Sake Flashcards

Question

What are the two main categories of sake?

Answer 1

Junmai (no alcohol added) Aruten / Arukouru Tenka (alcohol added)

Answer 2

heart of the rice grain = shinpaku kasubuai = ratio of ratio of leftover sake “Kasu” (leftover pomace) to the original volume of polished rice used to create the sake cooler years: more soluble shinpaku, less kasubuai and a more round, distinct rice flavor warmer years: less soluble shinpaku, higher ratio of leftovers and a leaner profile

Answer 3

rice, water, yeast, koji mold, and brewer’s spirit (distilled alcohol)

Answer 4

machine used to mill sake rice

Answer 5

The milling process, called seimai, begins with brown rice (genmai). Inside the machine, the dry rice grains are slowly milled in a polishing chamber with a roll made from an extremely hard material, then fall vertically through the mill. The machine removes the outer layers, at which point the rice is considered hakumai, or white rice.

Answer 6

sake brewmaster.

Answer 7

to break up the starch molecules and sterilize the rice. the goal of the process is to make the rice hard on the outside and soft on the inside, encouraging the koji mold to work toward the moist, starchy center once it is introduced.

Answer 8

Fermentation starter. Sake base for cultivating the yeast needed for alcoholic fermentation. It is also known as shubo. yeast + kakemai (non koji rice) + koji rice + water also called shubo

Answer 9

can either be cultivated naturally or added. protects the fermentation from unwanted bacteria Kimoto- aggressive stirring, brings in lactic acid from the air. creamy, zesty Yamahai- no stirring, lactic acid forms on top of fermenting moto Sokujo- lactic acid is added. takes around 2 weeks, the others around a month Bodaimoto- traditional, raw rice and water are added to bring in lactic acid

Answer 10

method of lactic bacteria cultivation - no stirring, lactic acid forms on top of fermenting moto

Answer 11

modern / most popular method of lactic bacteria addition - lactic acid is added to moto. takes around 2 weeks, the others around a month

Answer 12

traditional method of encouraging lactic bacteria growth- like batonnage. workers pound the mash with large wooden poles, cultivating lactic bacteria from the air

Answer 13

traditional / ancient method of encouraging lactic bacteria growth in sake. raw rice and water are added to bring in lactic acid

Answer 14

a process that follows the addition of lactic acid - koji, kakemai, and water will be added in three stages over six days stages are hatsu-zoe, naka-noe, and tome-zoe

Answer 15

or "dancing ferment" - name for when bubbles form as yeast interacts with sugar and starch during sandan shikomi (3 stages of additions during fermentation)

Answer 16

usualy the bacteria Aspergillus Oryzae is used Koji starts fermentation, it converts the rice grain’s starch into sugar

Answer 17

shikomi- main fermenting mash. this is the moto after additions of koji, more rice and water, lactic acid moromi- the main fermentation. it goes until the toji (brewmaster) or alcohol level stops it

Answer 18

after fermentation completes, the sake is pressed off the solids, or kasu assakuki: traditional form of pressing with an air compressor ballon device fune: a box press- more gentle but more labor intensive most delicate shizuku (tear drop or gravity press) or fukuro-tsuri (hanging bag)

Answer 19

most common / popular sake press- a baloon press air compressor. relatively gentle but not enough so for higher end bottlings

Answer 20

contains porous cloth filter bags (shibori fukuro) and is slowly hand-filled with sake from above before pressure is applied. more delicate, more labor intensive, risk of oxidation is higher.

Answer 21

the most delicate, used almost exclusively for Junmai Daiginjo sake that is often reserved for Japan’s national sake competitions. The shizuku (tear drop or gravity press) or fukuro-tsuri (hanging bag) method employs a bag (called sakabukuro) comprised of special materials and mesh not used for the normal pressing. The bag is hung inside a tank and only what drops out of the bag makes it into the bottle. One bag will usually hold 15 liters of fermented moromi, and the two-day process will yield roughly six liters of free-run sake. After the sake has dropped out of the bag, the rest may be pressed using a fune.

Answer 22

Arabashiri (“first run”) is barely cloudy. Though it can be rough in texture, its flavors and aromas are delicate. It is occasionally sold on its own. Nakagumi (or nakadori, meaning “taken from the middle”) is usually considered the best of the three stages, with the greatest balance and structure. When separated, it is often reserved for competitions. Seme (“final run”) may be included in a batch of sake but never separated or sold on its own.

Answer 23

sake made using special water that rushes down from Mt. Rokko in Hyogo Prefecture into Nishinomiya and Nada "shrine water"

Answer 24

Namazume: Sake pasteurized in tank but not in bottle Namachozo: transferred from tank into bottle and pasteurized only once in bottle

Answer 25

180ML *this is the official volume measurement recorded for tax purposes

Answer 26

Hyogo Hiroshima Kyoto

Answer 27

Omachi, used since 1859 found in Okayama and Hiroshima

Answer 28

slightly cloudy sake

Answer 29

non-charcoal filtered sake

Answer 30

Karakuchi = dry Amakuchi = sweet

Answer 31

"aged sake" made in one brewing year then bottled in the next

Answer 32

"extra aged sake" anything produced more than one brewing year ago may also be called ogoshu,

Answer 33

sake labeling term- denotes that the entire production came from a single place of origin, with no ingredients outsourced.

Answer 34

shizuku (tear drop / gravity) or fukuro-tsuri (hanging bag) most delicate pressing methods- used for best sakes might also be pressed in a kune / box press

Answer 35

likely in a fune (box) press

Answer 36

Any sake released from the current brewing year is called shinshu, or “new sake.”

Answer 37

japanese word for rice

Answer 38

during winter - cool temperatures necessary for a long, healthy fermentation. If made in warmer temps, air conditioning would be necessary

Answer 39

A traditional carafe with a narrow neck for pouring sake.

Answer 40

sake in Japanese just means alcohol nihonshu = japanese alcohol seishu = clear alcohol, and is the term used for legal/tax purposes

Answer 41

a legal book published in the 10th century outlining an elemental but standardized sake-making process

Answer 42

saccharomyces cerevisiae. popular strains used: #7 - developed by Miyasaki brewery in Nagano - earthy savory style #9 - developed by Koro brewery in Kumamoto - fruitier style #1801 - a recently discovered non-foaming yeast

Answer 43

jozo normally made from distilled rice or sugar beet and is unaged, colorless, and often flavorless. It can be produced anywhere. the jozo-alcohol itself cannot exceed 95% abv (usually diluted to 30%) and that its weight in the final product must not exceed 10% of the weight of polished rice.

Answer 44

sake ferments to 8-20% alcohol, most is bottled around 15% to avoided added taxes legal max is 22%

Answer 45

sake rice requires a lot of water- so silt, clay, and loam soils are best

Answer 46

10-15 cm of water

Answer 47

certified organic sake must come from a paddy that has been free of synthetic products for a minimum of 3 years organic regulates the growing, not the practices in the brewery

Answer 48

Sake rice likes strong diurnal shifts, with hot days and cold nights. These temperature changes cause starch from the outside of a grain of rice to be collected into its center to make a good shinpaku with a high concentration of starch. Rice also loves sunlight. In years with lower average temperatures and less sunlight, the grains are smaller and more soluble, resulting in a rounder, more definitive rice flavor.

Answer 49

Pomace leftover after production - pressed lees leftover

Answer 50

Term referring to the percentage ratio of sake kasu (pomace left over after production) to the original volume of polished rice used to create the sake

Answer 51

Planted between April and June, harvested in fall. Sake making begins in winter

Answer 52

Santoh (Grade 3), Nittoh (Grade 2), Ittoh (Grade 1), Tokuto (Special Grade), Tokujo (Higher Special Grade). Tokutei meisho-shu, meaning “special designation” or “premium” sake, must be made from rice that has been given one of these five grades.

Answer 53

Meaning “special designation” or “premium” sake, cannot have any preservatives, coloring agents, flavors, or fragrances added during or after production, a regulation enforced by law

Answer 54

Sake brewery workers

Answer 55

Or schools, where toji (brewmasters) study. Echigo Toji (in Niigata), Nanbu Toji (in Iwate), and Tanba Toji (in Hyogo)

Answer 56

Yellow koji (Aspergillus Oryzae)

Answer 57

Black and white koji (yellow is used for sake)

Answer 58

Sake produced using non- or low-alcohol producing yeast, resulting in a sweet, often fruity, congee-textured beverage

Answer 59

"fresh squeezed" sake - sake that is bottled immediately after pressing, and unfiltered

Answer 60

twice pasteurized sake

Answer 61

Cedar (sugi)

Answer 62

a namachozo sake that was stored in tank during the summer then pasteurized and released in the fall

Answer 63

ingredients, liquid volume, product type (nihonshu and seishu are both acceptable terms), bottling date, brewery name and address, alcohol content, warning that sake cannot be sold to or consumed by minors. Other commonly listed information includes style (such as Junmai), type (such as nama), seimaibuai, origin, and type of rice

Answer 64

Niizawa Asahi Sho Chiku Bai Katsuyama Kikohime Iwa 5 Den- in Oakland!

Answer 65

founded by Richard Geoffrey, 5th cellar master for DP, who was there for 28 years.

Answer 66

Sake must be made only from Japanese rice, koji, and water. The addition of alcohol is not allowed; only Junmai styles are permitted. CO2 must come from a natural second fermentation. Forced carbonation is not allowed. The finished product must be transparent. A stream of bubbles must appear in the sake. The sake must be at least 10% ABV. The sake must be at least 3.5 bars of pressure at 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). Aromas and flavors must remain stable for three months at room temperature. Pasteurization is encouraged.

Answer 67

sugar addition is not allowed, so moromi (fermenting mash) is added to bottled sake to re-start fermentation. the sake is then riddled