The Fukushima Minyu site has an article on a brewery looking to the future by introducing more technology into its brewing process.
Eisen Shuzō in Bandai, Fukushima carried out a trial run of remote surveillance technology on 9 November 2018.
The brewery hopes to have the system ready for commercial use by 2020. It uses a 5G data connection and 4K cameras positioned above the brewing tanks to film their contents 24 hours a day from a remote monitoring location. High speed, high capacity transmission gives a clear view of the state of the moromi (もろみ, main fermentation or mash), including foam and bubbles.
The trial is a second in a series of projects by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, following one in September to observe the growth of rice plants. Contractor company Nomura Research Institute says that temperature sensor data and photos and videos from cameras can be analysed and saved, and then used to train AI, pass down brewing techniques or educate new brewers.
Yuji Miyamori, president of Eisen Shuzō, commented that he wants to continue making sake while both preserving tradition and adopting new technology.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Fukushima Minyu, 10 November 2018)
- Eisen Shuzō (Japanese)