C15 - Speciality Styles of Sake - completed Flashcards
what is the colour of nigori-zake?
cloudy or opaque
by law, does nigori-zake need to be filtered?
yes, all sake must be filtered
why nigori-zake can keep the lees after filtration?
it’s partially filtered using a coarse mesh
when was the nigori-zake filter size agreed
1960s
what is the characteristic of thick lees nigori-zake?
- rich texture
- full bodied
- higher acidity
what is the name of nigori-zake with small amount of lees?
usu-nigori or sasa-nigori
what needs to be consider about nigori-zake’s self life?
it’s shorter than clear sake
how nigori-zake should be stored?
- cool temperature
- drink it young
what happen if nigori-zake is incorrectly stored?
- develop orange, brown or greyish colours
what are the potential causes for normal sake become cloudy?
- infected by hi-ochi bacteria
- misstorage of nama-zake
what’s the reason behind the newly invented sparkling sake?
- attract new consumers
any standard labelling term for sparkling sake?
no
unofficially, what are the 3 sparkling sake catagories?
- carbonated sparkling sake
- bottle-fermented sparkling sake
- ‘live nigori’
when was carbonated sakes begin to market?
1990s
how carbonated sparkling sake is made?
- inject carbon dioxide under pressure once the sake is made and filtered
what’s the colour of carbonated sparkling sakes?
clear, water-white colourless
are all carbonated sparkling sake pasteurised?
most are sold pasteurised
describe the production of bottle fermented sparkling sakes
- fermentation is halted when alcohol reached 5 - 10% abv
- fermentation continues inside the bottle
- produce extra 1-1.5% abv during bottle fermentation
describe the style of bottle-fermented sparkling sakes
- most are cloudy, because significant amount of sugar and yeast
- not common to disgorge, because the yeast cannot clump together
- balance of alcohol and residual sugar can vary
- most are nama
what’s the marketing for bottle-fermented sparkling sakes?
- most are sold at premium price
- in Champagne style bottles
what is the traditional timing to release ‘live nigori’ sake?
in the winter, around Christmas, when shinshu is released
describe the production of ‘live nigori’ sakes
- similar to the production of bottle-fermented sparkling sakes
- bottled with very coarse filtration
- koji enzymes and yeast continue to work inside the bottle
how’s the alcohol produced inside ‘live nigori’ sakes?
the alcohol level changes day by day
what is the problem of marketing ‘live nigori’ sakes?
- it’s not possible to meet most of the labelling legislation in most of the export markets
- only limited to small, local market’’
- for a limited time in a year
what need to be careful when opening a ‘live nigori’ sake?
- it’s possible 1/3 of the contents will rush out
what is the other name of koshu?
jukusei-shu (matured sake)
in general, what is the flavour profile of koshu?
- well-rounded texture
- greater integration of various flavours
- development of new flavours
what are the components in the koshu develop the special taste?
sugar and amino acids
what are the options a brewer can choose to produce koshu?
- style of the sake
- vessel size and material
- temperature of maturation
what kind of sake has more potential for ageing?
high sugar and acidity
how brewer create a sake with higher sugar and acidity for ageing?
- use extreme style of so-haze, with thicker cover of koji mould
- higher proportion of koji for faster starch-to-sugar conversion
- acid addition
- blending different styles and vintages
which characteristic of koshu can be produced using less polished rice at higher ageing temperature, large vessel (more oxidation)?
- medium gold, amber to brown colour
- aromas of caramel, coffee, molasses (syrup) and nuts
- mushrooms, soy sauce, pickled cabbage, radish
which style of koshu can be produced using highly polished rice at colder ageing temperature, small, tighly sealed vessel (minimum oxidation)?
- pale/medium lemon or gold
- aromas of fresh, subtle nuttiness
- fine and silky texture
what are the unusual ageing options for koshu?
- maturation in caves, under sea
- mature in whisky, sherry or wine oak barrels
any legally requirement minimum ageing period for koshu?
no
most of the koshu in the market is aged for how long?
at least 2 years
if there’s an ageing statement of the koshu, how should it state the years?
by law, it must refer to the youngest component has been in this container
what information are usually added to the label of bottle-aged sakes?
- BY - brewing year
- date of manufacture (release date)
what is the initial reason to create kijoshu?
for VIP guest visiting Japan
how kijoshu is made?
- by replacing water addition to the moromi with sake in the fouth day of fermentation
- normal rice to water is: 100:130
- kijoshu is rice : water : sake = 100:60:70
- yeast cannot convert all the sugar to alcohol by the time fermentation stops
characteristics of kijoshu sake?
- full bodied
- complex
- sweet
- viscous
why kijoshu is suitable for ageing to increase its complexity?
- it’s high in sugar, malic and lactic acid
- can benefit from the sugar and acid reactions in ageing
who invented kijoshu?
Dr. Makoto Sato
which brewery is the first one to make kijoshu?
Enoki Shuzo in Hiroshima Prefecture
what kind of vessels was used in 15th and 16th century before Japanese cedar barrel is created?
jars or pots made from glazed or unglazed pottery
what is the reason behind creating the wooden barrels?
- allow to ferment in large batch
- transport for a longer distance, e.g. from Nada to Edo
what aromas and flavours the Japanese cedar barrel contribute to the sake?
- highly fragrant
- intense spicy flavours
when was the wooden barrel become abandoned and why?
- 1920 - 1930s
- replaced by glass bottles
why ginjo is not suitable to store in taru?
ginjo will lost its delicacy
what are the forms of taru-zake?
- matured and shipped in the cedar barrel
- matured in the cedar barrel, transferred and shipped in glass bottle
what are the common size options of the taru?
- 72 L
- 36 L
- 18 L
typically how long it takes to age the sake in taru?
only 1 - 2 weeks
what is the legal requirement of the taru-zake’s maturation?
- it must be matured in Japanese cedar vats
- not allowed to use any cedar planks, staves, chips, oil or any extracts to add wooden aromas
how many times can a taru being used?
3 times mostly
what are the common scenarios of seeing taru-zake?
celebrations: wedding, new year, festivities
