The Definition and Creation of Japanese Sake (Nihonshu)
Sake or ‘nihonshu’ is a traditional alcoholic drink in Japan that is made from rice. It is for this reason that it is referred to as rice wine. Being that this drink is a traditional one in Japan, even the way you drink it has certain rules. A perfect example of this is the rule that states that you must not pour a cup of sake for yourself because it is taken as a sign that you do not trust the person you are drinking with. The person you are drinking with should be the one to pour a cup for you and vice versa. This is also the reason why sake drinking is considered a form of bonding between the drinkers. Another interesting fact about sake is that there is a general misconception about it. In Japan, the word sake actually refers to any alcoholic beverage. It is a lot like how people say xerox when they actually mean photocopy. With this being said, the real name of the Japanese rice wine being talked about here is nihonshu.
This drink is not just a traditional one in Japan because of how long it has been in their culture. It also has deep connections to the Shinto religion. In the earlier years of Japan, the sake was used to cleanse the Shinto shrines because it was believed that sake was a drink from the gods. Some even say that drinking sake helped Shinto believers feel this unique experience of enlightenment or connection with a higher being. Sake is so deeply embedded in the Shinto religion that some shrines hold ceremonies to brew a sacred sake. Other signs of its importance in the Shinto religion can be seen in its role and symbolism in ceremonies like a Shinto wedding.
Since sake is also known as rice wine, it is usually thought of as more wine than beer. This is quite wrong to assume because, although both wine and Sake are fermented, wine makes use of a single fermentation process of grapes to create it. Sake, on the other hand, makes use of several fermentation processes like beer does. With this being said, it would technically be correct to call sake a Japanese beer because of the similarities in the process of its creation. Of course, the complexity of the process of making sake makes it worthy to be identified as a class of alcohol on its own. An obvious difference between these three alcoholic beverages is their alcohol content. The average alcohol content of beer is around 6% while wine has around 12%. Sake is on its own level having an average alcohol content of 16%. When it comes to describing the taste of sake, the terms and definitions used are more of those used in describing the taste of wine. Examples of these terms are the earthiness, body, sweetness, dryness, and much more.
This signature rice wine of Japan has become a famous drink throughout the world. This is no surprise because of how precise and detailed the process of making this drink is. The particulars of this process would be too long to discuss but worry not because discussing the basics would already be enough to give an idea of how this delicious beverage is made.
There are four main components in brewing sake. These four are rice, water, yeast, and the weather along with the land. Some say that there are actually five main components because the technical skill needed to create this drink is also a vital necessity. Once all these components are in place, one would be ready to proceed with the process. This process starts with rice milling which is the step wherein the rice is polished and washed. This process isn’t as simple as it seems because the rice must be polished in a way that minimal heat is generated. This is needed because too much heat affects the absorption of the rice. One must also avoid cracking the rice kernels during this phase because that would also affect the fermentation of the rice in the succeeding steps. The rice is also milled at different percentages because the amount of rice kernel remaining greatly affects the taste of the sake to be produced from this rice.
What follows the milling is the washing and soaking phase. It is in this phase that the nuka, which is the white powder left on the rice after polishing, is cleansed off the rice. After the nuka is washed off, the rice then is soaked in water to attain a certain water content. The time for the soaking depends on the size of the rice kernel and the soaking can vary from a minute to an overnight soaking. After this comes the steaming phase. Sake rice is not steamed the same way as table rice. Table rice is cooked by putting the rice in the water and letting the water boil until the rice is cooked thoroughly. The steaming done for sake rice makes use of the actual steam from the boiling water. Imagine steaming dumplings when thinking about this phase because it is very similar to that. This kind of steaming process gives the rice a firmer consistency.
The steamed rice is then split up into two groups. The first group would be dedicated to the ‘koji making’ process and the second group would go to the fermentation vat. The koji making is the next important phase in making the sake. Some even refer to the koji making step as the heart of the entire brewing process because it is here that the ingredient “Koji” is created. Koji is a vital ingredient to in making sake and its importance can be obviously seen with the number of times this ingredient is used throughout the sake making. The steamed rice is taken to a room with a high humidity and is mixed with Koji mold, which is the agent in triggering the development of the koji. After being placed in the special room and mixed with the mold, the soon-to-be koji is constantly checked on and rearranged for about 36 to 45 hours. The fully developed koji would look like rice grains with frosting on it.
Once the koji is ready, the yeast comes into play. In this phase, the koji, plain steamed rice, and water with a concentration of pure yeast are kept in a large container for two weeks. This activates the yeast and creates what they call the ‘Shubo’ or ‘Moto’. Once this is created, they move it into a larger tank where they mix more rice, koji, and water over a span of four days. This would also be the time for the makers to adjust the mixture to create the precise flavor desired for the batch. The mash, which is the result of this step, is then left to ferment over 18 to 32 days.
When the mash is ready, the pressing phase begins. In this phase, the mash is squeezed for its juices and as one might guess, the juice gathered is raw sake. Filtration would be one phase to go through before this would be ready to serve. In filtration, the sake is charcoal filtered to adjust the sake to the desired type or style but this phase does not commence until the solids from the pressing have settled in. What comes next is the pasteurization or the “decontamination” of the sake. They do this at least once per batch and it is done by letting the sake pass through a very hot pipe to kill the bacteria and enzymes that might change the taste of the sake in the future.
Aging is the final step to the creation of sake and this takes about 6 months. After this 6 months of waiting, the sake is mixed in with a bit more of pure water to lessen the alcohol content of the sake before it is bottled up and sent to the breweries. Mixing in this water is said to drop the alcohol content of the sake from 20 percent to about the average content of 16 percent.
Since sake is also known as rice wine, it is usually thought of as more wine than beer. This is quite wrong to assume because, although both wine and Sake are fermented, wine makes use of a single fermentation process of grapes to create it. Sake, on the other hand, makes use of several fermentation processes like beer does. With this being said, it would technically be correct to call sake a Japanese beer because of the similarities in the process of its creation. Of course, the complexity of the process of making sake makes it worthy to be identified as a class of alcohol on its own. An obvious difference between these three alcoholic beverages is their alcohol content. The average alcohol content of beer is around 6% while wine has around 12%. Sake is on its own level having an average alcohol content of 16%. When it comes to describing the taste of sake, the terms and definitions used are more of those used in describing the taste of wine. Examples of these terms are the earthiness, body, sweetness, dryness, and much more.
What Does Sake Taste Like? Check out the Types of Sake Drinks
Interestingly enough, there are five types of nihonshu and they are the Junmai-Shu, Honjozo-Shu, Ginjo-Shu, Daiginjo-Shu, and the Namazake. What is more intriguing about this is that there are no differences in the items used to make each of these types of sake. Their differences come from the methods used to brew each of them and some other things. First on the list is the Junmai-Shu.
As stated earlier, the degree of milling or the ‘seimai buai’ affects the taste of the sake. To expound on the importance of the preciseness of the milling, the slightest differences in the percentage of the kernel left is what made it possible to make five different tasting sake. Junmai-Shu used to make use of the rice polished to at least 70% but recent changes in Japanese law no longer requires Junmai-Shu to be made with a specific seimai buia. This type is the purest of all nihonshu because it makes no use of additives to the fermenting mixture. These additives pertain to sugars and starches. Junmai-Shu is known to be an explosive, puckering, and full tasting rice wine type.
The next type to be discussed is the Honjozo-Shu. This type of rice wine makes use of a seimai buia of at least 70%. The additives that were absent in the previous type discussed made it possible for this type of sake to be more known for its fragrance, dankness, and pervasiveness. The alcohol content of this type is also known to be more on the lighter side because of the seimai buia used to create it.
The Ginjo-Shu is a bit more complex compared to the two mentioned above. Aside from using a different milling degree of at least 60%, the yeast, room temperature, and labor intensity used to make this type are also different. This type of sake is one of the more fragrant nihonshu types. This is not to take away from the taste, though. This is just to give you an idea of what you will probably notice first once you try a glass or cup of this type.
Next on the list is the Daiginjo-Shu. This type of rice wine uses rice milled within the range of 50% to 35% which makes it very tricky to make because of how careful one has to be to polish the rice grains to 35% of its original volume. Using the same method mentioned in the creation, the milling degree used was able to make this the most fragrant of all types that come along with a noticeable full body of the rice wine. This type also leans towards the sweeter tasting sake so if sweetness is what you are looking for, this would be the recommendable type of sake to try out.
Lastly, we have the namazake. This is the most unique of all the types mentioned because this Sake is the only one to not go through the pasteurizing phase. This means that the preservation of the quality of this type is more intensive compared to the rest because it has not been cleaned as much as the others. One would have to store this in a cold place or the flavor might be greatly affected in a short amount of time. Because it did not go through the pasteurizing, the namazake has a fresher taste compared to all the other sake types. Since the absence of the pasteurizing phase is the main thing about this type, the Namazake can be made from any seimai buia. Remember though that the seimai buia to be used would dictate the flavor of the namazake.
Curious about Rice Wine? Take a Japan Sake Tour
If reading about it did not satisfy your thirst for Sake knowledge and history, then it would be greatly recommended to go on a sake tour in Japan. Since Sake is a traditional beverage in Japan, tours to the different breweries scattered across Japan would be easy to find. With all those options, the problem usually encountered would be which one to actually go on. In lieu of that, taking the Kyushu Sake tour would probably be the most beneficial because Kyushu is the major Sake-brewing region in Japan so if anyone were to tell you all about it, the people here would be your best bet.
This isn’t the best option solely for that reason. Kyushu is also a wonderful place to travel because of the views you will encounter along the way. With the natural views and the learning you are sure to experience on the tour here, adventurers would definitely not regret a second of it. Traveling to the different breweries in Kyushu will already enable you to see the Sake rice growers in Itoshima. The first brewery you would want to visit in this region is the Mori no Kura. They are known for their Junmai-Shu because they brew it only with Fukuoka rice. This brewery also works towards sustainability because their process makes use of all things which means minimal waste. An example of this would be how they use the by-products of their brewing to be used as fertilizer for their next Sake rice paddles.
Another notable brewery to visit in this region is the Kitaya Brewery found in Yame. This place was awarded the IWC Champion Sake title in 2013 and, for those who do not know, that award is a prestigious recognition given to only a small group of breweries that show excellence in the Sake they made. They got theirs because of their amazing Daiginjo so make sure to try that type of Sake when you hit up this place. Note that all these places can be visited via train so if you do not book those fixed schedule tours, it is no problem. You can easily arrange it yourself and make time to see all the other things the Kyushu has to offer.
Not up for a Tour? Try the Gekkeikan Sake
If traveling to Japan is not a possibility at the moment yet you want to get a taste of the most authentic sake the world has to offer, worry not because there is a brand of Sake that is known to be worthy of being called authentic and that brand is the Gekkeikan Sake. Gekkeikan traditionally produces the most popular Junmai in the world. This claim is backed up by the 370 years and 14 generations of Sake brewing experience that they have accumulated throughout the years of their business. The name of the brand itself means “Crown of Laurel” which also somewhat hints a promise of the quality that Gekkeikan Sake will always have. This is now available practically all over the world so getting an idea of what authentic sake tastes like just got easier for an average price of $3. Prices vary depending on the type of sake you would want to try out. Hopefully, you enjoy your nihonshu!