Tag Archives: Shizuoka sake

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Senju Brewery-Ginjo Hiyaoroshi Nama Genshu

October 15, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

September and October are the season for Hiyaoroshi Sake!

Hiyaoroshi generally means that the sake is sold out of the tank without a second pasteurization.
Well this one, being a nama, was never pasteurized!
Moreover it is a genshu limited to a mere 80 bottles!

Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol: 18~19 degrees
Limited to 80 bottles
Bottled in September 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Puissant and dry. Alcohol. Vanilla, pineapple
Body: Fluid
Taste: Smooth attack backed with strong alcohol warming up back of the palate.
Fruity and complex.
Coffee beans, oranges, almonds, dark chocolate.
Very pleasant and easy to drink in spite of its high alcohol content.
Lingers for a little while on a very dry note with more coffee beans and dry almonds perking up.
Varies little with food except for a drier note with more coffee beans and very dry almonds.

Overall: It is not often you can enjoy such a limited premium sake with a very macho character especially in Shizuoka Prefecture. Marries well with food, although extravagant for a meal. I definitely enjoyed best on its own but also drank it with Shizuoka oden! You can’t have it in a more local manner although a lot of people would kill drinking such a beauty with so simple food!

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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), 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

美食, 酒, 観光, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Iwata City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Saba, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Senju Brewery-”Fuji no Kuni” Junmai Ginjo Homare Fuji

October 15, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Iwata City for all its economic importance in Shizuoka Prefecture has only one Sake Brewery, Senju, but it is head and shoulders above the Japanese average although it is a fairly unknown and small brewery.
Not only they produce top-class nectars, they also actively promote local agriculture and tourism with this sake made with Shizuoka-grown sake rice and named “Fuji no Kuni”, the official nickname of our Prefecture!

Rice: Homare Fuji 100%
Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Water from own well into Tenryuu River bed
Bottled in September 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Pears, rice.
Body: Fluid & a little sirupy
Taste: Very well-rounded attack. Complex and fruity.
Junmai petillant warming up back of the palate.
Dark chocolate, cherries, pears, almonds. Faint coffee beans.
Disappears fairly quickly on a very dry note.
Turns very dry with food.
Very pleasant on its own.
Marries well with food, although shows different facets then.
Sweetens to linger back under palate once away from food.
Seems to always entice you back.

Overall: Very pleasant sake fit for any food, although eminently drinkable on its own.
Extravagant for a sake made with Homare Fuji rice!
A difficult sake to escape from!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Junmai Ginjo

October 1, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sanwa Brewery in Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, is a bit of a maverick as it is the only one not to use the Shizuoka Yeast as a matter of policy!
I love their retro Garyubai label!

This is the season for all the breweries to bottle “Hiyaoroshi/pateurized only once” nectars!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: + 3
Acidity: 1.4
Bottled in August 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Discreet, sweetish, fruity. Vanilla
Body: Fluid
Taste: Soft attack backed by junmai petillant warming up back of the palate.
Fruity and a little sirupy. Complex: pears, coffee beans, cherries. Reminiscent of “cherry bonbon”!
Lingers for a while before taking an exit on a drier and fruity note with nuts, almonds and dark chocolate.
Very pleasant and easy to drink.
Takes a drier path with food with more nuts and dark chocolate.
Marries well with food, although it tends to take a back seat with spicy foods.

Overall: An elegant sake off the beaten Shizuoka tracks.
Very pleasant on its own.
Constantly calling for the next glass/cup.
Marries well with food although gets a bit overwhelmed by spicy or heavy food.
A sake to be enjoyed for its sake!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Oomuraya Brewery-Wakatake-Oni Otome Sachi-Tokubetsu Junmai

September 25, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Oumuraya Brewery in Shimada City has been long famed for its “Oni Goroshi/Kill the Goblin” sake brand.
This year they felt that Oni/Goblins should not be confined to males only!
So they came with cute “Oni-Otome/Lady Goblin” series obviously to kill the sake lovers!
This the third one actually, brown color after the previous pink and blue labels. A fourth white label will appear next winter!

Incidentally “Sachi” means “Dry” in this case!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: 1
Acidity: 1.3
Amino acids: 1.2
Bottled in September 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Discreet, fleeting. Pineapple, oranges
Body: Fluid
Taste: Dry and fruity attack backed up with alcohol and junmai petillant
Lingers for a while getting even drier with pleasant alcohol warming up the back of the palate.
Complex and fruity.
Almonds, dark chocolate, macadamia nuts followed by drier almonds and faint coffee beans.
For all its sweetish start as indicated + 1 level, the transition to dryness is very accentuated and lasting.
Changes little with food. except with a little rise in sweetness with more coffee beans appearing.
Drinks easily with any food.
Tends to become more complex just after food with new facets.

Overall: A great sake to enjoy with any food, especially izakaya gastronomy.
Changes little with food.
Very pleasurable on its own.
Another sake fit for any food or party.
And that label is so cute!
Kill me with love and sake!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Suruga Brewery-Tenko-Choo Karakuchi Natsu Ki Gentei Genshu + 21

September 25, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Suruga Brewery in Shizuoka City like some other breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture tends to come up with limited brews with very long names!
Tenko is the name of Suruga Brewery’s main brand.
“Choo Karakuchi” means it is a very dry sake.
“Natsu Ki Gentei” stands for “limited Summer Brew”.

Now “Genshu” means a sake to which no pure water was not blended.
Since it is also a junmai, no pure rice alcohol was added either.
“+21” stands for the dryness level.
Extremely dry, indeed!

Rice: Biyama Nishiki
Rice milled down to 55%
Yeast: Association No 901
Alcohol: 19~20 degrees
Dryness: + 21
Acidity: 2.7
Bottled in June 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: very light golden hue
Body: fluid, sirupy
Aroma: Strong and complex. Alcohol. Dry. Fruity: banana
Taste: Strong attack backed up by puissant junmai petillant, very dry at first, then smooth and sirupy in spite of its dryness.
Complex. Banana, almonds, macadamia nuts.
Lingers for a short while with a lot of junmai petillant with almonds lurking on the palate.
Changes very little with food.

Overall: A very dry sake, indeed, although not as aggressive as expected thanks to its complexity.
Marries perfectly with any food, even sushi!
Another sake I would take to nay house party or BBQ!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Prefecture Gastronomic Guide 1: Sake Breweries

September 22, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shizuoka Sake Line-Up made with Shizuoka Homare Fuji Sake Rice (Official Shizuoka Brewers HP)

This is the first part of a long series featuring all aspects Shizuoka Prefecture Gastronomy from Restaurants to brwers and Producers which hopefully will serve as a complete guide in the future
This particular article features all the working (and producing their own sake) Sake Breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture:

EASTERN PART:

Bandai Brewery
Izu City, Toshigawa, 34
Tel.: 0558-72-0050

Takashima Brewery (Hakuin Masamune)
Numazu City, Hara, 354-1
Tel.: 055-966-0018

Fuji-Takasago Brewery
Fujinomiya City, Takara machi, 9-25
Tel.: 0544-27-2008

Fujimasa Brewery (Chiyonomine)
Fujinomiya City, Shimojyou, 642-1
Tel.: 0544-58-0003

Makino Brewery (Shiraito, Fujisan)
Fujinon\miya City, Shimojyou, 1037
Tel.: 0544-58-1188

Fujinishiki Brewery
Fujinomiya City, Kamiyuno, 631
Tel.: 0544-66-0005

Negami Brewery (Kinmei)
Gotemba City, Hodozawa, 850-4
Tel.: 0550-89-3555

CENTRAL PART:

Eikun Brewery
Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Yui, Iriyama, 2152
Tel.: 0550-89-3555

Kansawagawa Brewery (Shosetsu)
ShizuokaCity, Shimizu Ku, Yui, 181
Tel.: 054-389-1733

Sanwa Brewery (Garyubai, Hagoromo no Mai)
Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Nishikubo, 501-10
Tel.: 054-366-0839

Haginishiki Brewery
Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Nishiwaki, 381
Tel.: 054-285-2371

Masu-Ichi Brewery
Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Yamazaki, 2-32, 5
Tel.: 054-278-6005

Kumpai Brewery
Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Tegoshi, 302
Tel.: 054-259-3062

Suruga Brewery (Tenko)
Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Nishiwaki, 25-1
Tel.:054-288-0003

Hatsukame Brewery
Fujieda City, Okabe Cho, Okabe, 744
Tel.: 054-667-2222

Isojiman
Yaizu City, Negishima, 307
Tel.: 054-628-2204

Sugii Brewery (Sugi Nishiki)
City, Koishikawa Cho, 406-4
tel.: 054-641-0606

Aoshima Brewery (Kikuyoi)
Fujieda City, Aoshima, 246
Tel.: 054-641-5533

Shidaizumi Brewery
Fujieda City, Miyahara, 423-22-1
Tel.: 054-639-0010

Oomuraya Brewery (Wakatake, Onigoroshi, Onna Nakase)
Shimada City, Hontoori, 1-1-8
tel.: 0547-37-3058

WESTERN PART

Morimoto Brewery (Sayogoromo)
Kikugawa City, Horinouchi, 103-3
Tel.: 0537-35-2067

Doi Brewery (Kaiun)
Kakegawa City, Konuki, 633
Tel.: 0537-74-2006

Yamanaka Brewery (Aoitenka)
Kakegwa City, Yokosuka, 61
Tel.: 0537-48-2012

Kokkou Brewery
Fukuroi City, Yamada, 537
Tel.: 0538-48-6405

Senju Brewery
Iwata City, Nakaizumi, 2914-6
Tel.: 0538-32-7341

Hana no Mai Brewery
Hamamatsu City, Kita Ku, Miyaguchi, 632
tel.: 053-582-2121

Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery (Shusseijyo)
Hamamtsu City, naka Ku, Tenjin Cho, 3-57
Tel.: 053-461-6145

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sugii Brewery-Kin No Suke Junmai Natsu Shibori Nakatori Genshu Kimoto Shikomi

September 1, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sugii Brewery in Fujieda City makes nectars not only famous all over Japan but also comes with very detailed titles for them!
Alright, let’s go through some explanations:
Kin no Suke/きんの介 is the name of that particular series of sake.
Junmai/純米 means no pure sake alcohol was blended in.
Natsu Shibori/夏搾り means it was pressed in the summer

Nakatori/中取り means only the sake in the middle of the pressing was used.
Genshu/原酒 means that there was no pure water added to lower the alcohol level.

Kimoto Shikomi/生もと仕込み basically means that the whole process was done the traditional natural way.

Rice: Blended rice
Rice milled down to 70%
Dryness: + 6
Acidity: 1.7
Yeast: Association No 7
Alcohol: 18~19 degrees
Bottled in July 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Strong attack backed with pleasant alcohol. Fruity: Banana, vanilla.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry soft attack in spite of strong and pleasant alcohol.
Disappears quickly on an even drier note.
Complex: Almonds, nuts, greens.
Varies little and stays dry with food. Dark chocolate appears later.
Very reminiscent of sake I used to drink a very long time ago.
Turns sweetish with vinegared foods. Dark chocolate and coffee beans appear with salty foods.

Overall: Another sake obviously conceived to enjoy food!
Although varies little with food, tends to show some very interesting facets depending on the dish.
Definitely takes on a sweeter note for a while just away from food.
Both straightforward and complex, a sake to enjoy with izakaya gastronomy!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Hagoromo no Mai-Junmai Ginjo

August 16, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sanwa Brewery is located in Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku.
The name of this long seller sake, “Hagoromo no Mai” is directly related with a famous legend taking place in Miho, Shimizu Ku.
A goddess has to dance (“Mai/舞”) for a local fisherman to reclaim her veil (“hagoromo/羽衣) she had carelessly hung on a branch.

The other day I discovered a nice range of Shizuoka sake sold in 180ml bottles along with some better than usual explanations and decided to start the whole line-up!

Their cards actually gave more information than indicated on their bottle labels!

Rice: Blended rice
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15=16 degrees
Dryness: +5
Bottled in April 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Dry. Alcohol. Cherries, greens
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry attack backed by alcohol and junmai petillant.
Complex. Cherries, traces of coffee beans and almonds.
Disappears on an even drier note with nuts and oranges peeking out.
Takes a softer turn with food with more coffee beans, almonds and cashew nuts.
Greens making a comeback away from food.
Pleasant and easy to drink, especially with food.

Overall: A sake obviously designed to accompany food.
Definitely for dry sake lovers!
Stays very dry with food.
Ideal to accompany heavy foods and sauces as in izakayas.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Haginishiki Brewery-Minami Alps Tokubetsu Honjozo Nama Genshu

August 15, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Haginishiki Breweries, one of the seven breweries located in Shizuoka City has produced nectars with water coming directly from the Southern Alps for quite some time as Shizuoka City stretches itself up to over 3,000 metres south of the famous mountain chain. Actually more than half of the water used by breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture is directly related to the Southern Alps.

This particular limited brew is a nama/生 meaning it wasn’t pasteurized.

It is also a genshu/原酒 meaning that no pure water was added to dilute the alcohol, although pure sake alcohol was blended in as it is a Tokubetsu Honjyozo.

Rice: Biyama Nishiki (Shiga Prefecture) and Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 55%
Dryness: + 4
Acidity: 1.3
Alcohol: 18~19 degrees
Bottled in July 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very light golden hue, practically transparent
Body: Fluid
Aroma: Dry, light and fruity. Vanilla, dark chocolate.
Taste: Strong fruity attack backed by pleasant alcohol.
Disappears fairly quickly.
Melon, dry almonds.
Varies very little with food.
Very easy to drink in spite of its high alcohol content.
Marries well with food. Tends to become just a little sweeter with vinegared food.
Holds its own with any food.
Otherwise will turn drier with greens making an appearance with melon.

Overall: A sake obviously conceived to accompany food.
Very pleasant to drink with food in spite of its high alcohol content.
I actually appreciated it on its own.
Can be drunk at any temperature although slightly chilled will bring about the best of it.
A sake I would take to any party (with food)!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Negami Brewery-Kaido Maru Daigin Junmai Yamahai

August 3, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Negami Brewery in Gotemba City lies in a privileged location at an altitude of 550 metres on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Gotemba City.
This allows them to brew nectars during an unusual large portion of the year.

This enables them to concoct limited brews far into the year for the greatest pleasure of sake lovers and colectors.
This Yamahai Daigin Junmai is very limited indeed: 300 bottles (720 ml) only!
And the label is a real beauty reminiscing about a famous Japanese lore character!
Anf the label has been intelligently wrapped around the bottle instead of being glued! Needless to say that I carefully unwrapped it for safekeeping!

Negami Brewery-Kaido Maru Daigin Junmai Yamahai

Rice: Yamada Nishiki and Yahan Nishiki
Rice both milled down to: 55%
Yeast: Shizuoka N-2 + brewery’s own yeast
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu)
Dryness: 0
lImited to 300 bottles
Bottled in June 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Fruity backed by strong alcohol. Almonds, apricots.
Body: fluid and sirupy
Taste: Strong fruity attack alternating from dry to sweet and vice versa before verging on the dry with a puissant alcohol and assertive junmai petillant.
Complex. Vanilla, cofee beans, cherries, almonds, apricots.
Takes on an even drier turn with food although spicy food will bring out a sweet reaction.
Very pleasant to drink.
Disappears quickly along with stronger dry almonds and coffee beans.
Cherries making a comeback away from food.
Dark chocolate taking a late ride accompanied by a fine and deep sweetness.

Overall: A beauty definitely difficult to judge objectively. The fact it is a yamahai makes for even more indecisiveness. Very much a “mistery sake”. Would make blind tasters pull at their hair!
In any case, a rare discovery! Pity I didn’t buy another bottle which I could have hidden in the refrigerator for a special occasion!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Haginishiki Brewery: Suruga Yoi-Junmai-Homare Fuji

July 4, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Haginishiki Brewery sits on its own well in the Southern part of Shizuoka City, a short way from the sea and has the grace to share its own water for free with the locals!

They produce this particular limited brand in June every year and call it Suruga Yoi/Suruga stands for both the Surugay Bay and Suruga Ku/Ward (south of Shizuoka JR Station) while Yoi means “jolly good drunk”!

This is also a “nama/生, that is, it has not been heat pasteurized.
The rice used is Homare Fuji, a Yamada Nishiki strain exclusively grown in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Rice: Homare Fuji 100%
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: + 3
Acidity: 1.4
Bottled in June 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Assertive and fruity. Vanilla, Macadamia nuts, dark chocolate
Body: Fluid
Taste: Fruity attack backed up by strong junmai petillant and pleasant alcohol.
Complex. needs quite a few cups to catch all the facets.
Oranges, coffee beans, traces of citruses.
Disappears fairly quickly on a deep dry note with nuts.
Turns very dry with food.
Very easy to drink especially with food.

Overall: A great sake for great Japanese traditional food!
Can be enjoyed slightly chilled, at room temperature or lukewarm although my preference was for room temperature in spite of its “nama” status but I suspect many people would appreciate it slightly chilled.
Another great sake for the summer!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, 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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Doi Brewery-Ryou Ryou Junmai Ginjyou

July 3, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City is an ancient establishment that has been forcefully promoting Shizuoka sake for many years.
Their brewmasters have been coming from Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture for a long time and have helped the brewery earn a deserved name far outside the borders of our Prefecture!

Ryou Ryou/涼々 in Japanese means “refreshing”, and this limited brand is made available at the beginning of summer for this very reason!

Doi Brewery-Ryou Ryou Junmai Ginjyou

Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100%
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in May 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Assertive and fruity. Banana, dark chocolate, vanilla.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very fruity backed strong junmai petillant and pleasant alcohol.
Complex. Vanilla, melon, macadamia nuts, faint almonds.
Disappears fairly quickly warming up back of the palate.
Take a big turn to dryness with food with more almonds and Macadamia nuts.
Marries well with any food.

Overall: A very pleasant and elegant sake conceived for food in spite of its elevated status.
Drinks so easily. Tends to disappear quickly from the bottle!
Perfect sake for the summer as it can enjoyed slightly chilled, especially with food!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, 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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

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

“Shizuoka Rice Comes of Age”-On Shizuoka Sake by Marcus Grandon

June 17, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

All pictures and Article by Marcus Grandon.

Shizuoka sake has always had a a special place in the hearts of sake fans both foreign and domestic. Every year, a group of Shizuoka producers hosts a dinner party to showcase their latest offerings. This year is no exception, and marked the 20th consecutive year for the gala event, which for the first time was held in the Aoi-tower in downtown Shizuoka City.

Oumuuraya Brewery sake!

The party, attended by over 500 guests, contained a choice selection from a virtual who’s who of sake makers: Hatsukame, Shidaizumi, Isojiman, Kikuyoi (Aoshima Brewery), and Oumuraya (Wakatake) Breweries.

Oumuraya Brewery

While each and every sip from the various makers pretty much melted into the palate like liquid gold one after another after another, a very big piece of news emerged from the event this year. Shizuoka sake is known as the Champagne of Sakes for good reason. One of the key ingredients in making sake is water, and water in Shizuoka Prefecture is among the purest in the entire country. However, usually the rice used in the brewing process for Shizuoka sake comes from a different prefecture.
The Oumuraya sake company wanted to use local rice to create a 100% local product, and in recent years began experimenting with using local rice in their sake. Conventional wisdom says that it takes ten years for sake makers to produce high quality sake with a new rice. Wouldn’t you know that this year is the tenth year for Oumuraya to be making such sake? And guess what? It’s the bomb! I was able to taste the sake in this bottle, and it was a smooth as any sake I’ve ever had!

Ten years is the charm! People flocked around that bottle like white on rice (Sorry, but I just had to). The sad thing is that I missed the really good stuff:

Oumuraya Brewery sake!

By the time I got here, this bottle was all gone. Not to worry though, it can be had at local department stores for ¥10.500 per big bottle. Not cheap for sake, but certainly worth the price for a 100% local product.
My suggestion? Get it while you can!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, 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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Takashima Distillery-Brewery: Dai Ippoh

June 7, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Takashima Brewery in Numazu City does not brew only superlative Japanese sake but also distill some incredibly extravagant rice shochu as well!
Their latest jewel is Dai Ippoh!

When you look at the simple calligraphic design you will understand it represents the nearby Mount Fuji!

Dai Ippoh/第壱峰 (old-style calligraphy) means “The First Peak”!

Alcohol: 25 degrees
Ingredients: Rice and rice malt

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Almost sweetish and spicy. Alcohol. Rice.
Body: Fluid
Taste: At first sweetish and complex attack.
Dry dark cherries.
Turns quickly drier.
Does not linger long in mouth or under palate.
Very clean, elegant and fruity approach.
Alcohol impact relatively soft with fruits appearing with each new sip.

Overall: A very elegant rice shochu which should be drunk on its own first at room temperature without ice or water for a true appreciation and taste discovery.
All the qualities and more of a superlative rice shochu.
Varies little with food.
At the most pour it over a lot of ice but there is no reason to mix with anything!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, 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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

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

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Yamanaka Brewery-Aoitenka-“Jin”-Junmai

May 27, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

Yamanaka Brewery and its main brand, Aoitenka, are not much known in Japan and little away from the Western part of our Prefecture, but they certainly deserve all their praise in spite of their rarity!

This particular limited sake is called Jin/陣. “Jin” is a military term meaning “camp” or “position”.
In the old days the “jin” was marked with banners bearing the Arms/”mon” of the army overlord or commander.
The label features some of these “mon” for a beautiful design!

The “mon” represented with the bottleneck label is that of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to retired to Shizuoka (called Sumpu at the time) at the beginning of the 17th Century!

Rice: Gohyakumangoku 100% grown in Shizuoka Prefecture
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: + 2.0
Acidity: 1.4
Yeast: No 1401
Bottled in March 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Fruity and fleeting. Nice alcohol. Cocoa, cherries
Body: Fluid
Taste: Dry and fruity attack backed up by junmai petillant.
Complex. Dark chocolate, coffee beans, oranges.
Starts soft to finish on a very dry note.
Becomes a lot drier with food with a predominance by oranges.
Dark chocolate making a strong comeback away from food, adding a soft note again all over the palate.

Overall: A sake obviously designed to be enjoyed with food but worth tasting both away and with food for interesting comparison.
Could be drunk at all temperatures for more fun and more discoveries.
A solid and dependable sake for all seasons in spite of its limited production!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, 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,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,