Japanese Sake : All Japan News,Inc

By Kosuke Kuji

 

As the glorious New Year of the Dragon dawned on January 1, 2024, the voice of a TV anchor sadly urged viewers to “Please evacuate,” “head to higher ground quickly,” on the evening of New Year’s Day. 

The news reported the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. 

Right after the earthquake occurred, a “Major tsunami warning” was issued around Ishikawa prefecture for the first time since the Great East Japan Earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued along the coastline of the Sea of Japan, and a tsunami advisory was widely issued.  

The sun had set, and it was dark outside. 

The New Year variety entertainment show switched to a special news report led by NHK, as various TV programs switched to news when major disasters strike to provide regular updates.

The new year started off as a tragic journey.    

The status of the tsunami was not known for a while after the major tsunami warning was issued. Aware of the damage incurred by tsunamis after the Great East Japan Earthquake, I prayed for the safety of survivors. My heart anguished over not knowing the latest status of victims on site following the disaster. 

Noto peninsula is also known as one of the three major regions of master sake brewers (toji), named “Noto Toji.” Home to nearly ten sake breweries, Noto peninsula is also home to my younger colleague’s brewery. From this issue on, I will share stories about the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and local sake breweries in the next several reports.       

 

 

Sake bottles normally display two labels. 

The large front label often displays the “sake brand” in the center of the bottle, while the right or left side shows the special sake designation (such as Junmai Daiginjo, etc.). 

The production year, month, and date indicated is the sake bottling date. The label also lists the alcohol content, volume of the bottle, and the names of the brewery and master sake brewer.  

The back label lists important information such as the sake meter value - a positive or negative value that indicates the sake is sweet or dry. Generally, the greater the negative value, the sweeter the flavor; and the greater the positive value, the dryer the flavor. This positive or negative sake meter value is determined by the sugar content in sake. The higher the sugar content, the greater the negative number; and the lower the sugar content, the greater the positive sake meter value. Sake with a positive sake meter value that is lighter in relative density than water is lower in sugar content, etc., while sake with a negative sake meter value that is heavy in relative density is higher in sugar content, etc. 

Generally, sake with scary names such as oni, kujira, otoko, etc., tend to be dry in flavor. 

Approximately sixty-five percent of all sake produced is standard sake. As sales of Ginjo and Junmai Ginji increase however, the overall sales of sake is also increasing.  

 

 

By Ryuji Takahashi

 

Three sake breweries were invited to organize the 2023 year-end sales event at Kanemasu Brewery (Shibata city, Niigata prefecture). Thursday, December 28 felt like a half-day workday, yet many visitors arrived to purchase nigori sake “Hatsuyuki,” a popular nigori sake of this brewery. Some customers purchased sake in bulk since Kanemasu Brewery offers few bottled sake products. The sake products featured by Kanemasu Brewery were Junmai Daiginjo “Hatsuhana,” stored at freezing temperatures for two years; and “Kanemasu 36-year-old sake.”      

The container of “Kanemasu 36-year-old sake,” aged for thirty-six years since 1986, is eye-catching. The 360 ml titanium custom-made double wall tumbler was made by the renowned Horie Titanium Co., based in the Tsubame-Sanjo area. After the aged sake is finished, the uneven interior of the tumbler ensures silky froth beer foam. The 360 ml aged sake is priced at approximately 40000 JPY. Explaining the value of this aged sake to customers was very challenging.   

The sales event on December 29 featured “Nagatorogura” by Hakuro Brewery (Nagaoka city, Niigata prefecture) and new sake by both the Hakuro Brewery and Fujisaki Sobe Shoten (Nagatoro city, Saitama prefecture) of the same group. Hakuro Brewery featured their new sake, Junmai-Daiginjo Nigori Sake, and “Sanzui Junmai-Daiginjo Non-filtered Unprocessed Sake,” bottled in low volumes. New sake by Nagatorogura is unprocessed, non-filtered Junmai Ginjo sake with a flavor like fresh green apple juice. Customers came out in droves to the shopping district this day after completing their work for the year to prepare for New Year’s eve and New Year’s day. Many customers purchased fresh sake available only this time of the year. 

Nihonsakari was featured the next day, soon to become a classic sake featured during the sales event on December 30. The special set packaged in the Jinkichi bag (handbag made of durable canvas fabric used to transport sake from the sake shop) consisted of the Ginjo with gold leaf, Daiginjo with gold leaf, and “Souhana Junmai Ginjo,” also used when the Emperor ascended the throne, all products that suit the New Year ambiance. Sales personnel at Nihonsakari taught me the basics of selling sake before my shop opened. For the first time in over a decade, we teamed up so I could learn how to sell sake from a seller of a national sake brand, which is different from how local sake is sold. 

On the final day of New Year’s eve on December 31, two part-time workers were invited to sell out the rest of the inventory of the year. High-end sake sold out in no time, along with various new sake and New Year’s sake products that all sold out and concluded the year by 21:00. 

It is truly unusual to see this much sake sold at other times of the year. The phenomenon of high sake sales raises the question if domestic sake consumption is declining in Japan. If sake sales of this volume are consistent year-round, it would be safe to say the Japanese sake industry has a bright future ahead. 

*Jinkichi bag: handbag made of durable canvas fabric used to transport sake from the sake shop  

 

 

Japanese sake is brewed from fermentation-mash prepared by adding yeast, steamed rice, koji, and water to the pure yeast starter cultivated in large volumes, in which alcohol ferments. Since the volume of steamed rice used to prepare the standard yeast starter is low at approximately seven to eight percent of the overall volume mashed (the yeast starter ratio is the ratio of the total volume of rice in the yeast starter to the total volume of rice used to mash the fermentation-mash one time), adding a large amount of ingredients (steamed rice, koji, and water) at once rapidly lowers the acidity of the yeast starter and the number of yeast starters. Therefore, the yeast starter cannot cultivate at the same pace, increasing the risk of bacterial contamination.    

Therefore, ingredients are not added at once, but divided and added in several stages to cultivate an adequate yeast starter while mashing. This mashing method is referred to as the “Stage-mashing process,” otherwise referred to as the “Three-stage mashing process,” as sake ingredients are divided and added in three stages. Some may suggest increasing the volume of the yeast starter to ensure safety in mashing in one stage. However, preparing the yeast starter is very time-consuming, and significantly increasing the ratio of yeast starter can compromise the aroma of sake, thus deemed unrealistic.   

The Three-stage mashing process is used to mash in three stages over a four-day period: “First stage,” “Second stage,” and the “Third stage” (also referred to as “tome-jikomi,” or the “final stage”). 

During the “first stage” on the first day, the volume after mashing grows to approximately three times the yeast starter. The mashing temperature is slightly high between 53.6~55.4 degF to revive the yeast in the yeast starter. During the “resting stage” on the second day, mashing is stopped for a day to sufficiently cultivate the yeast starter and increase the yeast in the fermentation-mash. During the “second stage” on the third day, the volume after mashing reaches approximately seven times the yeast starter at the mashing temperature between 48.2~50 degF. During the “third stage” on the fourth day, the mashing temperature drops further between 44.6~46.4 degF, and the volume grows to approximately fourteen times the yeast starter. This concludes the standard three-stage mashing process. However, the temperature is lowered to ensure safety as the mashing continues, for as the volume increases, the lactic acid concentration drops and becomes easily susceptible to bacterial contamination.  

To prepare sweet sake on the other hand, the final step requires the fermentation-mash prepared by the three-stage mashing process to be mashed one more time, referred to as the “four-stage mashing process.” 

 

 

By Kosuke Kuji
 
In this series that introduces seasonal sake, this report features “cloudy sake” released in the spring. 
The beautiful spring season of Japan is represented by blooming cherry blossoms. The sighs of plants and animals that survived the cold winter season are sensed during one of the most beautiful seasons in Japan.   
Spring is also a season of partings in the sake industry. The Master sake brewer and brewery workers who lived and worked at the brewery throughout the winter season return home in the spring to plant rice.    
“Nigori sake” is a category of sake sold by many sake breweries year-round. Freshly squeezed sake is slightly cloudy in the beautiful spring season. Recently, cherry blossom petals float on the surface of some nigori sake products released in the spring.  
Nigori sake is not thick and slightly cloudy. The Japanese also enjoy viewing cherry blossoms during the spring. Slightly cloudy nigori sake enjoyed while viewing the pink cherry blossoms create an elegant ambiance, the epitome of beauty. 
Please enjoy nigori sake while viewing cherry blossoms to experience the beautiful spring season in Japan.

 

 

酒豪大陸「季節の日本酒④春のにごり酒」

日本酒の季節を代表するお酒を紹介していますが、今回は春の「にごり酒」です。

日本の春は桜に代表されるように大変美しい季節です。寒い冬を乗り越えた植物や動物達の息吹を感じることのできる、まさに日本の中でも最高の季節になります。

日本酒の世界も春はお別れの季節で、冬の間蔵に来て泊まり込みでお酒の仕込みをしていた杜氏さんや蔵人が故郷に帰る時期でもあります。

同じく日本の春の代名詞の田植えがあるからです。

日本酒には「にごり酒」といういジャンルがあり、通年を通して販売している蔵も多いですが、春の美しい季節にしぼったばかりの新酒の日本酒を薄くにごらせ、桜の花びらを浮かべて飲むような、春のにごり酒も近年増えてきました。

ポイントはドロドロのにごり酒ではなく、薄く濁っている、というところだと思います。

日本の春は花見があります。花見でこの薄いにごり酒は、桜のピンクと相まって、大変風情があり、美しさの極みとも言えます。

そんな日本の素敵な春にぜひにごり酒を桜と楽しんでいただきたいです。

 

Please enjoy sake with an appropriate amount of food over time, rather than chugging down sake at once. The appropriate amount of sake that prevents stress to the liver is one to two cups. Please keep this guideline in mind and do not drink alcohol one to two days a week to rest the liver. 
Please do not consume sake with medication, during pregnancy, or during the weaning period. 
Also, please do not take a hot bath or engage in heavy exercise after sake consumption, nor pressure others to consume sake. 
The Japanese have a limited ability to breakdown alcohol, while Northern European nationals in Finland and Sweden tend to be highly tolerant of alcohol. Although there is an individual difference, two cups of sake is typically broken down between six to seven hours. 
Sake does not cause obesity. The calorie content of sake is 185 kcal per 100 ml. Obesity from sake consumption is caused by snacks enjoyed with sake, not sake itself. Also, while alcohol typically cools the body, this is not the case with sake (according to Health and Medicine of Alcohol Association).
 

 

 

適切な保存方法と飲み方

日本酒を楽しく飲むためには、食べながら、適量をゆっくり飲むように心掛けて一気飲みなどははしないこと。肝臓に負担をかけないお酒の適量は、日本酒で1～2合。これを守ったうえで、週に1～2日の休肝日を作るのが望ましいとされている。

薬と一緒に飲むのはNGで妊娠中、離乳期の飲酒も避ける。

飲酒後の入浴や過激な運動もしてはならないし他人への無理強いもダメ。　

日本人はアルコールを分解する機能が弱いがフィンランド、スエーデンなど、北欧の国は強い傾向がある。お酒２合は消化に個人差はあるが、お酒2合の分解には6～7時間かかる。

日本酒を飲んでも太らない。日本酒のカロリーは100 mlで185 kcalで太るのはお酒と一緒に食べるおつまみが原因。また、アルコール体を冷やすが、日本酒は違う。（アルコール健康医学協会）

 

 

By Ryuji Takahashi
 
I continue to push myself despite feeling exhausted during the month of December, a busy and hectic month with no chance to rest until the new year. First on the schedule is the in-store sales event for Kondo Brewery (Kondo Shuzo Co., Ltd.) in Gunma prefecture. I happened to have new freshly squeezed sake, so I held the in-store sales event to sell the new sake and Junmai Ginjo “Kurobi” brewed using a centrifugal separator, winner of the Gold prize during the New York World Wine & Spirits Convention, over two days in the bitter cold weather.       
Kondo Brewery is the producer of the sake brand “Akagiyama.” Their flagship product is the Honjozo “Akagiyama Dry,” seemingly available in convenience stores, drug stores, and many stores that sell daily necessities. Seventy to eighty percent of this sake is consumed locally in Gunma prefecture, while seasonal and special sake are often not released in other prefectures. In Tokyo, only two stores including my own store deal directly with the brewery. At our store, customers from Gunma prefecture buy this sake product in bulk. 
The first day of the sales event concluded with an evening banquet at the brewery with lively discussions about sake, audio, and vehicles. The following week, I attended “An evening of Italian cuisine with sake” at the Italian restaurant “Karibe-tei.” Surprisingly, the event was attended by a record number of guests who feasted on luxury food ingredients such as lobster, shirako (soft roe), calf, and fresh oysters with eighteen sake bottles - nine different sake brands of two bottles each - the highest number of bottles consumed to date. The concluding dish was the bubbling Champagne Risotto. Guests took photos and videos of the bubbling Champagne Risotto.        
 The last collaborative event of the year featuring Italian cuisine ended successfully. I hosted the year-end hot pot dinner event with unrestricted time and appetizers brought by guests the following week. The final week consisted of three in-store sales events at Kanemasu Brewery in Niigata prefecture on the 28th, Hakuro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. in Niigata prefecture on the 29th, and Nihonsakari Co., Ltd. in Hyogo prefecture on the 30th, leading into the New Year’s Eve sales event, the busiest event of the year.   
I was writing this article mid-December without encountering any major issue. I felt rushed to finish all my work before the end of the year, as I have many events and business trips scheduled in 2024. I feel deeply grateful for this past year that ended without any major injury or illness affecting my business, and for all the many customers who supported my business this year. I look forward to another year of sake fans consuming a lot of sake in 2024. 
 

 

 

東京地酒散歩（目まぐるしい師走）

 

　忙しい日々に疲弊している師走だが、休んでいる場合ではなく正月まで突っ走るしかないと身体に鞭を打ち続けている。そんな中、まずは、群馬県近藤酒造の店頭販売会。ちょうど、搾りたての新酒がでたタイミングだったので、新酒とニューヨーク・ワールド・ワイン＆スピリッツ・コンペティションで金賞を受賞した遠心分離機を使用した純米大吟醸の「黒檜（くろび）」を中心に2日間、寒空の中で店頭販売を行った。この近藤酒造、「赤城山」という銘柄を醸しており、フラッグシップとなる商品は「赤城山・男の酒辛口」という本醸造酒で、群馬では何処でも買えるといった印象の酒である。コンビニやドラッグストアなど生活に密着した場所で気軽に買えるので、群馬での地元消費が七～八割くらいとのこと。その為、他県に季節商品や特別酒があまり出てこない。東京でも酒蔵と直接取引を行っているのは、当店を含め2か所くらいしかないらしい。当店では群馬出身のお客様がまとめ買いをするくらいである。１日目は販売会からの夜は酒蔵を囲んでの宴会も開催し、日本酒、オーディオ、車の話で大いに盛り上がった。翌週は、以前も何度か記事に書いた「イタリアンと日本酒の夕べ」というイベントを下北沢のイタリア料理店「かりべ亭」にて開催。なんと、参加者が過去最高人数で、食材もオマール海老、白子、仔牛、生牡蠣など豪華食材の料理が並んだ。日本酒も過去最高9種類を2本ずつ計1８本が空になった。締めは吹き出すシャンパンとリゾットが映えるシャンパンリゾット。皆がカメラを手に吹き出すシャンパンを動画や写真に収めていた。結果、過去最高に大盛り上がりの今年最後のイタリア料理とのコラボイベントとなった。その翌週は持ち寄りのおつまみと当店が用意する鍋の時間無制限忘年会イベントを行い、最終週の2８日は新潟県金升酒造、２９日は新潟県柏露酒造、３０日は兵庫県日本盛の店頭販売会と続く。そして一年で一番忙しい大晦日の大販売会と繋がっていく。この記事を書いている時はまだ１２月の中盤なので、まだ大きいトラブルも無いが、無事に年内業務を終わらせたい気持ちでいっぱいだ。既に２０２４年のイベントや地方出張予定も決まり始めていている。とにかく大きなケガや病気も無く無事に1年商売が出来たことと、沢山のお客様に支えられて1年が過ごせたことに心から感謝したい。２０２４年も日本酒が多くの人に好まれ飲まれる事に期待したい。

 

By Kosuke Kuji

This series introduces the sake representative of each season. This report introduces the winter “draft sake.” 
Hot sake is delicious during the frigid winter season. Production starts with a new crop of sake rice harvested in the fall. New sake is first squeezed fresh from November into December. 
Many sake breweries release new freshly squeezed sake from sake rice harvested that year as a winter limited edition draft sake.    
New sake is fresh in aroma and flavor, with some slightly carbonated from the gas in the mash. New sake is a winter limited edition sake commonly enjoyed in the frigid winter season from December to March.
The fresh flavor of new sake is highly compatible with white fish sashimi or oden steeped in dashi broth.   
Also, many sake breweries also release rich, freshly squeezed “unprocessed sake.” 
In Iwate prefecture where snow falls heavily, chilled unprocessed sake is enjoyed with a hot pot seated below the kotatsu (Japanese table with a heater underneath), one of the best ways to enjoy the frigid winter season.    

 

 

酒豪大陸「季節の日本酒③しぼりたて生」

日本酒の季節を代表するお酒を紹介していますが、今回は冬の「しぼりたて生」です。

冬の寒い時期、日本では燗酒も最高の冬のアイテムなのですが、日本酒の製造は秋に収穫した新米で仕込みが始まり、その新酒の一番しぼりが出てくるのが11月から12月にかけてです。

その、今年の新米で仕込んだしぼりたての生酒を冬の季節限定商品として出す蔵が多くあります。

新酒ならではのフレッシュな香りと味わい、若々しく、中には少しもろみのガスを受け継ぎ微発砲しているものもあります。12月から3月くらいの寒い時期に楽しむことが出来る冬の季節限定酒です。

とても若々しいので、白身のお刺身や出汁をたっぷりときかせたおでんなどと楽しむと最高に美味しいです。

また、しぼりたて生は「原酒」で出す蔵も多く、原酒ならではの力強さも楽しむことが出来ます。

外は津々と雪が降りしきり、家の中はとても暖かい岩手では、暖かい家の中でキーンと冷やしたしぼりたて生をこたつに入りながらアツアツの鍋をつつきつつ飲むのが最高の冬の楽しみです。

 

Please avoid exposure to ultraviolet light when storing sake - very harmful to the quality of sake - or direct sunlight. The quality of sake will degrade under direct sunlight within one to two hours. Also, please avoid fluorescent light when storing sake.  

Once opened, sake is best if finished off quickly. If sake cannot be finished in one sitting however, please keep the cap and spout of the bottle clean and store in a dark place. If air inside the bottle is released before storage, the opened bottle of sake should last for approximately a month. Also, long-term storage does not turn sake into aged sake, but rather, the sake flavor and aroma changes over time and sake turns into vinegar. 

Although sake is known as the best medicine, please keep the appropriate volume of consumption in mind. Drinking the same amount of water as sake, or “water served with sake,” will help ease the stomach. 

 

 

適切な保存方法と飲み方

日本酒は紫外線を当てないこと。紫外線は日本酒にとり大敵なので直射日光には直接当てない。日光の下では１時間~２時間くらいで劣化してしまう。また、蛍光灯なども避けて保存すること。

開封後の日本酒は、飲み切ってしまうのが一番良いが、一度に飲みきることが難しい場合は、キャップや瓶口を清潔に保って冷暗所で保管する。中の空気を抜いて、冷蔵庫で保存した場合、１ヶ月くらいは大丈夫。また、日本酒をただ長年保管しただけでは古酒にはならず、味わいや風味が変化してしまいお酢になってしまう。

　　

お酒は百薬の長と言われているが、適正飲酒を心がけて楽しむ。飲んだ酒と同じ量のお水を飲むと胃が楽になります。そのお水のことを「やわらぎ水」と言う。

また、日本酒を楽しく飲むためには、食べながら、適量をゆっくり飲むように心掛けて一気飲みなどははしないこと。肝臓に負担をかけないお酒の適量は、日本酒で1～2合。これを守ったうえで、週に1～2日の休肝日を作るのが望ましいとされている。

薬と一緒に飲むのはNGで妊娠中、離乳期の飲酒も避ける。

飲酒後の入浴や過激な運動もしてはならないし他人への無理強いもダメ。　

日本人はアルコールを分解する機能が弱いがフィンランド、スエーデンなど、北欧の国は強い傾向がある。お酒２合は消化に個人差はあるが、お酒2合の分解には6～7時間かかる。

日本酒を飲んでも太らない。日本酒のカロリーは100 mlで185 kcalで太るのはお酒と一緒に食べるおつまみが原因。また、アルコール体を冷やすが、日本酒は違う。（アルコール健康医学協会）