Sake Flashcards
What is considered the best rice for sake production?
Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo)
Seimabuai - highest polishing ratio?
polishing ratio - daiginjo - 50%
Fermentation is catalyzed by what in sake production?
Koji mold - aspergillus oryzae
Define junmai
“pure rice” made with only water, rice, and koji
- milling percentage may be over 70% (no seimaibuai requirement),
no brewer’s alcohol, low sweetness, high acidity, umami
Honjozo rice polished to?
70% - brewer’s spirit added
Ginjo?
60%
Daiginjo?
50%
Define moto
Moromi
Yeast starter
Mash
Nihonshudo
Sake Value Meter
negative values indicate sweetness,
zero is neutral,
positive is dryness
Namazake
unpasteurized
Nigori
unfiltered or coarse filtered - w/ “lees”
Tarusake
Barrel aged
Genshu
undiluted sake
what is koji-moro
the room where the koji mold is cultivated
shinpaku
heart of the rice kernel
Gohyakumangoku (Niigata)
light, clean, dry
Omachi (Okayama)
rich, herbal, and nutty
Hattannishiki (Hiroshima)
light, earthy
Hanafabuki Aomori
rich, umami
name for sake fermentation
Moto, Multiple Parallel Fermentation
semaibuai
rice polishing ratio
honjozo indicates
addition of brewer’s spirit
maximum percentage of rice grain remaining for ‘junmai’
prior to 2004 - 70%
max. percent rice grain remaining for ‘daiginjo’
50%
what is an ochoko
sake cup
what is a tokkuri
serving carafe- narrow neck
kura
brewery
toji
head brewer
Sake produced in the US
Den (Oakland), Shochi Kubai, Setting Sun (San Diego), Brooklyn Kura, Texas Sake Co.
owamori
style of shochu distilled from sake (thai rice) - aged in clay amphorae for 3 months
How is sake normally served?
tokkuri - ceramic narrows-neck flask;
into ochoko glasses
Tarusake
Aged in Cedarwood
Jizake
Microbrew (small kura)
Koshu sake
Aged
koji is what type of organism
fungi
term for koji innoculation
hikkomi
rice kneading and wrapping in cloth to maintain temperature
kirikaeshi
separating batches into wooden boxes
mori
karakuchi
brewing method in which the yeast is kept just above freezing for a long, slow fermentation
- light, silky with tropical notes - good with sashimi and oysters
yamahai sake
the moto creates its own lacto-bacillus instead of innoculation, gradually stepping up temperature - usually creates a richer, creamier style - hearty and gamey
first brewery to make yamahai
Suehiro from Fukushima
kimoto
using wooden poles to speed up lacto-bacillus using ambient temperature
nigiri
coarse filtering bag - most sake is filtered through charcoal
minimum percentage of koji in mash of premium sake (ginjo)
min. 15%
tokubetsu honjozo
special method,
brewer’s spirit up to 10%,
usually seimaibua 60%
koshu
minimum aging requirement is 3 years (maillard reaction - caramelization of sugars)
- most sake is between 6-18 months aged
futushu
table sake - ordinary, non-premium usually uses jozoshu brewer’s spirit
How much and when is brewer’s spirit added for honjozo?
10% weight of the rice, added after fermentation before pressing
What deters non-junmai imports to the US?
US law taxes anything with alcohol added as a distilled spirit - so Junmai is taxed less
why is koji essential to fermentation of sake
it converts the starch in the rice to sugar for alcoholic fermentation
muromi
the main mash
water, koji, polished, steamed rice
why is water selection so important for sake?
iron content needs to be low,
terroir effect
Hiroshima - soft water, Nigata - hard water
what district produces 1/3 of Japan’s sake
Nada
(Hyogo prefecture - east of Osaka and Kyoto)
location of the big 3 kuras
Nada (Hyogo) water
MIYAMIZU - Hard water, high in minerals phosphorous and potassium (mixes with ground water)
Fushimi (Kyoto)
other place with soft water?
GOKOSUI - Soft water - sweet, delicate
KANAGAWA
Mt. Fuji - (Shizuoka)
FUKURYUSUI - balanced, crisp and soft - snow melt filtered through volcanic soil
Suehiro Shuzo (Fukushima)
Yamahai Junmai
Nishida Shuzo (Aomori)
Denshu Junmai Hanafabuki - rich, full (beef)
Eiko Fuji (Yamagata)
Honkara - Honjozo Karakuchi (dry)
Shirataki Shuzo (Niigata)
Junmai Ginjo Goyakmangoku - snow melt
Echigozakura Shuzo (Niigata)
Daiginjo
When is sake brewing season?
Winter - cools down the brewing (koji rooms get hot),
rice is harvested in autumn and needs to condition after harvest and after polishing
Sake Service Temperatures
Yukihie Kan - COLDER —-> ginjo, daiginjo, namazake (namachozo, namazume)
Jo-on
Hinata Kan
Tobikiri Kan —-> aged sake at room temp.
Hito Hada Kan
human skin warm 95 - 104
Nuru Kan
lukewarm 104 - 113 —> savory styles yamahai, kimoto
Jyoh Kan
good hot 113 - 122
Atsu Kan
hot enough 122 - 131 - WARMER —- > futushu
Sohaze koji results in what kind of sake?
more body and flavor from the proteinaceous hyphae of the mold (Junmai)
Tsukihaze koji results in what kind of sake?
clean, pure, sophisticated (Ginjo)
Sandan Shikomi - 4 days
Adding ingredients in three stages:
1 Hatsuzoe - add shubo (starter), water, sake rice (kakemai), koji rice (kojimai) 1/3 full
2 Odori - “dance” no additions 1/3 full
3 Nakazoe - addition of more water, kakemai, kojimai - 55% full
4 Tomozoe - 3rd and final addition, 4th day of mash - 100% full
Sokujo moto
Bodai moto
Yamahai
Kimoto
innoculation of lactic acid prior to fermentation - 90% of sake
using a yeast starter “shubo” - semi-natural
natural
natural
Kuroshu
Sake made with no rice polishing
Teiseihaku - shu
purposely overmilled sake (80% seimabuai)
shinshu
new sake
kurabiraki
warehouse opening
masu
square wooden cup
kappu-sake
single serve, plastic pull top
hiyaoroshi and namazume
namachozo
pasteurized once in winter, matured in summer, ready by fall
namachozo - pasteurized once after bulk storage
most sake is pasteurized twice, once before storage also once before distribution
What is hung outside of a Kura when a new sake is brewed?
Sugitama - a fir ball (cedar leaves)
Origarami
Sake with the lees (left unseparated after pressing) - may still have effervescence - only very light filtration
Pressing
Common - machine press with filters
Shibori - boat “fune” with filter bags - pressed from the lees
Shizuku - drip press through fine mesh
Nigori - coarse filter
Origarami - lees kept
Japanese term for Sake
Nihon-shu
Premium Sake
Tokutei Meishou-shu
vs. Futushu (cheap, industrial)
Best water for sake
clean, pure - low in iron and manganese
muroka
not charcoal filtered
Which style is produced by adding sake during the 3rd stage of sandan shikomi (Tome) instead of water?
Kijoshu
Kijoshu
A sweet sake where the fermentation is cut early by adding sake during “Tome”
ko-on touka moto
vs.
sokujo moto
Methods of innoculation and saccharification.
Sokujo is the broad category of lactic acid bacteria innoculation to prevent unwanted microorganisms. Also adding lots of cultured yeast.
Ko-on tuka is a faster and more modern variant where the process is done at high temperatures - leads to ease of mashing and low contamination (if the equipment is adequate).
When is spirit added for honjozo?
Usually cane sugar based and about 10% volume added
after fermentation, before pressing
most sake will also be diluted with water
Typical sake fermentation temperature?
around 40 Celsius (max is 44) - higher temperature to get stronger flavors
premium highly polished sake will ferment at lower temperatures for finesse and aroma
Kaori
vs
Aji
Fruity, floral, aromatic - daiginjo
Flavorful, umami, robust
What is aka sake?
Red sake from yeast, rice, or ash
