SAKE - The thrill of the chill!
Written by Holli Thomas
Photographed by Coleen Rider
For many of us, eating and experimenting with Japanese food is a much loved dining experience.  Ice cold beer is always a great accompaniment, but what about sake?  Most Japanese restaurants have a limited selection, and deciphering what they do have is tricky if you don't know the basics.  Thankfully, our meeting and tasting with Melanie Chang has changed how we look, drink, and choose sake forever.  Her down-to-earth vibe and enthusiasm for the whole culture and process of making sake made learning about it a little less daunting.

Chang's firsthand knowledge and expertise of sake was obtained from her prestigious internship in Osaka, Japan, for the international sake brewing program.  There she stayed at the 9th generation brewery Daimon Shuzo and worked each stage of the brewing process with a Toji (brew master) from 7:30a.m. to 5:00p.m..  No need for hair and make-up before the steaming and soaking of rice; it's a serious male-dominated business steeped in tradition and craft, whose simple ingredients are treated with the utmost respect.  After her internship, she toured other breweries to further develop her palate and knowledge, ultimately becoming an advanced sake specialist at the Japan Sake Brewers Association in Tokyo.

Sake is made from rice - not the table variety - and is fermented and processed much like beer.  It pairs with food and hails from distinctive regions, associating it with some of wine’s characteristics.  The type of rice, its degree of milling, the different type of Koji (mold) used in the fermentation process, and even the water used to make sake, influence its flavor.  The milling, or polishing, of rice represents how much of the outside of the grain has been removed.  Honjozo has 70% of the original grain remains, Ginjo 60%, and Daigingo the highest at 50%.  You'll find these categories on the label characterizing the sake.  Another distinguishing factor that will be present on the label is whether or not the sake is unpasteurized (Nama) and undiluted (Genshu).  Nama sake is usually found in a can because its pasteurization requires refrigeration.  Genshu style means its naturally occurring alcohol content (approximately 17-20%) hasn't been diluted with water.

Acidity and sweetness are usually listed numerically on the back of the sake bottle as another clue to its flavor.  The Nihanshu-do measures the sweetness or dryness.  Four is average, with anything lower being sweeter, while higher is drier.  With acidity, 1.1 is low, and above 2 considered high.

With all of that patiently explained by Chang to the novice sensibility, it's time to start tasting chilled sake, which is how premium sake is meant to be served.  First up is table sake, its Japanese name Futsu-shu.  Labeled Yamahai Nama Genshu, it’s unpasteurized and undiluted, representing the oldest style of sake.  Being unpasteurized, it's in a can and could be labeled the malt liquor of sake.  It has a bold, earthy, gamy flavor and its alcohol content hasn't been diluted with water.  It's strong but definitely smoother than the amateurish hot sake readily available at Japanese restaurants.

Next we try a Honjozo Nama Genshu, undiluted and unpasteurized like the first sake, only the rice has been milled a bit more.  It's definitely much smoother in the mouth.  Climbing up the milling chain to the Junmai Ginjo category, we taste sakes Nanbu Bujin and Watari Bune.  The Nanbu is dry and fruity, whereas Watari Bune has a nutty, earthy taste with its sweetness.  The Bunes flavor comes from a special heirloom rice proprietary to that brewery.  Representing the highest polishing ratio, Junmai Daiginjo, we  tasted Kuro Kabuto formulated with black Koji   (mold).  The fruity, semi-sweet flavor would be delicious paired with sushi or sashimi.

Our tasting session ends with a Nigori style sake, whose cloudy appearance is a result of yeast sediment allowed to remain after the fermentation process has been completed.  Voices in the Mist, a Ginjo Nigori, has a dry finish with a hint of banana and citrus.

All of the sakes we tasted had unique and subtle differing flavors.  The reason for such diminutive sake vessels is that it's meant to be sipped and savored.  A little knowledge on the subject should make the next sake selection a little easier at the Japanese market or restaurant.
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