Category Archives: 酒

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, Fujinomiya City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji Takasago Brewery-Limited Edition-Kotobuki

January 11, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Every year Fuji Takasago Brewery in Fujinomiya City has the interesting habit of producing a limited brew called “Kotobuki/寿?, meaning “Congratulations” with “leftovers of different brew concocted during the year.
Actually it is a very happy blend of sake difficult to classify but eminently enjoyable, the more for it that it is limited!
Note the character 寿/kotobuki/congratulations has been designed in the shape of a Snake as 2103 is the Year of the Snake!

Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: + 5.0
Bottled in November 21012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Light and fruity. Melon
Body: Fluid
Taste: Well-rounded fruity attack with beautiful alcohol warming up back of the palate.
Disappears quickly.
Very fruity in spite of its announced dryness.
Complex. Nutty flavor almost exploding on the tongue.
Almonds, dark chocolate, macadamia nuts.
Tends to become even drier with plenty of almonds popping up at the back of the palate after a few sips.

Overall: Very easy to drink and more elegant than expected!
Great with food, although could actually be enjoyed on its own as a chilled aperitif or a night cap!
Would greatly marry with cheese!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, Blueberries, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Iwata City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Liqueur, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Liqueur Tasting: KE? Blueberry Liqueur by Senju Brewery

December 28, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

It is always a rare pleasure to discover local fruit liqueurs made by local breweries!
The latest discovery was a liqueur brewed by Senju Brewery in Iwata City with local blueberries!

A very elegant bottle for the perfect Shizuoka souvenir to offer to a special friend!
Knowing there are three more liqueurs made with other fruit it becomes a rare treat!

The first such fully local blueberry liqueur to be created in Shizuoka Prefecture!

A souvenir to take abroad!
The name “け？” or “Ke?” simply means “What?” in local dialect?

Senju Brewery which also produces shochu made it with their own sake and shochu and the juice freshly pressed blueberries grown locally!

“Senju/千寿” means “One thousand Congratulations”!

Ingredients: Kome/rice shochu and blueberry juice
Alcohol: 8 degrees
Contents: 300 ml/cc

Clarity: Very clear, although blueberry fruit particles are found at the bottom
Color: Dark red/cassis color
Aroma: Sweetish. Blueberry
Body: Fluid, light.
Taste: Very soft attack.
Light and easy to drink.
Blueberry. Drier than sweet.
Very feminine in approach.
Although I found it dry my lady friends thought it was sweet.
Blueberry flavors tend to take a turn to a stronger, deeper and ever more drier with the next sip.

Overall: An aperitif?
A digestif?
It would certainly be a close fight!
Enjoyed as a slightly chilled aperitif it will deliciously prepare the guests taste buds before a repast.
Savored at room temperature it will make for a very safe night cap to help forget worldly worries!
A great drink at an izakya for people not veresed on strong drinks.
I personally appreciated on its own at room temperature back from a long work day.
I actually intend to use it as a great finishing touch in a sauce to accompany duck!
But all in all makes for the perfect and elegant farewell before meeting bliss in bed (asleep or not!)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Beer, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2012/12/27): Kicking off the New Year Right: Hatsujozo 2013 Imperial Pilsner

December 27, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Kicking off the New Year Right: Hatsujozo 2013 Imperial Pilsner

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

It has become a Baird Beer tradition to greet the dawn of each new year with a special “First Brewed” (Hatsujozo) seasonal specialty beer. At the stroke of midnight on the evening of December 31, we — along with a host of other Baird Beer retailing establishments in Japan — pour this commemorative Hatsujozo and share it with our fellow beer enthusiasts in a toast to the New Year.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Hatsujozo 2013 Imperial Pilsner (ABV 6.5%):

This year’s “First Brewed” is a muscular and hoppy pilsner-like lager (we’ll call it an imperial pils)! The grist bill combines floor-malted English Maris Otter and German pilsner malt in almost equal portions, and contains an unique dollop of 10% rye malt. 80 IBUs of hops in the kettle (Magnum, Galena, Motueka, Wakatu, Saaz, Spalter, Tettnanger) followed by two rounds of dry-hopping in the conditioning tank (Motueka, Wakatu, Saaz, Spalter, Tettnanger) leaves no doubt about our passionate commitment to hop character in beer.

Hatsujozo 2013 is available this year both in kegs and bottles (360 ml). Please join as at one of our Taproom pubs (Numazu Fishmarket, Nakameguro or Bashamichi) for fun and festive countdown parties on Monday, December 31. We will be pouring complimentary taster glasses of Hatsujozo 2013 to all patrons for our New Year toast.

Kampai to 2013!

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 酒, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Food, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Spanish Cuisine, Spanish Gastronomy, Spanish Restaurant, Tourism

Spanish & French Dining Bar: Hoteiya in Shizuoka City!

December 27, 2012 dragonlife 3 Comments

Service: very friendly and easy-going if a bit shy
Facilities: very clean overall. Excellent washroom
Prices: Reasonable~a little expensive
Strong points: Spanish & French Fusion bistro gastronomy doubling as a wine bar. Open late. Reasonable wine list. Extensive use of local products.

Spanish gastronomy has always been popular in Japan although it can be disappointing at times. Some restaurants call themselves Tapas Bars, but the Spanish would have some difficulty to find themselves at home there…
On the other hand some establishments take another track by combining the characters of different European gastronomies with a far more pleasurable result for the customers. After all, if you visit a bistro in French Catalogne/Catalunia you will find that most of the specialties are “Spanish”!

Looking at the menu blackboard by the stairs leading to Hoteiya you will realize that many influences govern Chef Takashi Sugiyama/杉山猛さん’s cuisine!

Discovering the door on the second floor you realize that Hoteiya is a Kakureya/隠れ屋/”Hidden Place” that many Japanese appreciate for ofttimes much wanted privacy!

But the place for all its secrecy is not a dark place full of unknowns!

Chef Takashi Sugiyama/杉山猛さん behind a beautiful Spanish Ham!

Have a good look at the recommendations menu board first before ordering and have a chat with the Chef as well!

What I did have on that particular night should give you a good idea of what to expect.
Shall we start then?

Of course, Spanish raw ham cut in front of you!

French-style chicken liver paste!

A real beauty concocted with Port wine!
It would be enough if you came just to drink wine with a snack!

Fresh Horse Mackerel/Aji/鯵 caught off Yaizu harbor in salad with fresh local vegetables including home-made semi-dried mini tomatoes!

You just can’t beat fresh local products!

Aubergine/zucchini gratin!
Great comfort food on a cold winter night!

Hot and delicious!

I was luckily hungry on that day and I had plenty of space left for a succulent bistro-style dessert!

Nougat glace!

Creme brulee!

A little European haven away from the crowds?

To be continued (still too many beauties to sample!)….

HOTEIYA
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 1-2-15, Celize Building 2F
Tel./Fax: 054-251-8027
Opening hours: 18:00~01:30
Closed on Tuesdays
Private Parties welcome!

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Baird Beer, Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2012/12/20): Wishing You a Jubilant Holiday Season!

December 21, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Wishing You a Jubilant Holiday Season!

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Life is a fleeting thing. Each of us is here but a very short time. The older we get, the more clearly we comprehend this inexorable reality. And despite the sometimes awful travails and the always regular monotony of life, it remains a mysteriously beautiful thing. The end-of-the-year holiday season provides wonderful occasion for reflection and appreciation of the joy of living.

At Baird Brewing, 0ur appreciation of this joy is manifested in a celebratory Christmas-New Year season holiday ale which we call Jubilation Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Jubilation Ale (ABV 7.5%):

This malty rich, festively red-hued ale derives its special character primarily from the addition of two wonderful indigenous ingredients: (1) fully ripened Japanse figs (ichijiku) and (2) cinnamon twigs culled from a local Japanese nikki tree. The full bodied character combined with the attendant alcohol strength will warm the flesh just as it brings jubilation to the soul.

Jubilation Ale is available for immediate release in both kegs and bottles (360 ml). It begins pouring at our Taproom taps on Thursday, December 20.

Taproom O-shogatsu Schedules:

*Numazu Fishmarket Taproom: Countdown party December 31. Closed on January 1 and 2. Open for special O-shogatsu service on January 3 (noon to midnight). Resumes normal hours on January 4.

*Nakameguro Taproom: Countdown party December 31. Closed January 1-2. Open for special O-shogatsu service on January 3 (noon to 9:00 pm). Resumes normal hours on January 4.

*Harajuku Taproom: Closed on December 31 (Tokyo countdown party @ Nakameguro). Open for special O-shogatsu service on January 1-4 (noon to 8:00 pm). Resumes normal hours on January 5.

*Bashamichi Taproom: Countdown party December 31. Closed January 1-2. Open for special O-shogatsu service on January 3-4 (noon to 8:00 pm). Resumes normal hours on January 5.Holiday Season Cheers!

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Bars, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, Wines

French Organic Wine Bar & Retailer: La Vigne in Shizuoka City!

December 18, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Shop Manager Hidetaka Satoh/佐藤大高さん & Staff (calling themselves the “Nice-Looking Boy and beautiful Damsel”!)

Service: Very friendly and caring. Great explanations!
Facilities and equipment: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroom. Whole establishment non-smoking!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: French organic wines. Higher grade wine cellar. Drinks and light food at standing bar.

The Japanese love their wines, and French wines in particular!
But they also have a care for their health.
And what’s a more healthy drink than organic wine!

You will find La Vigne very conveniently located right across the street from Shizuoka JR Station North Exit!

It almost looks like a street side cafe back in France!

“自然のワイン/Shizen no Wain” means “Natural/Organic Wines”!

The wine and the producer of the month!

Wine recommendations for coming Christmas!

A suggestion for a present for an important person!
Actually today was exactly the Fourth Anniversary of the opening of La Vigne in the 18th of December 2008!
The mother company is located in Nagoya while the most recent and third shop stands in Higashi Ginza, Tokyo!

The shop was first conceived as wine retailing establishment that offers plenty of organic wines from France.

More suggestions for Christmas!
All purchases can be wrapped as presents for a small fee!

They do offer a lot to eat with those wines: terrine, pate, sauces, jams, olives and the like!

And also plenty of cheese, hams, sausages, and other appetizers you can eat on site if you wish.

Photographs and signatures of the producers whose wines are featured at La Vigne!

The standing bar which has proved to be best investment of the establishment!
Many customers, including many local chefs, taste their wines there before acquiring them by the bottle (s)!

La Vigne also sells some great breads concocted by a local baker that find their way onto the counter more than often!

Great map of French wines to give all information and conversation topics of the day when needed!

Take your time, glass in hand , and take a good look at all the wines!

The wines to be drunk and purchased by the glass at the standing bar regularly change.
You pay your orders, be they wine or food in cash as they come, or you can before leaving either cash or by credit card.

Great explanations for each wine!

My order of the day!
Wines and food can be consumed all day long, but coffee and mineral water is also available!

Plenty of food and snacks available.
No cover charge or extra fees!

If you find a canned food of your liking just take it from the display tables, bring it to the counter and ask the staff to open it for instant consumption as it is or with bread and so on!

LA VIGNE
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koya Machi, 17-2, 1F
Tel/Fax: 054-205-4181
Opening hours: 10:00~22:00 (Monday~Saturday), 12:00~20:00 (Sundays and National Holidays)
Credit Cards OK
Private Parties welcome
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely Non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake: “Homare Fuji” Sake Rice Actively Promoted Locally and Nationally!

December 16, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Courtesy of Shizuoka Shinbun

Shizuoka sake brewed with Homare Fuji Rice being tasted at “Shizuoka Green Tea Plaza, Tokyo Prefectural Tokyo Tourism Office in Yuraku-Cho, Tokyo.

On the 13th of December no less than 20 Shizuoka Breweries, including internationally famous Doi (Kaiun) and Hatsukame Breweries, organised a tasting feast in Tokyo at the “Shizuoka Green Tea Plaza, Tokyo Prefectural Tokyo Tourism Office in Yuraku-Cho, to actively promote sake made exclusively with Homare Fuji Sake Rice first developped and grown in Shizuoka Prefecture, a feat noteworthy for its uniqueness in the very traditional world of sake brewing in Japan!

Courtesy of Shizuoka Shinbun.

On the Prefectural scene many breweries are active promoting sake made with Homare Fuji rice such as Kanzawagawa Brewery (Shosetsu) which has been organizes brewery viewing and sake seminars since 2005 on a regular basis! This year no less than 49 sake lovers participated to the latest seminar! Knowing the brewery well, the establishment must have been really crowded!

At least the future of Japanese sake is quite rosy here in Shizuoka Prefecture!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake: A New” Brewery Born: Hiraki Shizuoka Brewery!

December 15, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Courtesy of Shizuoka Shinbun,

A”New” sake brewery is born in Shizuoka City!

Why “New” then?

Actually, by Japanese law you cannot/may not obtain a new brewery license. The only way to create/establish a new brewery is to acquire the license from a brewery which has decided to cease business before they give their license back to the government. In fact such a license can be kept indefinitely although the Tax & Excise Bureau do all it can to get it back as soon as possible. Strangely enough, such a rule applies only to sake breweries, brewers and owners…

Hiraki Company in Shizuoka City, a company with roots back in Edo Period, the biggest distributor of large spirits and drinks companies in Shizuoka Prefecture had momentarily moved from Kakegawa City in Shizuoka Prefecture to Okayama Prefecture in 1956 to acquire Hiraki Brewery while the law permitted it. They consequently moved back to Shizuoka City in 1967 to expand their business as the local distributor for big corporate companies producing drinks and spirits. Naturally, they sold their sake brand called Kihei (and still do. “Kihei” actually is the inverted name of “Hiraki”!) in Shizuoka Prefecture and were also very active in offering contracts between the local sake breweries and the big companies in Nada (Kobe area) to produce sake to the latter according to their requirements.

According to them they decided to produce sake again in Shizuoka Prefecture after a 45-year lapse (I think dates are manipulated there, but who am I to say?) after the new sake rice brand, namely “Homare Fuji” was recognized as such by the Shizuoka Prefecture and the Ministry of Agricultre and Forestry.
In 2009 they applied to the Japanese Tax & Excise Bureau after acquiring the license of Sogatsuru Brewery in Kakegawa City which had kept it (they had actually lent it to Hagi No Kura Brewery, presently Suruga Brewery for a while) ever since they stopped all activities more than 10 years ago.
Although you are not supposed to buy it, but just acquire it, I know from reliable sources that Hiraki Company obtained the license for 30,000,000 yen….

On the 1st of November 2012 they obtained permission from the Tax & excise Bureau and starting making sake end of November. They have moreover announced they are brewing real “Shizuoka sake” (although they have admitted they will also produce sake from other brands of sake rice from other Prefectures) with Shizuoka-grown Hoamre Fuji rice, Shizuoka yeast and Shizuoka water from the Abe River basin.

They have officially become members of The Shizuoka Prefecture Brewers Association and their sake will be on display at the next Shizuoka Sake Tasting Fair in March.
I was assured by the Shizuoka Prefecture Brewers Association that they were serious and did not plan to use their new brewery to facilitate sales of their Okayama Brewery sake…

Time will tell…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2012/12/13): Seasonal Release: Brewmaster’s Nightmare Rye IPA

December 13, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Brewmaster’s Nightmare Rye IPA

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Craft beer enthusiasts, including us, have a love affair with the hop. It’s character, be it fruity or floral, spicy or herbal, provides good beer its panache. India Pale Ale, of course, is the beer style that reigns in the kingdom of hops. Today, with the craft beer renaissance in full swing, there exist myriad takes on and interpretations of an IPA. We are happy to announce the release of one such Baird version: Brewmaster’s Nightmare Rye IPA.

New Seasonal Beer Releases:
*Brewmaster’s Nightmare Rye IPA 2012 (ABV 6.7%):

We love the flavor of rye malt in beer. It lends a spicy, dry character that we find especially pleasing when combined with large doses of piquantly bitter and pungently aromatic hops. The problem with using significant portions of rye malt in the mash is that it tends to make the wort more viscous and gummy, thus rendering lautering (separation of liquid wort from particle grain material) slow and difficult. This year, in an act of prudence trumping bravado, we dialed down the additions of rye malt to the mash from a nightmarish 50% of the grist last year to a more reasonable 25%. Sure enough, the lauter time was cut back to a more traditional 90 minutes or so, compared with 5 hours previous. We ended our brewer’s nightmare while still preserving the dream flavor combination of peppery rye malt and fruit-forward hops.

This year’s hop bill consists of an all-star lineup of five U.S. varieties (Columbus, Summit, Simcoe, Santiam, Glacier) added in multiple dosings to the kettle boil, the whirlpool, and, but of course, to the conditioning tank for two rounds of dry-hopping. Do you like hops? Do you fancy yourself an IPA drinker? Merry Christmas!

Brewmaster’s Nightmare Rye IPA begins pouring at our Taproom pubs today (Thursday, December 13), and is available for immediate shipment to craft beer retailing pubs, restaurants and sakaya throughout Japan.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Shidaizumi Brewery-“Midoshi” Honjozo

December 12, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shidaizumi Brewery in Fujieda City holds this great tradtion to @roduce a honjozo with a beautiful label every year for the coming Japanese New Year!
Next year will be the year of the Serpent (Snake), that is Midshi/巳歳 in Japanese as you can see on the label!

Rice milled down to 60 %
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in December 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Fruity, slightly sirupy
Taste: Dry and very fruity attack.
Alcohol pleasantly warming up back of the palate.
Lots of nuts including almonds and macadamia nuts. Banan.
Lingers only for a little while with a very pleasant aftermath.
Drinks easily and insistently calls for the “next cup”.
Take a drier turn with food with strong hints of coffee beans.
Makes a quick comeback to fruity, almost sweetish attack back with plenty of nuts and stronger banana once away from food.

Overall: A sake designed to be enjoyed at length. Although obviously conceived to accompany food, I enjoyed it best slightly chilled on its own. Would make for a great nightcap! Or even an afternoon drink in summer in spite of its being designed for the cold weather at the turn of the year.
Personally I would be very willing to drink it with very strong cheese!
On the Japanese Gastronomic theater it perfectly marries with o-shinko/pickles and heavy izakaya cuisine!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Food, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Senju Brewery-Senju Junmai Ginjyo Genshu Shiboritate

December 11, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Senju is a small but remarkable brewery in Iwata City, Western Shizuoka Prefecture, and it is not always easy to get their brews here in Shizuoka City, but for fortunately Matsuzakya Department Store has endeavored to make them known recently!

Since I found this junmai ginjo genshu, meaning it went through through no moderation, be it pure water or pure alcohol, I had the occasion to taste the original sake of the brewery!
Moreover, since the rice was grown in Shizuoka Prefecture, it makes for a truly local sake!

Rice: Shizuoka-groen Gohyakumangoku
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Bottled in November 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Strong and pleasant. Alcohol. Chestnuts. Grilled nuts.
Body: Fluid
Tasting: Very dry attack backed by puissant junmai petillant.
Very pleasant first impression in spite of the high alcohol content warming up the back of the palate.
Complex and fruity. Very difficult to “catch”.
Nutty, dry roasted nuts, yoghurt.
Disappears very quickly on a drier note.
Varies little with food, although tends to take a slight turn to sweetness then.
Very unexpected taste and flavors for a Shizuoka sake.

Overall: An unusual sake for Shizuoka Prefecture, both in approach and taste.
Dry but complex, puissant but elegant, very difficult to catch. Fleetingg, mysterious.
Although macho in approach, will attract ladies in particular for its fleeting character.
Although eminently enjoyable with food it will probably best appreciated on its own slightly chilled.
Could be served as a beautiful aperitif, too!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

焼酎, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Iwata City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shochu, Tourism

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting; Senju Brewery/Distillery-Wa Ran Nadeshiko/Sho-Chu Carnation

December 10, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Senju Brewery in Iwata City is one of the ten sake breweries which also produce shochu in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Their shochu are only of the rice/kome variety but they do come with some rare treats!

This particular shochu is a rare rice shochu limited to one hundred bottles of a shochu which took no less than 8 years to mature!

The bottle with its cute pink squarish glass design is beautiful but the shochu is of the fiery variety at 43 degrees!

But it was certainly worth the 8-year wait!

Rice shochu
Alcohol: 43 degrees
Matured for 8 years. Bottled end of 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent

Aroma: Light and pleasant. Hints of flowers. Alcohol
Body: Fluid
Taste: Strong attack with very pleasant and fine petillant bubbling on the palate.
Very clean and flowery taste..
Strong but elegant.
Complex and difficult to catch. Plays cat and mouse over the palate enticing you to the next sip.
Hints of pears, flowers and apple.
Strong alcohol tends to surprise you more and more sip by sip.

Overall: Very strong but elegant shochu!
Extravagant in concept and maturing.
Best drunk chilled and straight or on the rocks at the very limit. Otherwise you kill the baby by losing many fleeting aspects.
Best appreciated as a (dangerous) nightcap.
For lovers of heady drinks anywhere in the world, be you a lady or gentleman!
And the design of the bottle is so lovely in a twisted square taping tower made of tinted pink glass!

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2012/11/28): Seasonal Release: Bakayaro! Ale

December 1, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Bakayaro! Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The end of 2012 is in sight; the bonenkai-Christmas-shogatsu holiday season is upon us. For all of us beer enthusiasts, there is much to celebrate — it simply is a wonderful time in the world to be a lover of flavorful beer. Yet much else in the world is not glorious nor celebratory. In fact, no one could be blamed for feeling a good deal of angst with the state of the world. Fortunately, however, in this blossoming time of beer diversity and flavor, there exist ale and lager antidotes to these feelings of frustration. We are pleased to release today a Baird version of one such brew: Bakayaro! Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Bakayaro! Ale 2012 (ABV 8.5%):

This insolent, snotty and mean-spirited brew is pungently hoppy and wickedly strong. High in malt gravity (18.0 Plato), bitter in hoppiness (90 IBU), aggressive in aroma (double dry-hopping with five varieties: Nugget, Summit, Nelson Sauvin, NZ Cascade, Cascade), Bakayaro! Ale just doesn’t give a rat’s ass. We invite you to come in, have a pint and let those around know exactly how you feel.

Bakayaro! Ale 2012 is available both on draught and in bottles (360 ml), which can be purchased direct from the brewery E-Shop or through one of the fine Baird Beer retailing liquor shops in Japan.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Shizuoka Sake tasting: Fujimasa Brewery-Junmai

November 26, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Usually I’m not really keen to acquire “souvenir sets” when it come to sake, but Fujimasa Brewery in Fujinomiya City, whose sake are not easy to buy in Shizuoka City, put out an interesting set I could not resist!

Instead of the difficult to handle one-cup sake they offered their products in 180 ml bottles making it so practical for individual tasting of 3 different sake instead of having to buy the bigger bottles.

Cute design representing the brewery!

You are invited to compare the three different tastes!

The third bottle: Junmai!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in August 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Dry and fruity. Very dry bananas, almonds
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry attack backed by a little junmai petillant.
Very nutty flavors: almonds, macadamia nuts, and faint oranges.
Disappears very quickly with faint notes of oranges and more nuts.
Very easy to drink.
Constantly calls for the next cup.
Stays dry and very smooth with every cup.
Take an even drier turn with food.
Changes little with food but tends to take a back seat then with more oranges and nuts.
Tends to become a little sweeter on the palate when away from food again.

Overall: A junmai obviously designed for food.
Shows little of the characteristics of a junmai but is nonetheless very pleasant and marries well with food.
Even though, being very dry, it could be drunk best as an aperitif. A dry sherry?
Definitely for dry sake lovers!

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Japanese Izakaya: Odakkui in Shizuoka City!

November 26, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Very friendly, smiling and attentive in an easy-going manner
Facilities & equipment: Very clean overall. Superb washroom (mouthwash provided!)
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: True izakaya gastronomy of a higher level. Local products extensively used. Great list of sake, shochu. Wine available. Private rooms possible.

Odakkui had been a solid institution when the owner decided to renew the whole place when the building housing them was to be rebuilt.
It has now become just a superb establishment which must be one of the best three izakayas in the whole Prefecture without a doubt!

Chief Manager and Chef Nobuhiro Sugiyama/杉山信廣 at work.

The restaurant is now divided into three distinct rooms to satisfy all customers’ priorities and preferences.
-The main restaurant (called “Omote/おもて/Front”) with a large window overlooking the main street, a counter in front of the kitchen and a large tatami area with dug-in seating.
-A cozy bar-style room (called “Ura/うら/Back”) seating only 5 customers (prices are the same in every room) away from the main room where fried food is prepared. The two rooms communicate through a long corridor bridging the access stairs.
-If you wish for even more privacy three rooms are located behind the small bar. The same rooms can have their partitions taken away for a single private room party.

Don’t worry! There are drinks for every taste including soft ones!

Including plenty of wine!

Plenty of tempting cold foods in wait for you!

For our first visit of newly reformed izakaya the Missus and I opted for the quiet “Ura/Back” bar-style room.
It is just impossible to sample everything in a single visit so we concentrated our order away from fried food we will sample in the “Omote/Front” room next time.

But first the drinks!
While the Missus was sipping her red wine by the glass I started with a cup of Shizuoka sake concocted by Kokko Brewery in Fukuroi City called “Den Ichirou/傳一郎/the professional name of its master Brewer!

One will understand at once the level of an izakaya, whatever the prices (comparatively reasonable in Odakkui considering the quality), when you look at the o-tooshi/お通し/first snack served with first drink: Odakkui’s is not only generous, but absolutely yummy and artfully served on a beautiful Japanese paper napkin!

We always order a plate of seasonal sashimi, another clear indication of the level of any izakaya.
Odakkui’s is just superb! How much would you pay for that in Tokyo? LOL

Beautiful Red Cuttlefish/Aka Ika/赤烏賊! Perfect , almost crispy, bite!

Lean tuna/maguro akami/鮪赤身 that melts inside your mouth. Served with freshly grated Shizuoka wasabi root!

Sole/Hirame/平目 served with its engawa/縁側/Fringe flesh which is usually discarded in Western Cuisine but which is a delicacy here in Japan. No need to say it must absolutely fresh!

A little “service” that you will not be offered for free outside our Prefecture: Home-marinated wasabi stems!
A must-try!

The Missus was keeping to her red wine but it was time for another cup of sake (I was actually offered a “service” cup from another Prefecture in between… the joys of my work!): two different bottles of Toyo Bijin/東洋美人/Beauty of the East from Fukui Prefecture.
Now, which bottle did I choose?
The red label one, naturally!

We couldn’t resist one of the comfort food on display in front of us: grilled bacon and potato salad!

Plenty of fresh vegetables in a well-balanced salad!

Now, another Japanese specialty you will find in any good izakaya, kushiyakiya and yakitoriya: niwatori nankotsu karaage/鶏軟骨唐揚げ/deep-fried chicken cartilages!

Crispy, cracking and so yummy!
needless to say that the chicken must be absolutely fresh!

We had spent a long day walking outside and we were hungry.
No better comfort food than hot (in both senses) mabodofu!

Now, if you a rice fan, you must try Odakkui’s ishi yaki chahan/石焼きチャハン/earthenware fried rice!

A truly Japanese fried rice topped with dried seaweed. A whole meal in itself!

A little detail I always appreciate in a good izakaya: delicious sorbet to refresh yourself!

To be continued… I told you I will have to come up with a report on the Omote/Front room!

ODAKKUI
420-0024 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa Cho, 1-8-1, Aoba Yokocho, 2F
Tel./fax: 054-253-6900
Opening hours: 17:00~24:00
Closed on Mondays
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Private parties welcome!
Credit cards OK

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