Tag Archives: Sake Brewery

The Sign of the Sake Brewery that disappeared “Warausenryo” by Katsuyama Brewery in Shizuoka City!

June 9, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

I was cycling yesterday along the River Warashina in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City, when I espied a sake ensign above me!

It has attracted my eyes because I knew the name of the skae brand: “”Warausenryou/笑千両/The laughng 1,000 Ryou”!
Ryou was a very high currency denomination or gold coin in old Japan!

it was fixed on the roof of a liquor shop called Mori Saketen, which seemed really old last in Kiyozawa area up in the mountains but was still on business!

“Warausenryou” used to be the main sake brand of Katsuyama brewery in Shizuoka City which definitely closed in 1994!
True sake history!

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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,

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-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

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka City

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Haginishiki Brewery-Junmai Ginjyo Nama

June 6, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

This time the 300ml bottle series goes to Haginishiki Brewery in Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku!

This particular design is actually a classic of this brewery!

Although it is not announced on the label, it is a nama/unpasteurized as indicated on the cap!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100%
Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol: 14~15 degrees
Bottled in May 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: faint golden hue
Aroma: Sweetish and fruity. Banana, almonds, flowers
Body: Fluid, slightly siruppy
Taste: Sweetish and fruity attack with only a little junmai petillant.
Complex. Banana, custards, macadamia, melon, cherries, cherry blossoms.
Disappears quickly enough warming up back of the palate on a drier note.
Junmai petillant much later with appearance of coffee beans.
Turns sweeter and more flora with food with hints of melon and coffee beans.

Overall: A very elegant sake rarely found in such a small bottle.
Very pleasant and easy to drink.
Eminently enjoyable on its own slightly chilled.
Keep some for a late chilled night cap on the verandah by night!
A sake to be shared with special company!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hana No Mai Brewery-Junmai Nama

June 5, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

I still continue the 300 ml bottles!
I noticed that many of them sold in markets are nama/unpasteurized. A coincidence?

Hana no Mai Brewery in Hamamatsu City must actually be the brewery using the largest variety of bottles in Shizuoka Prefecture!

This particular one is junmai (no pure rice alcohol added) nama (unpasteurized)!

Rice: Shizuoka-grown Yamada Nishiki 100%
Yeast: Own yeast
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: + 3.5
Alcohol: 14~15 degrees
Bottled on May 21st, 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Dry, floral and fruity. Banana, green apples, pears.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry and fruity attack backed up by some junmai petllant.
Dry melons, hints of pears and nuts.
Lingers only for a short while.
Gets drier with food with appearance of greens. Tends to take a back with food. Reasserts itself once away from food with appearance of oranges.
Takes on a sweet turn with cheese with the appearance of coffee beans.

Overall: In spite of its dryness, a sake conceived for young people, ladies in particular.
As it marries well with Western food, it could become a superb aperitif, although I would suggest enjoying it with cheese.
At its best slightly chilled!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fujinishiki Brewery: Fujinishiki “Nama” Homjozo

May 31, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Cenova has an interesting set of 300 ml sake bottles and it is always a good idea to buy those.
It might not be economical but you don’t have to buy too much and you can drink it anywhere!
This time I chose a bottle by Fujinishiki Brewery in Fujinomiya City!

Mind you, I think that breweries should make an effort with the design as they tend to all look alike!

Cenova tries to give supplementary information that the small bottle does not allow for lack of space but it sometimes is the source of big mistakes, even in Japanese. Honjozo on top and daiginjyo under!
Oh well, it is still a good bargain!

Clarity: Very clear
Color: very faint golden hue
Aroma: Assertive: Floral and fruity. Banana.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Dry and fruity attack backed up by pleasant alcohol.
Complex. Macadamia nuts, dry custard.
Disappears quickly on a deep and dry note with hints of dark chocolate and milk coffee. Late appearance by oranges, walnuts and chestnuts.
Solid and easy to drink.
Coffee beans tend to reach more importance with the third or fourth cup.
Tends to take a drier back step with food.
Turns very dry again away from food.

Overall: A sake obviously conceived to accompany food and probably at its best slightly chilled with izkaya heavy fare, and even better at a BBQ!
Solid, reliable and thoroughly enjoyable in spite of its deep dryness!

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shimada City

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Oomuraya Brewery-Wakatake Onigoroshi Honjozo Genshu

May 18, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Oomuraya Brewery in Shimada City also offers quite a few brands in the practical 300 ml bottles!

This particular regular brand has made them famous all over the country!

“Onigoroshi/鬼ごろし”?”To kill the Goblin”!

A honjozo genshu is certainly needed to take care of goblins!

Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: +12
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Bottled in March 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Assertive. Fruity. Pears, custard
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry and fruity attack backed up with strong and pleasant alcohol.
Complex. Fruity: very dry pears, green apples, Greens.
Facets difficult to catch.
Late appearance of coffee beans and a peek by dry oranges.
Disappears quickly on an even drier and deeper note.
Will take a sweeter turn with food before quickly coming back to its original dryness.
Marries well with any food.
For all its dryness and strong alcohol, it is more elegant than expected.

Overall: Very dry sake, with a somewhat restrained and elegant aggressiveness.
Incites you into the next cup in spite of its strong alcohol contents.
Can be thoroughly enjoyed on its own or with food at any temperature.
Definitively for lovers of both very dry and elegant sake.
Great with cheese!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Kanzawagawa Brewery-Shosetsu Honjozo Nama genshu

May 11, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kanzawagawa Brewery in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, have been bottling their brews in his practical 300ml size for quite some time, which makes it easier for tasting on your own back home without having to consume a full bottle in a hurry!
At the same time it is to carry around. If you have the chance to find quite a few different at the same time, it becomes great fun tasting at a BBQ outdoors for example!

Rice milled down to 65%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu, no pure water added)
Bottled in February 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Almost transparent
Aroma: Assertive and fruity. Dry. Pears, custard
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry and fruity attack.
Pleasant alcohol (genshu). Complex.
Custard, chestnuts. late appearance of oranges with hints of milk coffee.
Lingers only for a short while before departing on a sweeter note.
Gets drier with food.
Does marry well with food without losing any of its character.
Will turn back onto a sweeter note away from food.

Overall: Very elegant and surprisingly complex for a honjozo, the more for it because it is a genshu as well
The kind of sake to impress guests at an open buffet party by serving it into transparent glassware without any warnings or information and invite them for a blind tasting challenge!

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Junmai Ginjo

April 26, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

This is one sake by Sanwa Brewery in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, that I make a point to taste every year!

To be honest the label tends to attracts me too much!

As it is a junmai ginjo you can be assured of a high level!

Rice Gohyakumangoku (Toyama Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15=16 degrees
Dryness: + 3
Acidity: 1.4
Bottled in March 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Assertive. Dry and fruity. pears, custard
Body: Fluid, slightly liquorish
Taste: Dry and fruity attack backed up by junmai petillant.
Complex. Pears, apples with notes of almonds and persimmon.
Disappears quickly with on en even drier note.
Varies very little with food but for a momentarily drier note before turning back quickly to initial dryness.
Late appearance of dark chocolate and coffee beans with later sips.
Elegant and very easy to drink.

Overall: A typical sake from Sanwa brewery.
Definitely drier than the + 3 dryness announced.
A sophisticated sake conceived for dry sake lovers of all genders!
Can be equally enjoyed on its own or with food!
Its dryness makes it a perfect accompaniment with chocolate or nuts if you want to drink away on its own!
Solid, dependable, faithful!!

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji Takasago Brewery-Homare Fuji Junmai Genshu

April 8, 2014 dragonlife 6 Comments

Fuji Takasago Brewery in Fujinomiya City has been working for some time with Homare Fuji Sake Rice which is entirely produced in Shizuoka Prefecture.
It is actually a Yamada Nshiki hybrid with the big difference that the stak\lks are shorter, making it very resistant to high winds and heavy rains prevalent in summer.

For a long time brewers were complaining about the fact that the rice is a bit hard and difficult to polish, but after overcoming this particular problem some breweries are know to produce dai ginjo level premium sake with it!
This particular sake has the merit of being practically untouched as it is a junmai/no pure alcohol added genshu/no pure water added!

Rice: Homare Fuji (shizuoka-grown)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Bottled in March 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Almost transparent
Aroma: very dry. Pears, apples.
Body: Fluid
Tasting: Dry and fruity attack backed up by very strong junmai petillant.
Complex. pears, milk coffee with oranges appearing later.
Takes on a slightly drier turn with food.
Makes a sweetish comeback after food with more mil coffee and dark chocolate.

Overall: A typical Homare Fuji sake.
Great at all temperatures on its own but possibly at its best with food. Very pleasant in spite of its high alcohol contenets.
A sake to bring at a BBQ!
For the strong but elegant sake lovers!

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Hatsukame, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hatsukame Brewery-Hatsukame Honjozo Muroka Nama Genshu Gentei

April 6, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Every year I make sure to acquire this very limited sake brewed by Hatsukame Brewery in Okabe, Fujieda City.
A very limited brew, they advise to drink it within a week of its bottling and keep in the refrigerator!
Just out of pure sense of contradiction I decided to keep it at room temperature until today, exactly one month later to see what would happen!
Mind you, it is still a bit of an overkill as I knew very well I didn’t much risk!
incidentally it is an honjozo/Pure sake alcohol was blended in, Muroka/unfiltered, nama/unpasteurized and genshu/no water added!

Rice: Yamadanishiki (Toyama Prefecture)
Rice milled down 60 % for the koji rice and 65% for the kake rice
Dryness: + 6
Acidity: 1.7
Alcohol: 19 degrees
Bottled on March 7th, 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: discreet, dry and fruity. Pears, green apples
Body: Fluid
Taste: Softer attack than expected in spite of its high alcohol, unfiltered and genshu status. Dry and fruity. Pears, green apples.
Complex. The alcohol hitting the palate late wit drier green apples. Elusive, difficult to catch. Lingers only for a while to disappear with dry oranges.
Changes little with food, but for an occasional sweeter note soon proven wrong.

Overall: A typical limited brew by Hatsukame Brewery to titillate both your palate and mind, inducing you to experiment and making you think twice about hasty comments!
I entertain the deep suspicion this is the brewery’s hidden purpose behind this very limited brew!
Confusing the “specialists” is a game worth playing!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Junmai Dai Ginjo 23 Brewing Year

March 17, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Takashima Brewery has produced another extravagant beauty!

This time the label has turned into a calligraphy lesson!

It is a junmai dai ginjo, the very top of the scale, and also a genshu/no pure water added!
A venture into purity!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 40%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees
Brewed in 2012
Bottled in November 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Assertive, fruity, elegant. Custard, faint bananas.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Soft, dry and fruity attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Complex. Custard, oranges, late appearance of dark chocolate.
Softer than expected in spite of its genshu high alcohol contents.
Disappears fairly quickly with hints of dry almonds
Elegant. Stays true all the time.
Takes a drier turn with food revealing hints of almonds and mandarines.
Will turn back to its original facets after a little while once away from food again.

Overall: An extravagant sake!
So elegant and surprisingly easy to drink in spite of its alcohol contents.
Although it superbly marries with any food, it should be drunk alone for its own value.
Don’t even drink it as a superb aperitif, but enjoy it as a late night cap, reading an absorbing book, watching a great movie or in the arms of your beloved one.
Of course a sake to introduce to a special company of connoisseurs!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery- Yamahai Junmai Ginjo

March 8, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shizuoka is definitely acquiring deserved recognition for its general approach towards Yamahai sake to the point that “Shizuoka Yamahai” is steadily becoming a byword!

Fuji-Takasago Brewery in Fujinomiya City has also been experimenting in Yamahai for quite some and is pretty happy about some remarkable results!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 16 degrees
Dryness: -3
Bottled in February 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Assertive. Sweetish. Fruity. Apples, pears, custard.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very fruity and powerful attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Complex.
Oranges, persimmons, apricots.
Lingers for a short while warming up the back of the palate with more oranges.
Varies very little with food.
Not as sweet as expected although a -3 dryness is very sweet by Shizuoka standards.
Very elegant, fruity and complex for a yamahai.
Stays fruity all the time.

Overall: Its comparatively marked sweetness backed up with a very fruity approach makes it a great sake to drink as an aperitif on its own although it does happily enhances food.
A great sake to combine with cheese or chocolate!
For all its “rough concept/reputation”, this kind of yamahai is a sake that will greatly please ladies in general!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Shidaizumi Brewery-Shinshookoshi

March 6, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

This is an extraordinary sake!
It is made with rice cultivated exclusively in Izu since the Meiji period and sold there only.
That is, if you do not know a good sake/wine shop who can produce it out of the back storeroom!
I can’t really tell where I got it, but if you find it, just do not hesitate!

Mr. Mochizuki, owner of the Shidaizumi Brewery in Fujieda City wanted to to give it to Ryuuma, a Japanese hero of the Bakufu and Meiji Periods if he still lived!

Exclusively made with Aikokumai rice cultivated in South Izu Peninsula!
It is not staed as such but it must definitely be a Junmai ginjo!

Rice: Aikokumai (South Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 16 degrees
Bottled in February 2014

Clarity: very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Dry and fruity. Strawberries
Body: Fluid
Tasting: Dry and fruity attack.
Complex and surprisingly elegant. Strawberries.
Lingers for a while warming up the palate before leaving with hints of dry almonds and oranges.
Tends to take on a drier turn with food, but on the other hand tends to become sweeter as soon as drunk away from food with strong hints of milk coffee and dark chocolate.

Overall: A very unusual sake in Shizuoka Prefecture, but this is not surprising considering the rice being used.
Nevertheless far more complex and elegant than expected, thanks to great brewer’s skills proving that any good rice, whatever its origin, can be concocted into superlative sake!
A rare sake that you will have to search in South Izu Peninsula unless you have the right connections!

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Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery-Hakuin Masamune Fujisan No Hi Asa Shibori Homare Fuji Junmai Genshu

March 3, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

February 23rd is Mount Fuji Day in Shizuoka Prefecture and elsewhere!
Takashima Brewery in Numazu City made a point to press this special sake on the morning of February 23rd this year!
And the label is very special with a wood block print depicting a sake woman peddler!

Not only it was pressed on Mount Fuji Day, it was also brewed with a Shizuoka-grown rice including the name of the famous mountain, Homare Fuji!
It is also a genshu/unpasteurized, junmai/not pure water added, origarami/gently pressed to allow some white lees/sakekasu to stay inside the sake!

Rice: Homare Fuji
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 17 degrees
Bottled on February 23rd, 2014

Clarity: Very clean but smoky due to the white lees
Color: Whitish
Aroma: Fruity. Pears
Body: Slightly sirupy
Taste: Strong alcohol-enhanced very fruity deep attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Pears, white grapes.
Complex.
White lees add a very dry finish on the tongue and palate with hints of greens.
Both elusive and elegant for such a origarami-style sake.
Takes on an even drier turn with food.
Superbly marries with any food, especially izakaya fare.

Overall: Although obviously designed to marry with food, is eminently enjoyable on its own.
Such a high quality origarami requires very special skills and inventiveness.
I’m no too fond of white lees, but this is different and would bring to any party, especially a BBQ
A brew for the earthy sake lovers!

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Beef, 牛肉, 美食, 野菜, 観光, 魚, 農業, Fish, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Potatoes, Recipes, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tomato, Tourism, vegetables

BBQ With Shizuoka Local Products!

October 9, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

In Japan and Shizuoka BBQ’s are taken very seriously!
Today, Sunday October 9th, I took part in the 2nd Shizuoka Products BBQ organized by Nagashima Wine Shop in Shizuoka City!
The event catered for no less than 50 people and certainly required some organization like the Japanese are so good at!

The event took place on the bbq space of Yamako/山幸 soba shop up in the Mariko mountains in Shizuoka City!

The BBQ was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. but I came early to give a hand and to be able to report on the whole day!
It certainly was hot for an October Sunday!

Plenty of hands needed, but organizing committee included some hefty guys!

We still took time to share a joke or two!

Let me introduce all the good people who made it possible!
Takahiro Nagashima/長島孝博/ owner of Nagashima Wine shop in Shizuoka City, the main organizer.

Kazutaka Takashima/高嶋一孝, owner and master-brewer of Takashima Brewery in Numazu City.

Yuusuke Tozaki/戸崎雄介, owner-chef of Hana Oto Chinese Izakaya in Shizuoka City.

Takao Shimura/志村剛生, owner-chef of Narusei Tempura Restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Shigeru Sano/佐野茂治, owner-chef of Kamoshibito Restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Ken-ya Yoshimura, owner-chef of Uzu Izakaya, the leader of the group!

I took a break to take a stroll in the natural surroundings. Beautiful but unfortunately inedible karasu uri/烏瓜!

Things getting ready!

Preparing the charcoal BBQ!

Washing the vegetables!
All the vegetables of the day, except for the mushrooms and the jumbo peanuts were organic and grown by Bio Farm Matsuki in Fujinomiya City!

Little beauties for the salads!

Organic tomatoes!

Butternut squash!

Oura burdock roots!

Yuzu Koshio and Basil Paste created by Ken-ya Yoshimura at Uzu!

Sauces/dressings for the BBQ!

All the sakes of the day were nectars called Hakuin Masamune brewed by Takashima Brewery!

Kazutaka Takashima makes it known all through his sake labels that the Suruga Bay has the largest number of edible seaweed varieties in Japan!

The water of the day all came from Takashima Brewery’s own well!

All the guests were provided a sake cup with a removable cap to make sure not a single drop would be spilled!

Rainbow trout from Kunugi Fish Farm in Fujinomiya City!

Preparing the rainbow trout sashimi plate!

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Boiled jumbo peanuts grown in Shizuoka City! Great snack!

Pick your tomato!

Gomadare/sesame dressing by Sanoman Company in Fujinomiya City!

Boiled mangenton pork belly slices, cucumber and boiled bean sprouts salad!

The star of the day: dry ageing beef (Holstein) by Sanoman Co.!

The star of the day on the charcoal grill!

Decorating the bbq’d beef tray with mushrooms grown by Mr. hasegawa in Fuji City! To be savored raw!

Cutting the beef sashimi style!

Placing the beef on the tray…

Almost ready… I wasn’t left any time for a last picture!

Mangenton pork sausages!

Red Moon potatoes tempura!

Oura burdock root tempura!

Preparing the butternut squash tempura!

Absolutely delicious!

Organic sweet potatoes!

Anchovy sauce potatoes!

The guest product of the day: mozuku seaweed brought all the way from Miyako Island in Okinawa!

The other star of the day! Toshiyaki Horie/堀江利彰, owner of Horie Chicken Farm in Shuzenji, Izu Peninsula, who came all the way tpo demonstrate the cutting of his Amagi Shamo Chickens!