BACKGROUND
Technical Field
This disclosure relates to sake brewing and, more particularly, to a muro room (malted rice making room) used in sake brewing.
Description of the Related Art
In Japanese sake brewing, the starch in steamed rice is changed to sugar by “koji” (malted rice) and the sugar is changed to alcohol by yeast.
These two fermentations happen in parallel in a brewing tank and it is a very rare fermentation style.
The taste of sake is influenced by the quality of koji used. Thus, a “muro” room in which koji is made is called the “heart of sake brewery.”
This disclosure relates to a muro room (malted rice making room) used in sake brewing.
BRIEF SUMMARY
A muro room (malted rice making room) is provided, which includes a room having a ceiling. The muro room includes a longer air shaft provided through the ceiling to exhaust hotter air out of the room, wherein the longer air shaft has height A. The muro room also includes a shorter air shaft provided through the ceiling to allow cooler air to enter the room, wherein the shorter air shaft has height B which is less than A. A distance between the longer air shaft and the shorter air shaft is greater than A, to facilitate natural ventilation in and out of the muro room during the rice fermentation process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a trimetric view of a muro room (malted rice making room) including a shorter air shaft and a longer air shaft, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view from above of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a trimetric view from below of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the longer air shaft cut along line 5-5 of FIG. 2, which illustrates that hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft may be selectively closed or opened using a sliding board.
FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a left side elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 1, which illustrates that a sliding board is inserted to close a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the shorter air shaft of FIG. 1, in which a sliding board inserted to close a hole at the bottom of the shorter air shaft is visible.
FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the shorter air shaft of FIG. 1, which illustrates that a hole at the bottom of the shorter air shaft may be selectively closed or opened using a sliding board.
FIG. 12 is a trimetric view of a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft or the shorter air shaft of FIG. 1, which may be selectively closed or opened using a sliding board.
FIG. 13 is a trimetric view of a muro room (malted rice making room) including a shorter air shaft and a longer air shaft, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14 is an isometric view from above of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a trimetric view from below of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 16 is a front elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the longer air shaft cut along line 17-17 of FIG. 14, which illustrates that a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft may be selectively closed or opened using a sliding board.
FIG. 18 is a right side elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 19 is a left side elevation view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13.
FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the longer air shaft of FIG. 13, which illustrates that a sliding board is inserted to close a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a trimetric view illustrating a muro room (malted rice making room) 10 including a shorter air shaft 12 and a longer air shaft 14, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The muro room 10 in the illustrated example has a floor area of approximately 3.6×6.0 m2 (≈12×20 ft2) and a height of approximately 2.4 m (7.9 ft). Typically a work table is placed on the floor in the muro room 10. The work table is made of wood and is stout enough to support the weight of the streamed rice. The end of the work table may be hinged so the size of the work table is changeable. Typically the muro room 10 and the work table are sized such that when the work table is extended to its longest size, workers can still walk around the work table along four sides (walls) of the muro room 10. As illustrated, workers enter the muro room 10 through a front room 6, which acts like an airlock so that air outside of the muro room 10 cannot enter the muro room 10 directly. Specifically, a worker outside enters the front room 6 through a first door 6a, closes the first door 6a, then enters the muro room 10 through a second door 6b.
In the muro room 10, the internal temperature is kept at over 30 degree C. (approximately between 32˜40 degree C.), while the humidity is kept low (e.g., at about 28%˜40%). These conditions are well suited for the growth of koji (malted rice) in various embodiments. An electric heater may be used to raise the internal temperature of muro room 10 to be about 30 degree C., at which time a safety device may be used to shut off the electric heater, and thereafter heat from the rice fermentation process raises the internal temperature of the muro room 10.
When the koji rice malt is growing, it discharges carbonic acid gas and steam, which need to be removed by ventilation. The air in the muro room 10 is exchanged through the shorter air shaft 12 and the longer air shaft 14 in the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10.
The longer air shaft 14 vents gas and steam out of the muro room 10, and the shorter air shaft 12 allows cooler air to enter the muro room 10. The top and bottom ends of the air shafts 14 and 12 are typically configured to define square holes and, in particular, the holes at the bottom of the air shafts 14 and 12 open through the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10 (see FIG. 12). In the illustrated example, the square hole of the air shaft 14 or 12 is sized about 34×34 cm2 (≈1.1×1.1 ft2), height “A” of the longer air shaft 14 is about 144 cm (≈4.7 ft), and height “B” of the shorter air shaft 12 is about 48 cm (≈1.6 ft).
As illustrated, the longer air shaft 14 includes a first upright portion 14a, which is bent at a first bent section 15a to form a middle slanted portion 14b, which is bent at a second bent section 15b to form a second upright portion 14c. The longer air shaft 14 includes the two bent sections 15a and 15b so as to increase the distance by which the exhaust gas and steam must travel to ensure the gas and steam, which rise up due to their high temperature, get exhausted out of the longer air shaft 14. In the illustrated example, the distance by which the exhaust gas and steam travel through the longer air shaft 14 is approximately 4.6 m (≈15 ft). By surely exhausting the gas and steam through the longer air shaft 14, while allowing cooler air to enter through the shorter air shaft 12, the illustrated configuration facilitates natural ventilation in and out of the muro room 10 during the fermentation process. While the illustrated example includes two bent sections 15a and 15b, the longer air shaft 14 may be formed to include only one bent section or three or more bent sections. Further alternatively, the longer air shaft 14 may be formed to include only an upright (straight) portion without any bent section as long as the upright portion provides a sufficient exhaust-travel distance.
In various embodiments, the longer air shaft 14 and the shorter air shaft 12 are positioned far apart from each other to, to further facilitate natural ventilation in and out of the muro room 10 during the fermentation process. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, distance “C” between the longer air shaft 14 and the shorter air shaft 12 is about 175 cm (≈5.7 ft), which is longer than height “A” of the longer air shaft 14.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view from above of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a trimetric view from below of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1. As illustrated, a sliding board 16 may be provided so that a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14 may be selectively closed or opened using the sliding board 16. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the sliding board 16 as inserted to close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14.
FIG. 4 is a font elevation view of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the longer air shaft 14 cut along line 5-5 of FIG. 2. In both FIGS. 4 and 5, the longer air shaft 14 is illustrated to extend through the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10 so that a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14 is accessible through the ceiling 10C. The sliding board 16 is provided on (or underneath) the ceiling 10C to selectively close or open the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14.
FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1, which illustrates the sliding board 16 provided to selectively close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14.
FIG. 7 is a left side elevation view of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1. Looking down at the longer air shaft 14 from the top, an exterior surface of the middle slanted portion 14b is visible.
FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1, which illustrates that the sliding board 16 is inserted, in a U-shaped frame 18 provided along three sides of the square shaped hole, to thereby close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14. In this view the ceiling 10C is removed such that an exterior bottom surface of the middle slanted portion 14b of the longer air shaft 14 (see FIG. 1) is visible.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the shorter air shaft 12 of FIG. 1, in which the sliding board 16 inserted to close a hole at the bottom of the shorter air shaft 12 is visible (e.g., the ceiling 10C is removed). FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the shorter air shaft 12 of FIG. 1, which illustrates that a hole defined by the U-shaped frame 18 provided at the bottom of the shorter air shaft 12 may be selectively closed or opened using the sliding board 16. FIG. 12 is a trimetric view of the sliding board 16 supported by the frame 18 to selectively close or open the hole at the bottom of the shorter air shaft 12 or the longer air shaft 14, as viewed from below on the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10.
The sliding board 16 is provided to control the amount of air or gas through the hole. Specifically, the sliding board 16 covering the hole at the end of the shorter air shaft 12 is used to control the amount of cooler air entering the muro room 10, and the sliding board 16 covering the hole at the end of the longer air shaft 14 is used to control the amount of gas and steam being removed from the muro room 10.
FIG. 13 is a trimetric view of a muro room (malted rice making room) 10′ including a shorter air shaft 12′ and a longer air shaft 14′, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The configuration and operation of the muro room 10′ is analogous to those of the muro room 10 described above. For example, the configuration and operation of the shorter air shaft 12′ are analogous to those of the shorter air shaft 12 of FIG. 1 and, therefore, their detailed description is omitted. In the muro room 10′ of FIG. 13, to maximize distance “C” between the shorter air shaft 12′ and the longer air shaft 14′, the shorter air shaft 12′ and the longer air shaft 14′ are positioned near two corners 11 and 13 of the muro room ceiling 10C to diagonally oppose each other. As with the muro room 10 described above, height “A” of the longer air shaft 14′ is greater than height “B” of the shorter air shaft 12′, and distance “C” between the shorter air shaft 12′ and the longer air shaft 14′ is greater than height “A” of the longer air shaft 14′.
The longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13 is configured slightly differently from the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1. As illustrated, the longer air shaft 14′ includes a first upright portion 17a, which is bent at a first bent section 19a to form a middle slanted portion 17b, which is bent at a second bent section 19b to form a second upright portion 17c. Unlike the longer air shaft 14 of FIG. 1 in which the first and second bent sections 15a and 15b are planes parallel to the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10, the first and second bent section 19a and 19b of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13 are planes that are slanted relative to the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10′.
FIG. 14 is an isometric view from above of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a trimetric view from below of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13. As before, the sliding board 16 is provided to selectively close or open a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the sliding board 16 as inserted to close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′.
FIG. 16 is a front elevation view of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the longer air shaft 14′ cut along line 17-17 of FIG. 14. In both FIGS. 16 and 17, the longer air shaft 14′ is illustrated to extend through the ceiling 10C of the muro room 10′ so that a hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′ is accessible through the ceiling 10C. The sliding board 16 is provided on (or underneath) the ceiling 10C to selectively close or open the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′.
FIG. 18 is a right side elevation view of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13, which illustrates the sliding board 16 provided to selectively close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′.
FIG. 19 is a left side elevation view of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13.
FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13. Looking down at the longer air shaft 14′ from the top, an exterior surface of the middle slanted portion 17b is visible.
FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the longer air shaft 14′ of FIG. 13, which illustrates that the sliding board 16 is inserted to close the hole at the bottom of the longer air shaft 14′. In this view the ceiling 10C is removed such that an exterior bottom surface of the middle slanted portion 17b of the longer air shaft 14′ (see FIG. 13) is visible.
While exemplary embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, numerous variations in the illustrated and described arrangements of features will be apparent to one skilled in the art based on this disclosure. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific implementations disclosed in the specification, but should be construed to include all possible implementations along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Patent Application
20240263812
