Sake Styles/Temperatures Flashcards
What is Futsushu?
- Lowest category comprises roughly 75% of all sake produced in Japan.
- Has no seimaibuai rules, and additives are less prohibited.
- category has simpler tax legislation, a few microbreweries, such as Ibaraki Shuzo in Hyogo Prefecture, who take advantage of the less stringent rules to add some unique declassified craft sake to their lineup, but these instances are rare. Consumption of this category, especially outside of Japan, is falling drastically, while small craft breweries’ sales are going up exponentially each year.
Range of seimaibuai futsu-shu? (Question on guild sake quiz) 70-93%
Supposed to have no seimaibuai rules, but I guess this means there has to be some polishing and can’t be more than 30%.
What is Honjozo?
This type of sake is brewed using a small amount of distilled pure alcohol to add texture and lighten the sake. This was originally a way to compensate for the shortage of rice after World War II. Today, the addition of alcohol doesn’t necessarily lessen sake’s quality; rather, it changes sake’s characteristics and often creates a more mineral-driven, cleaner beverage.
What is Junmai?
The seimaibuai of Junmai must be stated on the label, but by law, there is no minimum. Prior to 2004 it was 70%. Seimaibuai of 70% or less is still typical. This sake is usually more robust, structured, and umami driven; it is often referred to as aji (flavorful). The sake is made with nothing but rice, water, yeast, and koji mold (i.e., no brewer’s spirit).
What is Tokubetsu Junmai.
To be classified as Tokubetsu Junmai, sake must be polished to at least 60% seimaibuai or somehow diverge from the producer’s usual methods. If the latter, this distinguishing characteristic must be stated on the label. For the example, if a Junmai is produced by the traditional Kimoto method (described in the yeast section below) 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.
What is (Junmai) Ginjo?
This sake, with a seimaibuai of 60% or less, is the perfect harmony of kaori (aromatic, fruity, floral style) and aji (textured, savory, taste-driven style). When spirit is added, the sake loses its Junmai prefix.
What is (Junmai) Daiginjo?
Often a kura’s most coveted sake, this style must have a seimaibuai of 50% or less. Some Daiginjo are polished so much that only 9% of the original rice grain remains—these examples tend to be delicate and vibrant, with many exotic fruit and floral characteristics. They are often referred to as kaori. When spirit is added, the sake loses its Junmai prefix, and the final product gains roundness and texture by way of viscosity from the brewer’s spirit.
What is nigori sake?
How is it made?
What is Usunigori?
Aka nigorizake, is named for its cloudy appearance. Essentially, this is sake bottled with its lees.
—made with a looser mesh during the pressing process.
—unregulated style; some producers will press the sake normally and then add the kasu back to the bottle.
—technically not unfiltered because to a sake brewer, filtering is the process of passing the fermented moromi through activated charcoal.
—Usunigori is an only slightly cloudy sake, a variation on nigori.
How is sparkling sake produced?
—moromi fermentation can be arrested while the sake is at just 8% ABV.
—brewery can add their own rice-based liqueur de tirage to induce the second fermentation in bottle.
—unregulated and no official production method
-low acidity compared to traditional Champagne grapes, often yielding sweet or cloying bottles. However, the greatest examples can be bright and well structured.
What is red sake?
Akazake (“red sake”) can be made in a variety of ways:
-using unapproved red rice varieties, letting their pigment bleed into the moromi.
-in Kumamoto, ash is added during production.
-in Niigata, a rare red koji is used.
-there are also yeast strains that give the finished product a red tint.
Some sake is left to oxidize until it takes on an amber or reddish color.
-all of these are acceptable forms of red sake, though the term is unregulated.
What is Kojoshu?
A rare style in which junmai-shu, not water, is added toward the end of sandan shikomi process, brining the ABV to 9 or 10%
-Hiroshima’s Hanahato famously releases a sweet, mellow, eight-year-aged Kijoshu.
What is Zenkoji?
“All koji”, results from using 100% koji and no steamed rice in the production process. It ages quickly and is naturally sweeter.
What is Tomizu?
A 150-year-old method in which the moromi has a one-to-one water-to-rice ratio by weight.
Sake Serving Temperatures
55C/131F Tobikiri-kan “Fly away for good”
50C/122F Atsu-kan “Hot hot”
45C/113F Jo-kan “Upper hot”
40C/104F Nuru-kan “Warm hot”
35C/95F Hitohada-kan “A person’s skin hot”
30C/86F Hinata-kan “Out in the sun hot”
20C/68F Jo-on “Normal room temperature”
15C/59F Suzu-bie “Cool chilled”
10C/50F Hana-bie “Flower chilled”
5C/41F Yuki-bie “Snow chilled”
Junmai Daiginjo-shu and Junmai Ginjo-shu make up approximately what percentage of all sake production?
5-6% ?
