Sake Flashcards
1
Q
What is a Jizake?
A
Microbrewery
regional sake
2
Q
What is unique about the production of Sake?
A
Made by multiple parallel fermentation: Starch converts to sugar and yeast consumes sugar to produce alcohol (and C02) simultaneously.
3
Q
What is a kura?
A
Sake brewery
4
Q
Which two prefectures received GI status from the WTO in 2016?
A
Yamagata (all of it - Yamagata GI))
The breweries of Tengumai, Kikuhime, Tedorigawa, Manzairaku and Takasago in the town of Hakusan in the Ishikawa Prefecture (Hakusan Kikusake GI)
5
Q
What do the Yamagata GI rules state?
A
51 breweries of the prefecture must use rice and koji grown in Japan, use only Yamagata water, and bottle and store their sake in the Yamagata
6
Q
What is doburoku?
A
The rustic unrefined homebrew sake made in the past
7
Q
What does the term sake refer to in Japan?
A
refers to all acohol
8
Q
What is the most appropriate word used for Sake in Japan?
A
Nihonshu - “Japanese alcohol”
9
Q
What are the 5 key ingredients of sake?
A
Rice, water, yeast, koji mold and brewer’s spirit (distilled alcohol).
10
Q
What are the two overarching official categories within sake?
A
Junmai (no brewer’s spirit)
Arukouru Tenka or Aruten (spirit added)
11
Q
What styles are included in Junmai?
A
Junmai
Junmai Ginjo
Junmai Daiginjo
12
Q
What are the styles of Arukouru Tenka / Aruten?
A
Honjozo
Ginjo
Daiginjo
13
Q
What is brewer’s spirit known as in Japan and what is it made from?
A
Jozo-alcohol
normally made from distilled rice or sugar beet - unaged, colorless and flavorless
14
Q
What are the four main islands of Japan?
A
N to S
Hokkaido
Honshu
Shikoku
Kyushu
15
Q
Climate of Japan?
A
Cool to sub-tropical
16
Q
What are two rice strains used used to make rice in Japan?
A
Indica (long grain) - for consumption
Japonica (short grain) - Sake
17
Q
What is Japonica rice like?
A
Difficult / expensive to grow
High absorption rate / fragile
Large shinpaku (heart) / starch
18
Q
What % of total rice production is Japonica?
A
1%
sticky / non sticky (preferred)
19
Q
Primary Japonica Rice Varieties.
A
Omachi (1859) Long history
Yamada Nishiki (1923) Difficult to cultivate
Gohyakumangoku (1938) Large production
Hattan Nishiki (1973) Shorter height
20
Q
What is shinpaku?
A
The heart of the rice grain.
21
Q
What % alcohol does sake ferment to?
A
8-22%
-final product diluted to 15% to avoid additional taxes
-legally, can’t have higher than 22%
22
Q
Soils preferred for rice paddies?
A
Water-retaining soils of silt, clay and loam
23
Q
What type of climate does sake rice like? What does the climate do for the rice?
A
Strong diurnal shifts
-hot days
-cold nights
-cause the starch from the outside of the grain of rice to be collected into its center to make a good high concentration of starch
24
Q
What is shinpaku?
A
The heart of the rice grain.
25
What are the five grades of size for classifying rice?
Santoh (Grade 3)
Nittoh (Grade 2)
Ittoh (Grade 1)
Tokuto (Special Grade)
Tokujo (Higher Special Grade)
-premimum sake must be made from rice that has been given one of these five grades
26
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
27
Are preservatives, coloring agents, flavors or fragrances allowed in sake?
No - regulated by government
28
How long is the production cycle of sake?
1 year
July 1 - June 30
29
What is a seimaiki?
A sake rice milling machine
30
What is seimaibuai?
Refers to the amount of rice that remains after polishing.
31
This sake has a seimaibuai of 7% whose milling roll is made with diamond crystals.
Super 7 Junmai Daiginjo made by Hakurakusei from Miyagi in Northern Japan
32
What style does lower seimaibuai produce typically?
More elegant, delicate flavors and vibrant aromatics.
33
What style of sake with higher seimaibuia produce?
more rustic and savory styles of sake.
34
Why do they mill sake rice?
To remove the protein-rich outer shell, revealing the starchy heart of the rice.
35
What is Futsushu?
"Normal sake"
Makes up about 80% of the market
Made with a lot of distilled alcohol to increase yields
36
What does honjozo imply?
The addition of brewer’s alcohol (pure distillate).
Honjozo-shu 70% remaining
37
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.
-usually more robust, structured and umami driven
38
What is required for Tokubetsu Junmai and Tokubetsu Honjozo?
Tokubetsu designates a more highly polished rice or a special bottling
Sake must be polished to at least 60% seimaibuai or somehow diverge from the producer's usual methods
-i.e. if a Junmai is produced by the traditional Kimoto method, and this is outside of the brewery's usual style, as long as this is noted on the label, the sake's seimaibuai could be 70% and the bottle still labeled as Tokubetsu Junmai
39
What is required for (Junmai) Ginjo?
Sake with a seimaibuai of 60% or less
-aromatic, fruity, floral style
-when spirit is added, the sake loses its Junmai prefix
40
What is required for (Junmai) Daiginjo?
Sake with a seimaibuai of 50% or less
-delicate, vibrant exotic fruit and floral
-when spirit is added, the sake loses its Junmai prefix
41
What is kaori?
(Junmai) Daiginjo that is polished to 9% of original rice grain
42
What is a toji?
Brewmaster
43
What does soaking the rice do before steaming it?
the rate of soaking will affect the way the rice cooks when steaming and ultimately the way the koji mold interacts with the steamed rice
44
How long is rice steamed?
What does steaming do?
40-60 minutes
Breaks up the starch molecules and sterilizes the rice
-makes the rice hard on outside and soft on inside
-encourages the koji mold to work toward the moist, starchy center once it is introduced
45
What is the koji muro?
Koji room
46
What is karashi kikan?
cooling period for rice after steaming
47
What is the moto or shubo?
The starter for sake: koji, yeast, additional rice, and water.
48
Why is the non-koji rice at the bottom of the steaming tank and the rice that will be sprinkled with koji mold at the top of the steamer?
Rice that will be sprinkled with koji mold needs to more gently cooked.
49
What is kakemai?
Non-koji rice
50
What is Kojimai?
Rice that will be sprinkled with koji mold.
51
What is the koji?
Milled and steamed rice that has been inoculated with koji-kin (koji-mold)
52
What enables MPF in sake, and what is it referred to as?
Aspergillus oryzae, a green, powdery mold. Commonly called koji-kin (koji-mold).
53
How does choice of koji affect the finished product?
Affects everything from acidity, to potential alcohol, sweetness and aromatic potential.
54
How many grams of koji are used for a single tank of sake?
100 grams
55
What koji is used for sake production?
Usually yellow koji (Aspergillus Oryzae)
56
What is amazake?
Sake that is produced using non or low-alcohol producing yeast that results in sweet, often fruity congee-textured beverage.
57
White and black koji are used for what?
Shochu typically in warmer climates
58
What does the addition of lactic acid do for fermentation of sake?
It protects the fermentation from other unwanted bacteria.
59
What is Kimoto?
The traditional method of adding lactic acid in the sake fermentation.
-workers pound the mash with large wooden poles for hours at at time, cultivating naturally occurring lactic bacteria from the air
60
What is the difference between yamahai-shikomi and sokujo-moto?
Yamahai (1909) is a traditional method of brewing where lactic acid and yeast are 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.
Kimoto-paddling
Yamahai - not paddling
Sokujo is a modern (1911) method of brewing where in lactic acid and yeast is added to the moto, protecting it and speeding up the process of creating the moto to two weeks.
61
What is Bodaimoto?
An ancient method of brewing done by Bodai monlks for the temples in which they mixed steamed rice with raw rice and water to encourage the natural production of lactic bacteria. Yeast could be added to this starter mash, initiating fermentation.
62
What is Sandan Shikomi?
A process in which Koji, rice kakemai (non koji rice/steamed rice) and water are added in three stages to the moto (starter/mash) after the addition or cultivation of lactic acid.
63
How many times are koji, water, and steamed rice added to the moto?
Three times
64
What are the three stages of sandan shikomi?
• Day One - Hatsuzoe (20%)
• Day Two - Odori (0%)
• Day Three - Nakazoe (30%)
• Day Four - Tomezoe (44%)
65
What is the shikomi?
Main fermentation mash.
66
What is the Moromi?
The fermenting mash: moto, with successive additions of water, rice, and koji, which ferments for up to 45 days.
67
What is assakuki?
Ballon-press air compressor
-automatic pressing
-most popular
-used to separate the rice from the solids
68
What is a fune?
Box press used for (Junmai) Ginjo or (Junmai) Daiginjo-level sake.
-manual pressing
-more delicate
69
What pressing method is used exclusively for Junmai Daiginjo?
When a bag made of special materials and mesh is hung inside a tank and only what drops out of the bag makes it into the bottle.
70
What is shiboritate?
First sake of the year - shipped without the 6 month aging period
71
What are the categories of pressed sake?
Arabashiri-first third from press
-barely cloudy
Nakagumi
-taken from the middle
-considered the best
Seme
-final run
-never sold on its own, included in a batch
72
How is sake usually filtered?
Through active charcoal
73
What is Muroka?
unfiltered
has not been filtered by charcoal
74
What is namzake?
Unpasteurized sake
75
What is Hiire-sake?
Twice-pasteurized sake
76
What is namazume?
Sake pasteurized in tank but not in bottle
-after filtration
77
What is Namachozo?
-pasteurization before bottling
-one pasturization
sake stored in tank then transferred to bottle just before shipment and pasteurized once at that time
78
Namazake is also called what?
Hon-Nama
79
Do Japanese laws require a sake bottle to state the date of bottling or the production date?
Must state the date of bottling
80
How long does sake typically age?
Matures for 2-6 months, often at below-zero temperatures
81
What is a masu?
The 180 milliliter small wooden box traditionally used for drinking sake made out of Japanese cedar
82
What is taruzake?
Sake aged in barrel
-aging not regulated and can be just a few days or hours
83
Name a producer that is well known for their taruzake?
Choryo in Nara Prefecture
84
What is a Sugidama?
A ball made of cedar branches hung outside the brewery to note the sake brewing season
85
What is sake nouveau?
a Breweries first release that is sually unpasteurized, undiluted, non charcoal filtered, freshly squeezed bottling
86
What is Shinshu?
New sake
-any sake released from the current brewing year
87
What is Hiyaoroshi?
Namachozo sake sold in fall
88
What is Natsunama?
sake stored at the brewery and released in the summer
-often pasteurized but not mandatory
89
What is Koshu?
aged sake
-sake made in one brewing year and bottled in the next
90
What is ogoshu?
Extra aged sake
-sake produced more tan one brewing year ago
91
What brewery established in 1675 is famous for releasing some of the nation's oldest koshu after 50 years of aging?
Tsukino Katsura in Kyoto
92
Where are Hyogo, Kyoto and Hiroshima?
Kyoto-West
Hyogo - West
Hiroshima - soutwest
Southern part of Japan
93
Why do breweries in the south and west often produce rounder and richer sake?
located in a warmer climate and softer water
94
Why do breweries in the north tend to produce sake that is more delicate, lean and drier?
Climate gets much cooler for a longer period of time.
95
Where are Niigata, Yamagata, and Akita?
Niigata - Northwest
Yamagata - Northwest
Akita - north
96
What % of the finished product of sake is water?
80%
97
What is Miyamizu?
Shrine Water
-the most famous water that runs down Mount Rokko in Hyogo Prefecture
-used for 25% of all sake in the county
98
Soft water makes what kind of sake?
light and clean
99
Hard water makes what kind of sake?
strong sake
100
Top water prefectures.
Akita - Balance, nuance
Niigata - Pristine, clean
Kyoto - Soft, elegant
Hyogo - Dry, sturdy
Hiroshima - Soft, sweet
101
What are the types of koji-kin?
Yellow (Aspergillus Oryzae) - Sake / Soy sauce
Black – Shochu (Okinawa)
White – Shochu
102
How long does polishing the rice take?
45 hours
103
What is a kishiki?
Traditional basket that rice is steamed in.
104
What is the most popular yeast used for sake production?
Yeast No 7 - dependable
Kyokai No. 9 - fragrant, fast, structure
105
What does 01 mean after the number of the yeast?
Non-foaming
106
What is genshu?
Undiluted sake
When no additional water is added or if the volume of water added alters the original alcohol level by less than 1%
107
What is Shizuku?
Manual press/pressing
108
Sake bottle sizes.
90ml - ichi-go
180ml-ni-go
300ml - tokkuri
720ml - yongo
1800ml (Isshobin)
109
What temp is sake pasteurized?
150 degrees F
110
How long is most sake aged?
6-12 months
111
What is koji-kin?
Mold used for Saccharification – starch to sugar
112
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.
Called the sake meter valve
+10 very dry / -20 very sweet
113
What is the name for the measure of sweetness in sake?
Nihonshu-do
114
What is Nigori?
lightly filterd
115
What are some unregulated styles of sake?
Nigorizake
Named for its cloudy appearance, bottled with its lees
Usunigori
-only slightly cloud
Sparkling
Red Sake
Kijoshu
Zenkoji
116
How is sparkling sake made?
Moromi fermentation can be arrested while the sake is at 8%
-winery can add own liquer de tirac
Injection method
Charmat method
117
What is akazake?
Red sake
-can be made with red rice
- ash is added during fermentation
-red koji
118
What is Kijoshu
Junmai-shu, not water is added at the end of the sandan shikomi.
119
What is Zenkoji
Uses 100% koji and no steam rice in the production process
120
What is Tomizu?
Variant of Zenkoji whree the moromi has a one-to-one water-to-rice ratio by weight
121
What is karakuchi?
A traditional method of brewing at lower temperatures, fermenting fully dry.
122
What does karakuchi, amakuchi, kaori and aji mean?
Karakuchi - dry
Amakuchi - sweet
Kaori - Aromatic
Aji- Textural, savory
123
What must be on a sake label?
ingredients
liquid volume
product type
bottling date
brewery name and address
ABV
warning that can't be sold to minors
124
How long does the moto develop before fermentation?
Two weeks
125
What is nigorizake?
Unfiltered sake (or sometimes filtered sake with the lees added back in)
126
What is seishu?
Clear/Clean sake
127
What is Tobingakoi sake?
Brewers selection - the best of the batch.
