Sake Terms Flashcards
What does Bijinshu mean?
“Beautiful Girl”. This improvement of the sake making process involves only using virgin girls to chew the rice in order to start fermentation.
What does Bodai Moto mean?
“Monk’s sake” A term used for the time period when temple-brewed sake was at its peak.
What does Chotei no sake mean?
“Court produced sake” A reference to the time period around 689 AD where the imperial court began to brew sake for consumption. Many technical advances came from this time period as the court’s endless resources allowed for extensive research into the art of brewing.
What does Dai Ginjo mean?
A sake with added distilled alcohol and a milling rate of at least 50%, meaning that only 50% remains after being polished.
What does Futsuu-shu mean?
Commonly known as “table sake”, futsushu typically means any non-premium brew
What does Genshu mean?
Normally brewers will dilute sake to bring its natural alcohol percentage of 18-20% down to a more manageable 14-16%. The term Genshu is used to label sakes that have not gone through this dilution process.
What does Ginjo mean?
A sake with added distilled alcohol and a milling rate of at least 40% meaning 60% remains after the process.
What does Honjozo mean?
A category of sake with a milling rate of at least 30%. This type of sake also includes added brewers alcohol to the mix.
What does Izakaya mean?
A Japanese drinking restaurant that offers traditional fare accompanied with sake. Typically popular with the business crowd seeking that “much needed post-work drink”
What does Jizake mean?
Roughly translated into “Local sake” Equivalent, and as overused, as the term “micro-brewery” in the United States. Local artisan sake.
What does Junmai Ginjo mean?
A category of sake that has a milling rate of at least 40% for each rice grain, meaning that only 60% of the exterior grain remains.
What does Junmai Dai Ginjo mean?
A category of sake that has a milling rate of at least 50% for each grain, meaning that only 50% of the exterior grain remains.
What does Honjozo mean?
A category of sake that has a milling rate of 30% for each rice grain, meaning that 70% of the exterior grain remains.
What does Kanpai mean?
Translated into “Empty Cup!” or “Cheers”!
What does Kan-zukuri mean?
The term used for the winter brewing season
What does Kimoto-moto mean?
A kimoto yeast starter takes a bit longer than yamahai to create, but ironically, the sake that results from these two methods is similar in flavor profile
Like sake brewed with yamahai moto, sake brewed with a kimoto moto has a higher sweetness and acidity, with richer, deeper, significantly more pronounced flavors
This is similar to batonnage, as the moto is stirred with a long, wooden pole. This process continues throughout fermentation (about 45 days)
A combination of yeast, koji mold and rice are crushed into a purée which serves as a starter
Traditionally this process was made via pole-ramming (yama-oroshi) which is depicted in much artwork
What does Koji mean?
Blanket term used for the mold culture that is used in the fermentation process of sake.
What does “ Kuchikama no Sake” mean?
A rudimentary form of sake brewing roughly translated to “mouth brewed sake”. One of the first methods of initiating the fermentation process in rices was to use the enzymes commonly found in the mouth.
What does Kura mean?
Simply means a sake brewery. Also known as a sakagura.
What does Kurabito mean?
One who works within a sake brewery
What does Masu mean?
A traditional square wooden box used to drink sake. Now these are typically reserved for ceremonial purposes and no longer the preferred receptacle for drinking sake.
What does “Minzoku no sake” mean?
A reference to the communal period when sake making involved an entire village.
What does Moromi mean?
“The Main Mash”. A vital step in the brewing process of sake where all the ingredients are added tether and the fermentation begins. It’s also called the Sake Maromi before pressing, this is what you press to get the final product - “Sake.”Main ferement that comes after you have made Moto/Shubo
What does “Moto” mean? Give a synonym.
A way to “jump start” the fermentation process. The moto is a combination of yeast, rice, water, and lactic acid.
Also known as “Shubo”
What does Nama-zake mean?
Unpasteurized sake that contains live yeast cells and bacteria from the brewing process. These types must be refrigerated and like most “live” products, they are best consumed fresh.
What does Nigori mean?
Sake that is unfiltered. Typically cloudy with a sediment that settles at the bottom of the bottlefrom kasu being added back
What does Nihonshu mean?
“Wine of Japan” The official name for what the Western world calls “sake”
What does Nihonshudo mean?
Sake Meter Value (SMV)
the index indicating the sweetness/dryness of each brew.
These values are determined via a Hydrometer that measures the density of the fluid and are given a negative or positive number based on the density of the sake.
The more positive, the dryer. The more negative, the sweeter the sake.
0 would indicate between semi-sweet and semi-dry.
What does Sakaya no Sake mean?
The formal term for a brewery
What does Sakaya mean?
A wide ranging term that can be used to describe either a shop that sells sake OR a brewery
What is Seishu?
the legal term for Nihonshu
What does Shizuku-shibori refer to?name of they key feature
The time consuming method of pressing sake that involved hanging the moroni in cloth bags (sakabukuro) and allowing gravity to separate the fluid form the rest of the mash. Results in very soft and refined brews.
What is Shochu?
A Japanese distilled beverage similar to vodka made from potatoes, rice, corn, and a variety of other sources. Usually high in alcohol content and considered a hard alcohol.
What does SMV refer to?
The Sake Meter Value
a.k.a. Nihonshudo
What does the term “Toji” refer to?
The master brewer at any given kura
What is Tokubetsu?
Tokubetsu 特別 designates a more highly polished rice or a special bottling (this actually falls below in the ginjo level since rice is polished to 60% or less)
What is Yamahai?
An updated method of the Kimoto process that creates yeast starters for brewing.
Non-charcoal-filtered sake is called?
muroka (basically means unfiltered - different from nigori)
Breweries may append Ki-ippon to any of their Junmai level sake to denote what?
the entire production came from a single place of origin, with no ingredients outsourced. only can be on jumnai styles
Most popular sake yeast
no. 7
What’s Kuroshu?
Sake made with no polishing
What’s iwai-zake?
(“celebration sake”), is during special occasions out of wooden barrels opened by mallet. Served freely to all to spread good fortune.
Toso - is a iwai-zake aromatized with tososan, traditionally served for New Years. a package of spices, or tososan - an herbal mixture of cinnamon bark, the seeds of sansho (Japanese prickly ash), and the roots of medicinal plants such as bofu and okera, a perennial herb that grows in sunny, dry mountainous areas. Similarly prepared spiced beverages include Germany’s gluhwein and the mulled wine found in Europe, especially around Christmastime.
What is the difference between ko-on touka moto and sokujo moto?
Sokujo moto takes an average of 14 days and i smade by steaming the rice to prepare it for saccharification. While ko-on touka takes significantly less time as the rice is just heated with hot air to gelatinize the starch and mixed with yeast.
Which of the following is a REQUIRED item to be listed on a Japanese sake label?
A.Type of sake B.Seimaibuai C.Rice variety D.Prefecture of origin E.Raw ingredients other than water
Raw ingredients other than water
What’s the oldest style of moto?
Bodai moto
What’s the difference between ‘So-Haze’ and ‘Tsuki-haze?’
If you look closely at the rice during this kirikaeshi stage, you can see the hyphae of the kojikin has grown, and that “haze” or the propagation of kojikin has started. If everything has gone well and the rice has a hard exterior with a soft inside as described previously, then the kojikin can easily germinate the hyphae towards the center of the rice grain. When the haze is uneven on the surface of the grain, but the hyphae has grown sufficiently inwards, then this is known as “tsuki-haze” or speckled-haze. In comparison, when the hyphae has grown deep as well as evenly across the entire surface of the grain, this is called “so-haze” or all-rounded haze.
The koji from so-haze has high levels of enzyme activity and is suited to bringing out the sweetness and umami of rice. On the other hand, koji from tsuki-haze is more suited for ginjo sake, because it has moderate enzyme and lends itself well to making a sake with a clear and dry taste (and a more umami-rich sake with higher acidity)
If a sake is labeled as “junmai muroka nama genshu,” what reasonable conclusions that can be made?
junmai - no brewer’s alochol
muroka - charcoal filtered
nama -not pasterized
genshu - un-diluted with water
This sake does not have lactic acid added during the yeast starter process.
The ester ___________ is responsible for ripe apple, tropical fruit, and anise aromas in sake.
ethyl carpoate
Due in part to its renowned water quality, which prefecture has the highest concentration of kura today?
Hyogo
Which style of sake is produced through the addition of sake instead of water during the Tome stage (third addition) of Sandan shikomi?
Kijoshu
Which sake producing region of Japan is known for soft, low mineral water?
Kanagawa
Explain the flavors of the following:
Dewasansan
Tamazakae
Hidahomare
Kame-no-O
Dewasansan: Complex, sweeter than Kame-no-O and more fragrant
Tamazakae: Opulent and complex
Hidahomare: Elegant and firm, soft acidity, dry, tropical fruit notes
Kame-no-O: Rich and aromatic, drier and more acidic than Yamada-Nishiki
Amakuchi refers to ______ styles and karakuchi refers to _______ styles of beverage.
Sweet / Dry
Name three starters that do not have lactic acid added prior to fermentation.
Kimoto / Yamahi / Bodai Motto
What’s the name and size of the original sake bottle? Barrel? Size of a ‘Go?’
Sho/Isho Bin 1.8L
Most common barrel is 72L or 4-to, medium sized is 36L or 2-to and a small barrel is 1-to. a ‘TO’ is a massive 18L bottle (or barrel) that is used to transfer sake
180ml
