Sake Flashcards
What is the approximate age of rice farming in Japan?
4,000 years Explanation: Archaeological evidence shows that rice farming in Japan dates back about 4,000 years.
In what year was the first imperial sake brewing department established in Nara?
689 AD Explanation: This marks the earliest formal record of centralized sake production under imperial control.
What legal term is often used to refer to Japan’s national fermented rice beverage for taxation purposes?
Seishu Explanation: Although ‘nihonshu’ is a common term, ‘seishu’ is used in legal and tax documents.
What is the name of the legal sake classification system introduced by the Japanese government in 1943?
Special Class, First Class, and Second Class system Explanation: This three-tier grading was implemented to control sake production during wartime.
In which year was the first pure junmai-shu produced by Chiyonosono from Kumamoto Prefecture?
1968 Explanation: They introduced this junmai style a full year before preservatives were banned in sake production.
What is the maximum ABV that brewer’s spirit (jozo-alcohol) can have according to Japan’s National Tax Agency?
95% Explanation: It is usually diluted to about 30% before use, and its weight in the final sake must not exceed 10% of the polished rice weight.
Name one key reason why table rice (kakomai) is generally not preferred for sake production.
It is stickier and more difficult to work with Explanation: Sake rice (sakamai) has a spongy texture and a defined starchy center ideal for sake.
About how many officially recognized sakamai (sake rice) varieties exist in Japan?
Over 80 Explanation: These short- or medium-grain varieties are heavier and taller than table rice.
What is the typical natural alcohol range that sake can ferment to before dilution?
8-20% Explanation: Many sakes are diluted to around 15% to avoid higher taxation.
Which two terms in Japanese labeling are prohibited because they imply vague superiority?
Ichiban and daihyo Explanation: These terms, meaning “number one” and “leading,” are not allowed on sake labels.
What are the silt and clay soils of rice paddies commonly flooded with?
10-15 centimeters of water Explanation: This semiaquatic environment is crucial for rice cultivation.
What certification requirement must be met for a sake to be considered organic in Japan?
Three years free of synthetic products in the rice paddy Explanation: Certified organic refers to agricultural practices, not brewing methods.
In which season does rice planting typically begin in Japan?
Spring Explanation: It can start as early as April or as late as June, depending on local conditions.
What is the term for the leftover sake pomace after pressing?
Sake kasu Explanation: This solid by-product is used in food, skincare, and other products.
Which factor contributes to forming the starchy white center (shinpaku) of sake rice during growth?
Strong diurnal temperature shifts Explanation: Hot days and cool nights concentrate starch in the grain’s center.
In what month does harvest begin in the north of Japan?
Early September Explanation: In contrast, southern regions may start as late as mid-October.
Name two major concerns rice farmers face during cultivation and harvest.
Weeds and overgrowth of rice stalks Explanation: Weeds compete for nutrients, and heavy stalks are prone to buckling.
What is the government-regulated moisture content range for harvested rice grains?
14-15% Explanation: This ensures the grains are properly dried and preserved for later use.
List the five official size-based grades for classifying sake rice.
Santoh, Nittoh, Ittoh, Tokuto, Tokujo Explanation: These range from Grade 3 (Santoh) to Higher Special Grade (Tokujo).
What term refers to the high-quality, special designation sake that makes up about 26% of Japan’s total production?
Tokutei meisho-shu Explanation: It must use one of the five graded rice sizes and no additives beyond those legally allowed.
What is the machine used for polishing rice grains called?
Seimaiki Explanation: Most breweries do not own these large milling machines and outsource this step.
How many hours does it typically take to polish rice down to 50% seimaibuai?
50 hours Explanation: Further polishing from 50% to 35% can take another 50 hours.
Name one producer known for releasing super low seimaibuai (e.g., 7%) sake.
Hakurakusei Explanation: This Miyagi producer uses a diamond-crystal milling roll to create its Super 7 Junmai Daiginjo.
Which step in sake production involves sprinkling koji mold spores onto steamed rice in a warm, humid room?
Koji propagation in the koji muro Explanation: This is where Aspergillus oryzae converts starches to fermentable sugars.
What is the common name for the main sake fermentation mash?
Moromi Explanation: It consists of steamed rice, koji, water, and yeast in multiple parallel fermentation.
Name the traditional method involving wooden poles to encourage natural lactic acid development in the yeast starter.
Kimoto method Explanation: It is one of the oldest methods, producing creamy, gamy, higher-acid sake.
What method discovered in 1909 eliminates the need for pole-ramming to cultivate lactic acid?
Yamahai method Explanation: Lactic acid forms naturally without manually stirring the mash for extended periods.
Which modern method of yeast starter production involves directly adding lactic acid?
Sokujo method Explanation: It significantly shortens the time needed for the moto compared to Kimoto or Yamahai.
What is the name for the ancient starter method used by Bodai monks mixing raw and steamed rice?
Bodaimoto Explanation: This eighth-century technique produces natural lactic bacteria in the mash.
Over how many days is sandan shikomi (the three-step addition process) completed?
Six days Explanation: The steps are hatsu-zoe, naka-zoe, and tome-zoe, with an odori (rest period) between hatsu-zoe and naka-zoe.
What is the most common type of pressing machine used in modern sake production?
Yabuta (balloon-press air compressor) Explanation: It inflates to press sake through a mesh surface, separating it from the kasu.
Which delicate, gravity-based pressing method is typically reserved for premium Daiginjo?
Shizuku (or fukuro-tsuri) Explanation: The moromi drips from hanging bags without external pressure.
What is the term for the middle portion of pressed sake often considered the most balanced?
Nakagumi (or nakadori) Explanation: It is sometimes reserved for competitions and premium releases.
What term is used for non-charcoal-filtered sake that can retain its natural color?
Muroka Explanation: Producers skip activated charcoal filtration to preserve color and certain flavor compounds.
Name one pasteurization style in which sake is stored unpasteurized, then pasteurized right before bottling.
Namachozo Explanation: Another style, namazume, is pasteurized in tank but not in bottle.
What is the Japanese term for unpasteurized sake?
Nama (or hon-nama, namazake) Explanation: It must be kept under constant cool temperatures to remain stable.
How many months of tank maturation is most sake given after pressing?
Two to six months Explanation: Sake is then typically bottled or further stored based on the brewery’s preference.
What is the traditional cedar aging process still used for religious or ceremonial sake?
Taruzake Explanation: Cedar barrels impart distinct woody, peppery notes to the sake.
Which measurement system is used to record production volumes for taxation?
Koku (180 liters) Explanation: One koku is equivalent to 180 liters of sake.
What is the short name for new sake released at the beginning of the brewing season?
Sake Nouveau Explanation: Often a Muroka Nama Genshu Shiboritate, fresh and vibrant with possible effervescence.
What Japanese term refers to aged sake?
Koshu Explanation: Sake aged more than one brewing year may be called ogoshu, though these terms are not legally defined.
What proportion of water typically makes up the final product in sake?
About 80% Explanation: Water’s mineral composition and hardness greatly influence the style.
Name the famous ‘shrine water’ from Mount Rokko in Hyogo Prefecture used by many major breweries.
Miyamizu Explanation: This hard water supports strong, fast fermentations and is used in the Nada area.
What factor primarily influences dryness versus richness in different regional sakes?
Water hardness Explanation: Harder water in northern regions usually yields a drier style, while softer water in southern regions leads to rounder sake.
Which organization has been a leader in monitoring and distributing sake yeasts for over a century?
Japan Brewing Society (Nihon Jouzou Kyoukai) Explanation: They cultivate and supply standardized yeasts like No. 7 and No. 1801.
What is the name of the gold standard sake rice variety created in 1936 as a cross of Yamadaho and Watari Bune?
Yamada Nishiki Explanation: Mainly grown in Hyogo Prefecture, it is prized for quality and complexity.
In which prefecture is Gohyakumangoku rice most famously produced, known for its clean and dry style?
Niigata Explanation: It also grows in Toyama and Fukushima but is strongly associated with Niigata’s lighter sakes.
What is the defining characteristic of Omachi rice used in Okayama and Hiroshima?
It produces rich, herbal, and nutty sake Explanation: Omachi is the oldest existing sake rice variety, dating to 1859.
What are the two major sake categories based on whether brewer’s spirit is added or not?
Junmai and Arukouru Tenka (Aruten) Explanation: Junmai uses rice, water, yeast, and koji only; Aruten includes added spirit.
Name the four junmai-based categories (no spirit added) recognized in official sake labeling.
Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, and Tokubetsu Junmai Explanation: Each has specific seimaibuai or process requirements.
What category covers 75% of all sake made in Japan, with no seimaibuai rules and fewer restrictions?
Futsushu Explanation: It is an ordinary sake where additives are largely unregulated.
What does Tokubetsu mean when appearing on a Junmai or Honjozo label?
Special Explanation: It indicates a special production method or seimaibuai of 60% or lower.
Name two unregulated or specialty sake styles outside the main classifications.
Nigorizake and Kijoshu Explanation: Nigorizake is cloudy, and Kijoshu is made by adding junmai-shu in place of water.
What is the Japanese term for the coarse-pressed or cloudy sake often retaining some lees?
Nigori (nigorizake) Explanation: It can range from lightly cloudy (usunigori) to thick and sweet.
What is the meaning of genshu on a sake label?
Undiluted sake Explanation: It has not been cut with water after fermentation, so ABV can be higher.
Name one method for producing sparkling sake with secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Adding a rice-based liqueur de tirage Explanation: Other methods include injection or Charmat, but these are less traditional.
What is the typical density measurement scale used to express sake’s dryness or sweetness?
Nihonshu-do (Sake Meter Value) Explanation: It is a hydrometer reading; positive values typically mean drier sake.
What term describes the acidity measurement occasionally shown on a sake bottle?
San-do Explanation: It indicates milliliters of sodium hydroxide to neutralize 10 ml of sake, usually 0.8–2.0.
Which term denotes the amino acid level affecting sake’s flavor and longevity?
Amino acid value Explanation: Typically ranging from 0.8 to 1.2, higher levels can accelerate aging.
What is the measurement used for smaller servings of sake in a typical Japanese restaurant?
180 milliliters (ichi-go) Explanation: Common carafe sizes include 360 ml (tokkuri), and bottles are often 720 ml or 1,800 ml.
Which cedar branch ball is hung outside breweries to mark the start of a new brewing season?
Sugidama Explanation: Its needles turn brown by season’s end, symbolizing the production cycle.
What must always appear on a Japanese sake label by law besides the producer’s name and address?
Bottling date Explanation: Other mandatory items include ingredients, volume, product type, alcohol content, and a minor-consumption warning.
What off-aroma develops when sake goes stale or experiences heat/oxidation damage?
Hine Explanation: This caramel-like scent, also referred to as hi-ochi, indicates spoilage.
Which style of glassware does Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing use for formal sake assessment?
Kiki-choko Explanation: This 180 ml white ceramic cup with two blue circles helps evaluate color and clarity.
Name two popular earthenware or porcelain sake vessels for traditional service.
Ochoko and sakazuki Explanation: Both are small cups; the former is cylindrical, the latter wide and shallow.
In modern practice, how is the majority of sake in Japan served by temperature?
Slightly chilled Explanation: Today’s delicate styles benefit from cooler service, though some robust sakes can be warmed.
What is the recommended approach when serving sake in a restaurant if the table is sharing a bottle?
Leave the bottle on the table for guests to pour each other Explanation: In Japanese culture, one does not pour their own.
Which style of Hiroshima sake must use rice grown in Hiroshima, untreated water, 55% seimaibuai, and traditional methods?
Saijo Sake Explanation: This prefectural-level designation is strictly enforced in Hiroshima.
Which famous brewery established in 1675 is known for releasing 50-year-aged koshu?
Tsukino Katsura in Kyoto Explanation: They specialize in extremely long-aged sake with dark amber coloration.
What is the Japanese brewing year (BY) calendar for sake production?
July 1 to June 30 Explanation: This timeline frames the entire brewing, aging, and release cycle in Japan.
Which pioneer brewery in Yamagata built a constant-temperature storage facility at negative five degrees Celsius in 1975?
Dewazakura Explanation: This allowed long-term aging of both pasteurized and unpasteurized sake.
What do producers typically aim for in Yamagata’s cold climate and hard water sake style?
Delicacy and dryness Explanation: Lower temperatures favor clean, crisp profiles compared to warmer regions.
What type of yeast is commonly used for shochu rather than sake?
Black or white koji Explanation: Sake predominantly uses yellow koji (Aspergillus oryzae).
Name the sweet and thick beverage produced by non- or low-alcohol yeast with koji and rice, often served to children.
Amazake Explanation: It has a congee-like texture and fruity sweetness, traditionally praised for health benefits.
What is the legal maximum ABV for sake on the market in Japan?
22% ABV Explanation: Exceeding this limit would be taxed under distilled spirits or require a different license.
What was the key factor that allowed flowers to bloom in Nagasaki and Hiroshima just one month after the 1945 atomic bombs?
The Makurazaki Typhoon Explanation: It brought radiation-free topsoil and diluted nuclear contents, aiding regrowth.
What style of aged cedar-barrel sake is still used for Shinto ceremonies?
Taruzake Explanation: The strong cedar aroma can help mask flaws and has historical, religious significance.
What is the overarching reason for Junmai sakes often having higher acidity and structure?
They do not contain brewer’s spirit Explanation: The absence of added alcohol often results in a more robust, umami-driven profile.
