Category Archives: Takashima Brewery

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Homarefuji Junmai Shu, “Natsu”

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Summer in Shizuoka Prefecture witnesses the creation of limited or regular editions dedicated to our hot summers and Takashima Brewery in Numazu City is no exception!

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Even if you cannot read Japanese you will easily guess it is a sake to be enjoyed in summer!
Incidentally the rice used is Homarefuji, exclusively grown in Shizuoka Prefecture, and takashima Brewery produces only junmai-style sake (no pure rice alcohol blended)!

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Rice: Homarefuji (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15 degrees
Bottled in June 2016

Clarity: very clear
Color: very faint golden hue
Aroma: dry and fruity. Pears, vanilla, melon
Body: fluid
Taste: very dry, assertive and fruity attack backed up with a reasonably strong junmai petillant.
Complex: lychees, pears, custard.
Lingers only for a short while before departing on more dry notes of custard.
Changes little with food but for a softer note of oranges and more dry custard.

Overall: A strong, fruity, complex and extremely pleasant and satisfying summer sake!
Very elegant in spite of its marked dryness.
A treacherous nectar that will disappear before the end of the meal!
Suggested pairings: salads, marinated vegetables, oden, grilled fish.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, 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, Pie
rre.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: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Tokubetsu Junmai (conducted at la Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

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I don’t mind repeating it all the time but I prefer conducting sake tastings in the right environment but not many places are propitious for that exercise or willing to help.
But La Sommeliere in Miyuki Cho, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City is certainly becoming a habit as not only I can conduct my tasting in the best conditions possible but also exchange views at the same time!

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This time we tasted a nectar concocted by Takashima Brewery in Numazu City!
Hakuin Masamune Tokubetsu junmai!

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Rice: Homarefuji (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in June 2016

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Clarity: very clear
Color: light golden hue
Aroma: dry and fruity. Custard, banana, dry passion fruit, gardenia jasmin, almonds, immature persimmon
Body: fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: dry and very fruity attack with only a little junmai petillant.
Complex: dark chocolate, coffee beans, almonds.
Lingers for a while before departing on drier notes of almonds an apricots.
Oranges perk up with rise in temperature.

Overall: dry but so elegant!
Drinks more like a complex white wine than a sake!
Tends to show new facets according to its temperature.
Almost tropical aroma.
Can be enjoyed with any food. Chilled, would make a supreme aperitif while becoming a soft digestif at room temperature.

Suggested pairings: Chilled-Aquapaza, flatfish or cuttle fish sashimi (seasoned with salt, not soy sauce!), sakamushi, chawanmushi, scallops.
At room temperature-yakitori (seasoned with salt, not soy sauce!)

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00, 12:00~18:00 on Sundays & National Holidays
FACEBOOK (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, 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, Pie
rre.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: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Junmai Homarefuji “Mount Fuji Day”

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On Sunday May 22nd, I had the occasion to taste again a nectar by a favorite brewery of mine, Takashima Brewery in Numazu City, at a great izakaya in Shizuoka City, Kin no Okan, which took part in the annual Shizuoka De Hashigo Sake event!

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This particular brand is created every year to be bottled on March 22nd which Mount Fuji Day!
It is a junmai made with a Shizuoka-grown sake rice called Homarefuji!

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Rice: Homarefuji (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: + 3~+ 4
Acidity: 1.3~1.4
Alcohol: 16 degrees
Bottled on March 22nd=23rd, 2016

Clarity: very clear
Color: almost transparent
Tasted as “nurukan” according to Takashima Brewery’s wish
Aroma: light and discreet. Pineapple, banana.
Body: fluid
Taste: strong, dry and fruity attack backed with puissant junmai petillant
Complex: banana, melon, faint lemon.
Lingers for a while on the palate before departing on drier notes of pineapple.
Varies little food but for a drier note.
Very easy and enjoyable to drink as it invites to the next cup and the next one!

Overall: another splendid sake especially suited for “nurukan/about 40 degrees temperature”!
It would useful to know that Takashima Brewery produces only junmai-type sake these days!
A sake to enjoy with higher-class izakaya cuisine!
Suggested pairings: BBQ, kusaya, sausages, yakitori.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, 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, Pie
rre.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: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-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