Sake Flashcards
What do the letters BY mean on a sake label?
Brewers Year
- July 1st to June 30th (encompasses brewing season)
- currently in Reiwa 6 (as of 2024)
- last era was Heisei (ended 2019)
What sake processes allow lactic acid bacteria to build naturally (as opposed to being added)?
- yamahai
- kimoto
What is the term for the starchy center of a rice grain?
shinpaku
What is the sake starter batch called?
moto (shubo)
What is the term for undiluted sake?
genshu
What is the semibuai of junmai/honjozo sake?
70%
What is the term for the percentage of the rice grain remaining after milling?
semaibuai
What is the term for table sake?
futsuu-shu
What scale measures sake sweetness?
nihonshu-do (higher is drier)
What does the sake term ‘junmai’ mean?
pure rice (no added brewers alcohol)
What sake term refers to the drip-press method?
shizuko
What is the difference between namazume and namachozo?
- zume is pasteurized in tank but not bottle
- chozo is pasteurized right before bottling
What is the term for aged sake?
koshu (shinshu is current release sake)
What are the 3 methods of sake pressing?
Yabuta - machine pressed through mesh
Fune - mesh bags pressed in wooden box by hand
Shizuku - drip press
What is the term for the 3 stages of sake brewing?
San dan shikomi
What is the legal term for sake?
Seishu
- sake can refer to any alcohol
- Nihonshu is Japanese sake
What percentage of the sake market is made up by Futsushu?
approx 75%
What is the term for a premium sake in which brewers alcohol has been added?
Honjozo
What is the minimum semibuai for ginjo and daiginjo sake?
Ginjo - 60% (40% milled away)
Daiginjo - 50% (50% milled away)
What does the label term ‘Tokubetsu’ mean?
“Special”
- no legal requirements
- can only be used on junmai/honjozo labels
- 60% semaibuai
What is the term for a master sake brewer?
Toji
Describe multiple parallel fermentation in sake production
koji mold breaks down the starch in rice so that fermentable sugars are available to the yeast, which then starts alcoholic fermentation
When is brewers alcohol added (if being used)?
after fermentation but before pressing
What type of mold is koji?
aspergillus oriyzae
Why is sake rice different than table rice?
Sake rice is bred to have a higher starch content that is concentrated in the center of the grain with less fat and protein
Yamadanishiki, Gohyakumangoku, Wataribune, and Omachi are all types of what?
sake rice
Describe the Kimoto method
- mash is mixed/ rammed with poles which reduce the oxygen levels in the moto and physically breaks down rice so it can dissolve more easily
- lack of oxygen assisted the growth of lactobacillus (which is anaerobic)
Describe the Yamahai method
- humidity and environment are controlled to propagate certain enzymes
- gets the same results as the Kimoto method, but an enzyme is used to break down rice and remove oxygen (instead of pole ramming)
- allows lactobacillus to build naturally
What is the term for the active fermenting sake rice mash?
moromi
What is the normal Nihonshu-do range?
-2 to +12
+4 is average
0 is same density as water
What is a Funashibori?
the name for the Fune/ box press
What is Nigori sake?
- course filtered sake that allows rice particles to end up in finished product
- producers can legally filter and add back in lees/kasu
What is Taru sake?
cedar aged sake
What is the name for the traditional wooden box in which sake is sometimes served and why is is culturally relevant?
Masu
- 180ml “goh”
- was considered exactly one portion size for one person for one meal
- Samurai were paid in 1000 portions
- traditionally a sake glass was put inside and sake was poured until it overflowed into the box as a sign of generosity
What are the major centers of sake production?
Hyogo
- grows lots of rice
- lots of farmers to work in breweries
- hard water leads to masculine and sturdy style
- lots of rivers to power rice mills
Fushimi (Kyoto Prefecture)
- railroad brought in materials and workers
- refined cuisine culture
- soft water for a delicate style
Niigata
- lots of mountains that filter water
- well respected
- light, dry, and pristine style
Akita
- grown very high quality rice
- balanced style
Hiroshima
- famous for quality and tech advances
- soft water
- round, soft, slightly sweet style
Fukushima
- excellent rice quality
- soft and subtle style
What is a Jizake?
microbrewery
Which 2 Japanese sake production regions have a GI?
- Yamagata GI (entire prefecture)
- Hakusan Kikusake GI (Ishikawa prefecture)
What are the requirements to use the Yamagata GI?
- rice and koji grown in Japan
- must use Yamagata water
- must store sake in Yamagata
What was the 1943 grading system used in Japan for sake?
- Tokkyu (special class)
- Ikkyu (First Class)
- Nikyu (Second Class)
Which brewery made the first junmai?
Chiyonosono (1968)
- Kumamoto prefecture
What is the overarching term for a sake in which brewers alcohol has been added
aru-ten
What is the term for sake rice?
sakamai
What is the max abv for sake?
22%
What is kasubuai?
The ration of kasu (pomace left over after production) to the original volume of rice
What is the overarching term for premium sake?
Tokutei meisho-shu
What is a kurabito?
brewery worker
What is the name for the machine that mills sake rice?
seimaiki
What is the name for the room in which koji rice develops?
koji muro
What is amazake?
sake made with low alcohol producing yeast strain
- sweet and fruity
What is kakemai?
non koji rice
The addition of lactic acid bacteria to fermenting sake is called what?
Sokujo method
How long does the entire fermentation take for Sokujo and Kimoto/Yamahai?
Sokujo - 2 weeks
Kimoto/Yamahai - 1 month
What producer has re-popularized the kimoto/yamahai methods?
Sohomare (Tochigi prefecture)
What is the Bodaimoto method?
- ancient method of introducing lactic bacteria
- steamed rice and raw rice were mixed together with yeast to form a starter mash
- made by monks in Bodai temple
What are the 3 stages of additions to the moromi (each doubling the volume)?
Hatsu-zoe
(Odori - day off to allow yeast to interact with sugar)
Naka-zoe
Tome-zoe
What is shiboritate?
just pressed sake going directly into bottle (more common to move to tank for chilled settling for 60 days)
What are the 3 press runs of sake?
Arabashiri (first run)
- barely cloudy
- courser texture
Nakagumi/Nakadori (taken from the middle)
- most balance and structure
Seme (final run)
- rougher, less delicate
- can be included but never bottled on its own
What is the term for sake that has not been charcoal filtered?
Muroka
True or false: Japanese law dictates that sake bottles must state date of bottling but not production date?
True
What decorative item is hung outside breweries to signify the start and end of the sake season?
Sugidama
What famous sake competition is held in Japan every year?
Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyoukai
Daruma Masamune (Gifu) and Tsukino Katsura (Kyoto) are producers that are well known for what style?
Koshu/aged
What sake is bottled in a distinct cylindrical aluminum can?
Narutotai ‘Drunken Snapper’ Nama Genshu
What is the most famous water for sake making in Japan?
Miyamizu (Shrine Water)
- runs down Mount Rokko in Nada, Hyogo
- used for 25% of all sake in Japan
What are the effects of hard water vs soft water?
Hard water
- faster fermentation
- more aromatic
Soft water
- slower, cooler fermentations
- rounder and more subtle flavors
What is akazake?
- use of red or purple rice
- rare red koji in Niigata
What is kijoshu?
low alcohol, mellow sake
- was originally brewed for women under the assumption that they couldn’t handle the higher alcohol of sake
- made by adding already brewed sake to moromi instead of water, stops fermentation early, leaves some sweetness
What is zenkoji?
sake made using 100% koji rice as opposed to 25%
- umami and sweet
What measurement denotes acidity in a sake?
san-do
What is the meaning of these terms indicating style:
karakuchi
amakuchi
kaori
aji
dry
sweet
aromatic
textural
What are the traditional drinking vessels for sake?
sakazuki - earthenware
ochoko - white porcelain
kiki-choko - white ceramic with 2 blue circles
What is the term for the double boiler that warms sake?
okanban
What are the serving temperatures for sake?
Tobikiri kan (fly away for good) - 131 degrees
Atsu kan (hot hot) - 122
Jo kan (upper hot) 113
Nuru kan (warm hot) 104
Hitohada kan ( skin temperature) 95
Hinata kan (out in the sun) 86
Jo on (room temp) 68
Suzu bie (cool chilled) 59
Hana bie (flower chilled) 50
Yuki bie (snow chilled)
Which sake rice is only grown in Yamagata?
Dewasansan
Toso is a special sake drunk around what holiday?
New Years
What popular sake yeast strain is earthy and subtle?
7 (higher numbers are more aromatic)
What is the max temperature acceptable for koji production?
111.2 degrees F (44 C)
In what season is hiyaoroshi released?
fall
Where are the following Toji guilds located:
Echigo
Tamba
Nanbu
Echigo - Niigata
Tamba - Hyogo
Nanbu - Iwate
What is the northernmost sake prefecture in Japan and what is the local rice?
Hokkaido
- ginpu rice (slightly sweet)
