Chapter 15: Speciality styles of sake

Question 1

Why is nigori-zake cloudy?

Answer 1

-Due to the presence of sake lees
-white/creamy colour

Question 2

Is nigori-zake unfiltered?

Answer 2

-No, every sake must be filtered by legislation

Question 3

How is nigori-zake filtered?

Answer 3

By using a coarse mesh and allowing an amount of the rice solids to remain in the final liquid
-In 1960s a filter size was agreed on that allow producers to state that the product was filtered, while still allowing lees to pass through

Question 4

Can nigori-zake be made in junmai and daiginjo styles?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

What is the style of a nigori-zake on thick lees?

Answer 5

-Rich texture, full bodied, higher acidity content

Question 6

What is the style of nigori-zake on thin lees?

Answer 6

-Usu-nigori/sasa-nigori/ori-garami = small amount of lees remaining to give some texture, should be white or creamy in colour, otherwise fault

Question 7

Is it permitted to mix a normally filtered clear sake with a portion of loosely filtered lees-containing sake?

Answer 7

-Yes
-But the brewer must pass the lees containing sake through some (coarse) filtration

Question 8

What happens with nigori-zake if it is stored too long/uncorrect?

Answer 8

-Yellow,brown of grey colour

Question 9

How can clear sake become cloudy?

Answer 9

-Infection of bacteria hi-ochi or incorrect storage of nama-zake

Question 10

What is doburoku?

Answer 10

-Home-brewed style of fermented rice beverage that was made in households by farm families and consumed without filtration
-Originally nigori-zake but not filtered thus not permitted to be called like this
-Prohibited in 1899

Question 11

What happened with doburoku in 2002?

Answer 11

-Doburoku Tokku (special zone for this type of sake) was established by the government
-Consumption only allowed at location of production (restaurants/guesthouses where owners can grow their own rice)

Question 12

When was sparkling sake developed? Why?

Answer 12

-Relatively late (1998)
-To try and attract new consumers

Question 13

Although not legally defined, in which 3 groups can sparkling sake be categorised?

Answer 13

-Carbonated
-Bottle fermented
-Live (unpasteurised)

Question 14

How is carbonated sparkling sake made?

Answer 14

-Simplest method by injecting carbon dioxide under pressure once the sake is made and filtered

Question 15

What is the style of carbonated sparklig sake?

Answer 15

-Clear, water white, most are sold pasteurised

Question 16

How is bottled fermented sparkling sake made?

Answer 16

-First made the same way as other sake
-Fermentation stopped earlier when alcohol content is around 5-10%
-Filtered and bottled
-Fermentation continues in bottle by adding sugar and yeast and creates 1-1.5 abv% extra
-Sediments created by the yeast can stay in the bottle (nigori) or disgorged (same as with sparkling wine)
-Topped with sake after this and resealed or bottles empied in the tank under pressure (to keep co2), sake filtered to remove deposits

Question 17

What is the Japan Awasake Association?

Answer 17

-Consists of 9 sake makers to standardise the definition and quality of bubble-sake (awasake)
-Also allow second fermentation on tank that can be sealed to hold some CO2

Question 18

What are the rules of Awasake?

Answer 18

-Source of bubbles has to be natural carbonation
-Final sake has to be pasteurised and clear
-contain over 10% abv and 3.5 bar CO2 pressure at 20 degrees

Question 19

What is the most traditional style of sparkling sake? Explain

Answer 19

-Live nigori
-Seasonal style released in winter
-Same as bottled fermented sparkling sake but only with a coarse filtration
-Unstable product due to active koji enzymes and yeast producing sugars and alcohol
-Alc content changes day by day, do not comply with labelling legislations on most export markets
-Easy care with opening because 1/3 of the content can rush out when pressure is released

Question 20

What are results of maillard reactions between sugars and amino acids?

Answer 20

-Well-rounded texture with greater integration of different flavours and development of new flavours with aged sake

Question 21

How are most koshu sakes aged?

Answer 21

-In tank or glass bottles

Question 22

What can have a significant effect on the style of koshu?

Answer 22

-Temperature and maturation

Question 23

Which type of sake has more ageing potential? How is this achieved?

Answer 23

-Sake with higher sugar and acidity content
-Make their koji with much thicker coverage of mould than koji used for regular sake (so-haze)
-Adds a higher proportion of koji to provide faster starch-to-sugar conversion

Question 24

How is the colour developed?

Answer 24

-Higher polishing ratios, aged at higher temp in large vessels with more access to oxygen undergo more drastic changes
-Colour from medium to deep gold, amber and sometimes brown

Question 25

What are typical flavours of koshu?

Answer 25

Caramel,toffee,molasses,nuts, earthy/vegetable notes: mushcroom, soy sauce, pickled cabbage, radish

Question 26

What happens if ginjo styles are aged?

Answer 26

-Often matured at colder temperatures in inert vessels
-colour from pale to medium lemon or gold
-Aromas can remain fresh with a subtle nuttiness
-Texture: fine and silky

Question 27

If there is an age statement which year must be stated on the label?

Answer 27

-The number of years that the youngest component has been in its storage container

Question 28

How long does koshu within the Long-term Matured Sake Research Group must be aged?

Answer 28

-At least 3 years before release

Question 29

Why are bottle aged sakes the main expection to the general rule that the date of manufacture on the bottle indicated the bottling date?

Answer 29

-Some indicate both the year of brewing (BY) and the date of manufacture (release date) allowing the consumer to see how long the product was aged in bottle at the brewery and how long it has been in the supply chain since release

Question 30

Why do some brewers choose not to use koshu as a labelling term? What do they do instead?

Answer 30

-Some people refer to koshu as unpleasant and old
-Use jukusei-shu (matured sake), not legally defined but can include matured sake without much colour due to maturation at refrigerated or sub-freezing temperatues

Question 31

What is kijoshu?

Answer 31

-Sweet style of sake
-Often full bodied and complex
-meaning: ‘noble ferment sake’
-Created to be compared with Sauternes

Question 32

When was kijoshu first created?

Answer 32

-Brewing process invented in 1973
-1974: Enoki Shuzo in hiroshima prefacture became the first brewery to make kijoshu for consumers

Question 33

How is kijoshu made?

Answer 33

-Water additions to the moromi are partially replaced with sake
-rice/water ratio normally 100:130, with kijoshu 60 parts water and 70 parts sake
-sake added during final addition of moromi
-Any grade of sake can be made in kijoshu style but most have polishing ratio between 60-70%

Question 34

How does kijoshu become sweet in style?

Answer 34

-Alcohol level is raised at the start of the fermentation. Yeast are not stopped and continue the fermentation: not able to ferment all sugars created by koji enzymes by the time fermentation is stopped

Question 35

What is the style of kijoshu?

Answer 35

-sweet and viscious
-Can be served as a digestif/alternative to dessert wine, some people pour it over vanilla ice cream

Question 36

Is Kijoshu often aged, why (not)?

Answer 36

-Yes, due to high sugar and acid content
-To benefit from the flavour developments that come from the reactins between the sugars and amino acids

Question 37

What is taru-zake?

Answer 37

-Style of sake that has been stored in Japanese cedar casks (sugi)
-Can be any style but often honjozo, junmai and futsu-shu (ginjo lose their delicacy under woody aromas)

Question 38

What are the 2 forms of maturing and shipping taru-zake?

Answer 38

-Matured and shipped in the traditional cedar barel
-Matured in cedar barrels and transferred and shipped in glass bottles

Question 39

What is the typical size of a sugi barrel?

Answer 39

-72 litres (also 36 and 18 litres used)

Question 40

How long is taru-zake often stored in Japanese cedar?

Answer 40

-1 or 2 weeks in barrel (because the cedar transfers its stron scent quickly), then blended for flavour consistency

Question 41

Is it permitted to use cedar planks, staves or chips for taru-zake?

Answer 41

-No
-According to Japanese legislation taru-zake must be matured in Japanese cedar vats

Question 42

Where can taru-zake in barrel be found?

Answer 42

-big celebrations such as weddings and new year

Question 43

How often are the barrels used for taru-zake?

Answer 43

-Up to 3 times