because rice is a starchy solid, two other ingredients (water and a type of mouldy rice called kōji) are used together to transform the solid rice into a sugary liquid. The fourth ingredient (yeast) converts those sugars into alcohol using a process called fermentation, to make an alcoholic beverage we can drink.
因为米实际是淀粉颗粒，它和另外两类原料（水和酒麯（一种被真菌感染的米））被一起将固体的米粒转化成糖液。
Before describing the details of how these ingredients are used to make sake, it is helpful to contrast sake with some other common alcoholic beverages. This way it is possible to show why sake is in a category of its own, and therefore cannot accurately be considered as a special kind of beer, wine or spirit.
在详细讲解这个原料如何酿造清酒之前，我们很有必要将清酒和其他类型的酒进行一个对比。通过这种方式我们可以理解为什么清酒与众不同，而不能归类于啤酒、葡萄酒或烈酒。
HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM SPIRITS
清酒与烈酒的区别
Sake is a relatively strong alcoholic beverage (around 15-17% abv), but its alcoholic strength is closer to that of wine (12-14% abv), rather than to that of spirits such as whisky, vodka or brandy (around 40% abv). The reason for this difference is simple.
清酒已经算是相当高的酒精度的饮料（大概15-17度），但是相对于威士忌，伏特加或白兰地这些烈酒（酒精度在40度左右）来说，它的酒精度更接近于葡萄酒（12-14度）。这是一个显而易见的不同之处。
After the yeast has fermented the sugars into alcohol, spirits need to go through an additional production process to concentrate that alcohol further. This process is called distillation, and is typically achieved by heating the fermented alcoholic liquid so the alcohol selectively boils off, and then cooling the separated alcoholic vapour so that it can be collected as a more highly concentrated alcoholic liquid.
在酵母经过发酵将糖转化为酒精之后，烈酒还需要增加一个工艺步骤去浓缩，提高酒度。这个步骤称作蒸馏，通常是通过加热发酵后的酒液让其中的酒精有选择的进行气化，之后再冷却已经气化分离的酒精蒸气，从而收集到更为浓缩的酒液。
Most of the aromas and flavours are captured with the alcohol, but most of the water and acidity is left behind.
同时，众多香气和味道也会被酒精所吸收，但是大部分的水和酸被剔除了。
Sake is not a spirit because it is not distilled. As such, it has moderate alcohol (around 15-17% abv, rather than around 40% abv) and keeps its delicate acidity intact. This makes sake more similar to wine and beer.
清酒并不是烈酒，因为它并没有蒸馏。正因为如此，清酒有更加适中的酒度（在15-17度左右，而不是在40度左右）并且保留了自身完美的酸度。这使得清酒更相似于葡萄酒和啤酒。
However, like some kinds of wine, certain kinds of sake have a small amount of high strength distilled alcohol added (see Chapter 13 Jōzō Alcohol and Filtration for more details).
但是，如同葡萄酒中的一些类型，有一些类型清酒也会添加少量的高度蒸馏酒精。（参见第十三章 酒精添加与过滤有更详细的讲解）
HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM WINE
清酒与葡萄酒的区别
Like wine, sake is a fermented beverage. It has an alcoholic strength that is similar to wine. However, the use of rice as a raw material, rather than grapes, results in very different flavours and requires different production processes.
像葡萄酒一样，清酒也是酒精发酵酒。它也有与葡萄酒比较相近的酒精度，但是相对于葡萄，用米来做酿造原料，成品会拥有非常独特的风味，工艺也会非常不同。
Grapes contain high levels of acids and distinct aromas and flavours that are expressed in the final wine. Black grapes additionally contain colour pigments (to make the wine red) and preservative tannins (that give red wine a dry, mouth-drying texture rather like black tea). Colour and tannins are absent in polished (white) rice, and there is very little acidity and flavour. The production process usually adds little or none of these, so a 'typical' sake is almost colourless, lacks tannins, is only delicately acidic and its flavours are more delicate than those of wine.
葡萄含有非常高的酸度、丰富的香气和口味，这些都在最终的葡萄酒中表现出。而红葡萄只是增加了颜色和单宁的因素（色素使葡萄酒呈现红色，单宁会给红葡萄酒口感带来一种干涩的感觉类似于红茶）。颜色和单宁并不存在于白精米中，只会有一点酸和味道。在酿造工艺中通常很少或者几乎不添加这些因素，所以这样导致清酒偏向于几乎无色，少单宁，只有微妙的酸度，口味比葡萄酒更加的微妙。
HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM BEER
清酒与啤酒的不同
Like sake, beer is made from starchy, solid, cereal grains but it differs in a number of ways.
像清酒一样，啤酒也是用坚硬颗粒的淀粉谷物酿制，但是在细节上有很多不同之处。
Comparing beer and sake, the starch-to-sugar conversion uses very different methods. In beer production, whole unpolished grains (usually barley) are encouraged to start germinating, and this makes the grains produce substances (called enzymes) that convert their densely stored starch into fermentable sugar. This process is called malting. Once the enzymes are released, the grains are heated to dry them out. This halts the conversion process and stops the grains growing into cereal plants, but leaves the chemicals available for the brewer to use to break starch down into fermentable sugar. These grains are called malt.
将啤酒与清酒比较，其淀粉转化为糖的过程使用的是完全不同的工艺。在啤酒的生产过程中，会将完整的没有经过研磨的谷物（通常是大麦）诱使其开始发芽，同时谷物会产生一种物质（我们称作酶），它可以将谷物中密集的储存的淀粉转化为可以发酵的糖。这个过程被称作发麦。一旦酶产生，谷物就需要被加热干燥。停止转化过程以便防止谷物生长成幼苗，但是此时留下的化学成分 却可以帮助酿酒师来分解淀粉成为可以用来发酵的糖分。 这些谷物被称作麦芽。
Sake is made from polished rice. It is not possible to make polished rice grains germinate because the part that would grow into a plant is removed during the polishing process (see Chaper 8 Rice Preparation). Instead, a mould (called kōji mould) is encouraged to grow on steamed rice. In order for kōji mould to feed on the rice starch, it also needs to convert that starch into fermentable sugar and it releases its own enzymes to do this. The resulting mouldy rice is called kōji.
清酒使用精米酿制的，但它不可能使用精米去发芽。因为米粒中可以发芽的胚芽已经在抛光过程中被去除了（参见第八章 大米的预处理）。而取而代之的，用一种能够在蒸米上生长的真菌（称作酒麯菌）。为了酒麯菌以精米的淀粉为食，它需要将淀粉转化成发酵的糖而其自身产生的酶就是完成这个步骤的。我们将有霉菌的精米称作酒麯。
In beer production, the starch-to-sugar conversion happens first by mixing the malt with hot water, and the sugar-to-alcohol fermentation follows when the conversion has finished. In sake, the kōji is added to the fermentation so that these two processes happen at the same time.
而啤酒生产中，淀粉转化为糖的工艺过程却发生在热水与发麦第一次混合时，而酒精发酵的过程是在其淀粉转化糖完成之后。清酒去需要在酒精发酵过程中添加酒麯，以便两个工艺同时进行。
Sake can only be made from rice, never from other cereal grains. Beer is most commonly made from barley, but many different grains (wheat, rye, maize and even rice) can be used separately or combined together. The use of whole unpolished cereal grains in beer production means many flavours can be extracted into the final product. The drying process of malting also makes it possible to toast, or char the grains, adding extra flavours. By contrast, sake uses polished rice that is then steamed (a process that avoids adding any flavours). The kōji also has very little flavour, other than a delicate sweetness.
清酒只能用大米酿制，从来不用其他谷物。啤酒通常也会用大麦来酿制，但是其他各种谷物（小麦，黑麦，玉米，甚至大米）也可以通过分别或者混合的方式来使用。在啤酒生产中使用完全没有抛光的谷物意味着会有非常多的味道提取到酒中。麦芽干燥的过程也会让其经历烘烤或是谷物碳化，从而增加额外的风味。相比之下，清酒使用蒸熟精米（这个过程为了避免增加任何味道）。而酒麯也只有非常少的味道，除了一种微妙的甜味。
In addition to the flavours from the whole, unpolished and malted grains, almost all beers are flavoured with hops, which provide bitterness and aromas, and act as a preservative. Depending on local laws and traditions, some beers can be flavoured with other ingredients, such as fruits and spices. Flavoured drinks are sometimes made using sake, but once flavours are added, the drink is no longer legally sake.
除了来自完全没有抛光的谷物的味道之外，几乎所有的啤酒都会用酒花来做防腐剂，它带来苦味和一些香味。根据各国的法律和传统，有些啤酒添加一些其他成分来增加独特的味道，例如水果、香料。调味饮料中也会有时用到清酒，但是一旦添加其他香味成分，那么这个饮料法律上就不再是清酒了。