Sake Flashcards
What is unique about sake fermentation?
Made by Multiple Parallel Fermentation: the conversion of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occurs simultaneously.
What enables MPF in sake, and what is it referred to as?
Aspergillus oryzae, a green, powdery mold. Commonly called koji-kin.
What is the popular type of rice for sake?
Yamada Nishiki
Why do they mill sake rice?
To remove the protein-rich outer shell, revealing the starchy heart of the rice.
What is shinpaku?
The heart of the rice grain.
What is seimaibuai?
The degree to which the rice has been milled.
What is required for junmai?
The producer must print seimaibuai on the label, and use only water, rice, and koji (no brewers alcohol).
THERE IS NO LONGER A REQUIRED SEMAIBUAI FOR JUNMAI.
What is required for ginjo?
The grain is 40% polished.
What is required for daiginjo?
The grain is 50% polished.
If a sake is labeled ginjo or daiginjo without the modifier of junmai, what does that mean?
The sake is honjozo in style.
What does honjozo imply?
The addition of brewer’s alcohol (pure distillate).
Honjozo-shu does require a minimum semaibuai of 30%.
What is koji?
Milled and steamed rice that has been inoculated with koji-kin.
What is moto?
The starter for sake: koji, yeast, additional rice, and water.
How long does the moto develop before fermentation?
Two weeks
How many times are koji, water, and steamed rice added to the moto?
Three times
What is moromi?
The fermenting mash: moto, with successive additions of water, rice, and koji, which ferments for up to 45 days.
T/F: Sake is typically filtered and pasteurized.
TRUE
What is namazake?
Unpasteurized sake
How is special designation or premium sake labeled?
Tokutei meisho-shu
This is the top six grades of sake: Honjozo-shu, ginjo-shu, daiginjo-shu, junmai-shu, junmai-ginjo-shu, junmai-daiginjo-shu
What is moruka?
Pressed sake that has been separated from the less, but not carbon-filtered.
What is nigorizake?
Unfiltered sake (or sometimes filtered sake with the lees added back in)
What is seishu?
Clear/Clean sake
What is the name for aged sake?
Koshu
What is shiboritate?
Freshly pressed - sake shipped without the traditional six-month maturation period.
What is Tobingakoi sake?
Brewers selection - the best of the batch.
What is a sake brewer called?
Toji
What is a sake brewery called?
Kura
What is taruzake?
Sake matured in wooden cask
What is genshu sake?
Undiluted sake
Name two other types of sake rice than Yamada Nishiki
Gohyakumangoku (light, airy, clean) Miyamanishiki (sweeter but less fragrant) Omachi (rich, complex, nutty) Hattannishiki (light, flavorful, earthy) Dewasansan (sweeter, apple & pear) Kame no O (rich and very dry) Hanafabuki (mushroom/umami) Haenuki (clean and dry) Oseto (rare, from Kagawa, only used by one brewery)
What do positive and negative numbers indicate on a bottle of sake?
The level of dryness: positive numbers are increasingly drier, and negative numbers are increasingly sweeter.
What is the name for the measure of sweetness in sake?
Nihonshu-do
Name three famous sources for sake water in Japan
Miyamizu, from Nada (a ward of Kobe) in Hyogo prefecture - hard, high in minerals
Fukuryusui, from Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture - balanced between hard & soft
Gokosui from Fushimi in Kyoto prefecture - soft, low in mineral content
What is a muro?
The koji room (where koji is added to rice)
What is karakuchi?
A traditional method of brewing at lower temperatures, fermenting fully dry.
What is the difference between yamahai-shikomi and sokujo-moto?
Yamahai is a traditional method of brewing where lactic acied is not added to the moto; instead, the moto produces its own lactic acid. Produces a heartier, gamier style of sake, as the brewing process takes longer and wild yeasts are more likely to invade the ferment.
Sokujo is a modern (1911) method of brewing where in lactic acid is added to the moto, protecting it and speeding up the process of creating the moto to two weeks.
What is futsu-shu?
“Table Sake.” Constitutes approximately 3/4 of the market. Distilled alcohol is added to increase yield.
How do Honjozo styles compare to Junmai styles?
Honjozo styles are generally lighter and more fragrant than Junmai styles.
What is Jizake Jizake?
Usually means sake from smaller breweries; in other words, artisanal v. mass produced.
What are the types of namazake?
- Nama-nama/hon-nama: totally unpasteurized
- Nama-chozo: pasteurized only once, after the 6mo maturation period, before shipping
- Nama-zume: pasteurized only once, before the 6mo maturation process. Also called Hiya-oroshi.
Sakes that have been pasteurized twice (99% of the market) are called hi-ire.
What is Kimoto-moto?
The traditional method of working the moto, wherein the moto is continuously crushed and stirred with long wooden poles; the movement encourages the natural production of lactic acid to protect the moto.
