Sake Flashcards
A kura’s first release of the brewing year?
Sake Noveau
What is sandan shikomi?
The three additions of moto that gradually build up to a full fermentation tank of sake
This component is 80% of a finished sake?
Water
All sake is made from this subspecies of rice?
Japonica
The oldest rice variety still used in sake production today?
Omachi
What are the permissible ingredients in an Aruten sake?
Water Yeast Rice Koji Brewer's spirit (Distilled alcohol)
Why is sake produced in the winter time?
Ensures a long and healthy fermentation leading to more balanced, cleaner sakes
This term refers to Japanese alcohol?
Nihonshu
Name three of the most-coveted water locations in Japan?
Hiroshima
Kyoto
Hyogo
Does the south use the current year’s harvest to produce their sake?
Not typically; rice is used from the previous harvest that has been kept in temperature-contolled storage
Explain Tokubetsu Junmai/Honjozo?
A sake made in a variant style form what is typical of the producer; minimum seimaibuai of 60%
Describe a Honjozo sake?
A type of Aruten sake birthed out of the rice shortage from WWII
What are the Japanese names for the following volumes:
a) 90ml
b) 180ml
c) 360ml
d) 720ml
e) 1800ml
a) Ichi-Go
b) Ni-go
c) Tokkuri (carafe)
d) Yongo
e) Isho-bin
Unpasteurized sake is known as?
Nama
When is rice typically harvested in the north of Japan? In the south?
a) September
b) October
What is muroka sake?
Non-charcoal filtered sake
The method of injecting lactic bacteria into the must?
Sokujo method
T/F: There is no restriction on the amount of distilled alcohol that can be added to honjozo sake.
False
What is “zenjoki” sake?
A sake made from only koji rice (no steamed rice)
What does Ki-ippon tell you on a Sake label?
The entire production of a junmai level sake came from a single place of origin with no ingredients outsourced
The process of the three day addition of the koji, kakemai, lactic acid, and water to form the main fermentation mash?
Sandan Shikomi
What is sakamai?
Sake rice
What is Hiire-Sake?
Twice pasteurized sake
What is shizuku-shibori?
The tear drop or gravity press method; the most gentle extraction style using a mesh bag called a sakabukura
What is the minimum seimaibuai of a “ginjo” sake? “Daiginjo?”
a) 60%
b) 50%
What is kasubuai?
The percentage ratio of sake kasu (lees left after production) to the original volume of polished rice used to create the sake
What is a “Jizake?”
Sake microbrewery
Define Seimaibuai?
The remaining percentage of the rice grain after polishing
The brewer’s spirit is also referred to as?
Jozo-alcohol
Tokutei meisho-shu is?
Premium sake; special designation
The north of Japan produces this style of sake? The south?
a) Leaner
b) Richer, mellower
This is the machine used to mill sake rice?
Seimaiki
What is an amakaze?
A sweet, fruity sake that is the result of using yeasts that are either non or low-alcohol producing
What is Karashi Kikan?
The cooling period after the rice is steamed
Approximately how long does it take to polish rice to 50% of its original size? 35%?
a) 50hrs
b) 100hrs
The small white porcelain cups sake is served in?
Ochoko
What is shinpaku?
The starchy center of the rice grain
Does the Junmai style have a minimum seimaibuai?
No
What type of koji-kin is most commonly used in making sake?
Yellow
What style does “kaori” imply? “Aji?”
a) aromatic, fruity, floral
b) savory, rustic
What is koji-kin?
The mold that is grown on steamed sake rice
What do each of the following label terms imply about the sake in that bottle:
a) Karakuchi
b) Amakuchi
c) Kaori
d) Aji
a) Dry
b) Sweet
c) Aromatic
d) Savory
What is a Masu?
A traditional 180ml wooden box used for drinking sake
Name two minerals that are NOT desirable in water for sake production.
a) Iron (oxidation)
b) Manganese (discoloration)
The natural method of allowing lactic bacteria to form atop the moto protecting the rice through fermentation?
Yamahai Method
What is the main requirement for koshu sake?
It is aged for an extended period of time before release
Name a mineral that is NOT desirable in water for sake production.
Iron
The Koji room is also known as the?
Koji Moro
Maximum ABV permissible for sake?
22% ABV
Name three styles included in the Aruten class of sakes?
Daiginjo
Ginjo
Honjozo
What is the volume of a koku?
180L
The Japanese term for brewmaster?
Toji
What is seimai?
The milling process
T/F: Most sakes are made using ambient yeast.
False
The type of Koji chosen can affect these elements of the sake?
Acidity
Potential alcohol
Aromatics
What is the “Miromi?”
Main fermentation
The traditional method of cultivating lactic bacteria after the rice leaves the Koji Muro?
Kimoto method; act of beating the must with wooden oars
What is the Japanese term fro sake lees?
Kasu
What is a “Genshu” sake?
A sake where no additional water is added for dilution’s sake; or if water is added, the ABV is not altered by more than 1%
Shubo is a synonym for what common term?
Moto (yeast starter)
The rice is divided into two categories after steaming; koji rice and non-koji rice. What are the Japanese terms for the two?
a) Kakemai (non-Koji)
b) Kojimai (koji rice)
Where in the process are the starchy centers of the grain converted to sugar?
In the Koji Muro
The lowest quality level in the sake pyramid?
Futushu
What are the permissible ingredients of a Junmai sake?
Water
Yeast
Rice
Koji
How many sake breweries are there in Japan?
500-1500
What is the “shikomi?”
Main fermentation must
Is Nigori sake unfiltered?
No; the sake still passes through a charcoal filter. The cloudiness can e attributed to the ees that either slip through a wider mesh during pressing or those that are added back to the sake at bottling
The most common variety of rice in Niigata, Tomaya, and Fukshima?
Gohyakumangoku
Sake typically ferments to this ABV? But is often watered back to this ABV for taxation purposes?
a) 18-20%
b) 15%
Where did sake originate?
China
The most acclaimed production area of Yamada Nishiki rice?
Hyogo
The two Japanese prefectures with GI status?
1) Yamagata GI
2) Hakusan Kikusake GI (Tengumai, Kikuhime, Tedorigawa, Manzairaku, Takasago within the Ishikawa prefecture)
What is shizuku?
“Free-run” sake made by hanging bags of the main mash and only bottling what drips out.
Yeast choice most notably impacts what aspect of a sake?
Aroma
Most Taru (barrels) in Japan are produced from?
Native cedar trees
Three ways of producing red sake?
1) allowing the sake to oxidize
2) using a red rice variety
3) using a red koji
What is “Shiroritate?”
Fresh-squeezed sake; a sake that goes right to the bottle after pressing without settling
What is the “kijoshu” sake?
Where Junmai-shu is added towards the end of sandan shikomi instead of water, yielding a sweeter 9-10% ABV sake
Who produces the Super 7 Junmai Daiginjo?
Hakurakusei
