Spring 2014 Namazake Tasting

SPRING has finally arrived at The Sake Shop!  How do we know it’s Spring you ask?  Is it because of the beautiful weather we’ve been having or maybe the blooming flowers everywhere?  No my friends, it is now officially Spring at the shop because our shipment of seasonalSPRING NAMAZAKE! arrives this week! So you know what that means … it’s time for our annual Spring Namazake Tasting!

All of the seasonal sake we’ll be tasting are “Nama” or unpasteurized, which gives them a fresh, green and brash flavor.  Most of them are also “Genshu” which means the alcohol content is a little higher than most sake.  For good measure, we’ll also be sampling a peach flavored sake that uses one whole white peach in every bottle. It’s been so long since last year’s Spring Namazake Tasting that we just can’t wait to try out this year’s batch!

SPRING NAMAZAKE
COMPLIMENTARY SAKE TASTING & SALE
Saturday, February 15, 2014
5:00pm to 8:00pm

Here is the lineup for this Saturday.

KOSHINOHOMARE SHIBORITATE
“Pride of Niigata”
Junmai Nama Genshu
This sake was new to Hawaii just a few years ago and quickly became a favorite at the shop.  From Niigata prefecture, Koshinohomare Shiboritate is rich and smooth with tranquil aromas of fruits, grains and yogurts.  Great balance of acidity, fruity and savory flavor.  Deep and expansive taste with crisp finish.

HARUSHIKA SHIBORIBANA
“Spring Deer”
Junmai Ginjo Nama
This unpasteurized Junmai Ginjo from Nara prefecture is hands down our best seller year after year.  Flavorful light and smooth, this sake has a very fresh and clean aroma with a hint of strawberries.  Perfectly balanced fruity flavors with soft texture and an elegant finish.

KAMIKOKORO TOUKAGEN SHIBORITATE
“Heart of God”
 Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu 
Unpasteurized rich type from Okayama prefecture, the place where the Momotaro or “Peach Boy” story comes from.  This is a very unique sake that is brewed using white peach yeast!  It has a refreshing aroma of peach, lime and bamboo along with an expansive mild taste, crisp acidity and a long finish.  One of our favorites!

KAMIKOKORO MOMO
“Peach Sake”  
This is not one of our seasonal Spring sake, but we decided to sample it this Saturday as well.  We don’t carry many “flavored” sake at the shop, but the few we do stock are exceptional.  “Momo” from Kamikokoro is one of these wonderful exceptions. Instead of the strong sugary flavor of regular peach, this sake has the mild subtle sweetness of white peach. Each bottle has the equivalent of one whole white peach in it, and is just too easy to drink.
So please join us this Saturday for our Seasonal Spring Namazake tasting!  If you’ve never tried an unpasteurized sake, this is your chance to taste some of the best, but remember these are seasonal and only available for a limited time.

Kanpai,
Malcolm & Nadine Leong
The Sake Shop

SPRING NAMAZAKE
COMPLIMENTARY
SAKE TASTING & SALE
Saturday, February 15, 2014
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sake Bottles Heated in Water

For those of you who are not familiar with “Nama” or unpasteurized sake, here is a quick overview on what it’s all about.

As a general practice, most sake is pasteurized twice (by heating) before being released for sale.  This process eliminates undesirable microorganisms and smooths out the flavor.  This is also why most sake are shelf stable and can be stored unrefrigerated.

When a sake is not pasteurized at all it is called a “Nama” sake or “Namazake”.  Nama is the Japanese word for raw or fresh.  In this case you could think of it as fresh or “draft” sake.

Namazake have a very distinct flavor profile, with a wonderful green brash flavor. They must be kept refrigerated until consumed to keep live enzymes and other things from activating.

In line with this type of brewing style, many of these unpasteurized sake are not diluted with water as most other sake are.  Sake that are not diluted with water are referred to as “Genshu” and can have an alcohol content of up to 20% compared to most sake’s 15 to 16%.

Kamikokoro Brewery
Two of the sake we will be tasting this Saturday are from Kamikokoro which is located in Okayama prefecture. Kamikokoro is a relatively young micro sake brewery that was founded in 1913.

The prefecture of Okayama is known as a famous peach producing area and the birthplace of the Momotaro  or Peach Boy story.

Mr. Fujii and Us
We were lucky enough to meet the President of Kamikokoro Brewery a few years ago, Mr. Nobuhiko Fujii.  He is a terrific guy who dressed up as Momotaro the Peach Boy during our tasting.

One of the neat things about Fujii-san’s Spring Namazake is that he uses a special white peach yeast to make his “moto” or starter yeast. Almost all other brewers will normally use very specialized sake yeast for this instead.

Momotaro or Peach Boy Story
Most of us in Hawaii are familiar with the story of Momotaro or the Peach Boy.  It begins when a childless women finding a giant peach floating down the river.  When she and her husband attempt to cut it open to eat it they find Momotaro inside.

He tells the couple he was sent from Heaven to be their son.  They name him Momotaro which roughly translates to “Peach Boy”.  (Momo in Japanese means Peach and Taro is a common eldest son name.)

The story continues with Momotaro growing up and then going on a quest to defeat some evil ogres or demons who have been causing trouble for everyone.

The demons live on a remote island very far away.  Along the way to reach the island Momotaro meets and befriends a talking dog, monkey and pheasant who all agree to help him.

Of course being the hero he is, Momotaro and his friends defeat the demons and return home with their treasure.  Along with his parents and new friends, they all live happily ever after.