Et-chan: Nihonshu Covergirl

If you look very closely at the photo on the cover of the March issue of Dancyu, you’ll see Et-chan. She also appears inside in a photo from a story on Nihonshu no Hi. She’s been busy.

Even better, Dancyu created an in-store display banner for this special nihonshu issue. Apologies for the scan, but here it is.

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Time for a break!

When we complete our latest round of travel, work, and sake geekery, we’ll return with a new crop of weekly nihonshu write-ups. In the meantime, I see nine new bottles cooling in our genkan and more coming in soon. Whew!

Until we get back on schedule, check out these pics below of Et-chan in action at Shichiken last weekend.

Shichiken Junmai Kassei-shu Usunigori

Et-chan works the Usunigori server

Entrance to Shichiken

Lunch at Shichiken’s Daimin

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Hokushika “Icehouse” wrapped

This sake is a special one for me. Not just because it is a complex and enjoyable brew, but because of where–and more specifically who–it came from. One of my students who will graduate next month brought me this bottle from her hometown because she knew just how much I’d enjoy it.

Hakushika is located way up in snow country, Odate City, Akita, not far from Towada-ko. It has been a long time since I visited Akita, but I remember the stark, snowy hills surrounding the lakes, especially near Nyuto Onsen at Tazawa-ko. That was many years ago now, but we kept a bottle or two of nihonshu cool in the snowbank outside as we warmed ourselves by the real woodfire irori. The fresh fish cooked over that fire was so good. This bottle also spent some time in the snow. All summer in fact.

The label is marked Hakushika Junmaishu in small letters, but the front and center, in big, bold characters it reads 雪中貯蔵 (secchuuchozou, or laid down in snow) and the banner label at the neck reads 氷点熟成 (hyoutenjukusei, or aged at freezing). This brew is only seasonally available after storage in an icehouse. I couldn’t find pictures of Hakushika’s specific storage methods, but generally a tank is buried in a large mound of snow and then insulated with straw to get it through the part of the year there isn’t any snow in Akita. This lets the sake age gently at an even 0℃ until it is ready.

The aging is very gentle and mild giving a just slightly less than transparent and a delicious complexity. I tasted just a bit of honey and almost a pear flavor. It didn’t linger long, but just long enough. Though not a desert sake by any means, a glass or two did go down very nicely after dinner the other night.

Hokushika “Icehouse” unwrapped

Tonight it is cold in Tokyo and the wind is howling through the sliding doors and it is chilly enough in the back room that “room temperature” is a decidedly icey 13℃ which suits this sake just fine. But I need something warming, so where is my trusty kansuke?

A quick trip up to 55℃ revealed a balance consistent with room temperature. Maybe a bit less sweet and just brightened up. But, dropped back down to kanzamashi at around 42℃ made me wish I had another bottle handy. Luckily this is sold at a price that even a student can afford and is distributed nationwide, so I will look for it again.

I don’t encourage gifts from students, but this was the best omiyage any of them have ever given me. I’ll have to find something nice for a graduation present!

Details:
Hokushika Homepage: http://www.hokushika.jp/index.html

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Tamagawa Daiginjo Shizuku Muroka Nama Genshu

Whenever I travel, finding a good restaurant that carries good local sake can present some degree of challenge. When I was in Kyoto over the weekend, I was just about to head out to one of the sake bars on my list to try. Then, I had a hunch to look a little further. So, I did one more quick search and saw the sake menu at Inaseya near Karamuma Oike with great list from Kansai, in particular, from Kyoto.

Tamagawa by Philip Harper was what brought me to Inaseya. So, I ordered Daiginjo Shizuku Muroka Nama Genshu. As soon as the fresh exquisite brew from this year was poured into a cup and the rather soft yet full aroma filled the air, I sighed and thought “this” was why I love this season! From the middle of the winter on, you find these fresh just-pressed brews everywhere. Then, I thought how often do you find shizuku that is muroka nama genshu at a restaurant? Shizuku to me is almost a synonym for contest class special sake that takes unimaginable time and effort to craft. Muroka nama genshu is unfiltered, undiluted, unpasteurized with almost as close to what you get fresh right after murky moromi is pressed with lots of flavors and aroma. So, this is the combination you do not see out there. “This is the latest batch Harper-san sent us.” the guy working behind the counter said.

Then, I noticed that almost all of Inaseya’s sake menu is muroka nama genshu, such as Yadorigi Tobindori Junmai Ginjo from Eikun or even one year aged Frosen! “It’s not like we don’t like hi-ire pasteurized sake”, he continued but he admit most of their sake is pretty close to what’s just pressed at a brewery and that’s what they like!

In the next few month, I will be in Kyoto a few more times. I am sure I will add more good sake bars on the list, but Inaseya is definitely the place to go back for to check out what other funky crazy new muroka nama genshu they have in stock!

Entry to Inaseya Honten

About Chiso Inaseya
Address: Aburayacho 93, Yanagi-banba Sanjo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (I am not sure if this is the right order for address system in Kyoto)
柳馬場三条上ル油屋町93
Phone:　075-255-7250
Website in Japanese: http://homepage3.nifty.com/chisouinaseya/
Map on Bento.com:http://www.bento.com/kansai/rev/7155.html

Tsukidashi and Tsuki-no-katsura Nigori

Sashimi

Ikidako no kara-age

Furosen and Chicken namero

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Otokoyama Junmai Daiginjo

“You mean THE Otokoyama?” I do not remember much around the conversation before or after this question, but I do remember one time someone asked me if I was talking about “The Otokoyama” when the name came up. This Otokoyama Junmai Daiginjo we tasted on Saturday is so classic and it felt so appropriate to call this bottle “The Otokoyama”.

Takase-sensei invited Yamazaki-san from Hokkai Otokoyama from Asahikawa, Hokkaido to benkyokai on Saturday at Mitsuya. He shared an interesting story behind the name with the gang. In today’s market, you find 18 or 19 “Otokoyama” brands from different brewers. In the 1920s there were over 100 Otokoyama brands throughout Japan. The name of sake, Otokoyama, actually appeared in some Ukiyoe from Edo period back in the 17th century, and the name was a synonym for good sake around that period.

“We have over 300 years of history with the name Otokoyama.” Yamazaki-san said. Somehow, 300 years of history does not make sense for a brewer for the new territory of Japan, Hokkaido. People from other parts of Japan immigrated there a bit over 100 years ago. So, Yamazaki-san went on and explained the actual Otokoyama brand was started by a brewer in Itami in Hyogo the 17th century. Yamazaki-san’s family tracked down the descendant of the brewery and property and acquired the name from the original Otokoyama brewer.

I have never been to Asahikawa, but Otokoyama’s Sake Museum attracts an amazing number of people from all over the world to the coldest city in Japan-150,000 people a year! So, it’s time for me to plan a trip there to visit and to see the penguins.

Link to the Otokoyama Web Site in English

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I just posted this announcement to Tokyo Sake Meetup. Please join us for a special Valentine’s sake trip to Yamanashi!

We are well into the sake brewing season and it is time to enjoy new sake! I just spotted this fun and educational opportunity visit Shichiken in Yamanashi. We can take a bus straight to the brewery from Shinjuku, see their sake brewery and enjoy an open house with art, food, and sake.

Place: Shichiken (Yamanashi Meijo Co. Ltd.) in Yamanashi
Date: Sunday, Feburary 14th, 2010
Time: 7:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. *Starting and ending at Shinjuku
Cost:
1. Bus fare: 4,500 yen must be paid in advance by 1/31 via PayPal.
2. Sake Tasting: 500 yen at the event
Lunch: They have restaurant on site and they will have some food stalls to enjoy with sake

Please visit Tokyo Sake Meetup to sign up!

About Shichiken – Yamanashi Meijo Co. Ltd.
http://www.jal.com/es/sake/intro/shichiken.html
http://www.sake-shichiken.co.jp (in Japanese)

Interview with the brewer, Kitahara-san by UrbanSake
http://www.urbansake.com/interviews/brewer-interview-tsushima-kitahara.html

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Nagomi, Gotanda

Last Friday, the Tokyo Sake Meetup had a great time at little sake nomi heaven called Nagomi in Gotanda. A sign for tagine-ryori, lamb, and jizake caught Te-chan’s attention as he was walking back from the gym one evening last summer and since then, it’s been our latest favorite local izakaya.

Recently, I took another sake fan, a guy in his 50’s who insisted that only standing bars which have been in business for ages know how to really serve sake–not these trendy izakaya that just popped-up–were the real deal. You know, he meant to say a smoky tachinomi place like Suzuden filled with salaryman on the way back from work was the only authentic place to drink sake in the city. So, he immediately disapproved of Nagomi as we sat down at the counter–just by the look of the place. Th bar counter is so clean, comfortable, and with gentle lighting and the place is filled with young professionals. By the time we left though, this oyaji-san said to me, “This is such a good place! I will come back here.” with a big ear-to-ear grin on his red face. That’s when I decided this was the place to organize a Meetup.

Tsuki-no-Katsura and eihire

At Nagomi, the first thing Te-chan and I were surprised by was the way they serve sake. Shimada-san, general manager, knows that sake nomi want to try many different sake, so he offers a 90ml serving glass at a fair half the price of the common ichi-go or 180ml. Some nihonshu izakaya have this option and you may say “so what?”, but this is not all. When we sit at the counter, we take our sips from the 90ml glass, then ask Shimada-san or Ichikawa-san to heat it up to nurukan or atsukan depending according to taste. This is a kind of act I never would imagine doing at other places. I am sure most izakaya would hate to heat up such a tiny quantity, just to let these crazy sake fanatics do some lab experiments. It’s really more trouble than its worth for a bar. We don’t do this to them when they are busy, but it seems they, too, enjoy these experiments trying sake at different temperature and gathering the reactions from their patrons. So, to sum up, sake and their philosophy around serving it are just fantastic.

Assorted sashimi

Food is very simple and good. Shiitake mushrooms cooked in a small tagine certainly surprised me with their full, savory flavor. Lightly grilled dried eihire with mayo is Te-chan’s favorite otsumami. Cabbage with pork in tagine is another great dish. Nagomi’s sashimi plate is fresh and reasonable.

Finally, I think it is the people that makes this tagine ryori and nihonshu place so comfortable. Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san behind the counter are perfect professionals, but their passion for nihonshu kind of rubs off. It’s just fun to sit at the counter and watch them and chat about sake when they have a moment.

They do not have an English menu, but don’t worry. If you have nihongo-phobia, Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san can guide you through their menu and drinks in English.

About Nagomi

Don’t miss this sign!

Address: Grace Gotanda 105 2-18-3 Nishi Gotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo
東京都品川区西五反田2-18-3 グレイス五反田105
Phone: 03-5223-9888
Website in Japanese: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/e316000/
Directions from JR Gotanda: From JR Gotanda West Exit, walk over to Seijo Ishii entrance. Cross the street to Tokyo Hotel or am/pm, then walk away from the tracks toward river one block. Take a right at Natural Lawson, then take a left at the hair salon, Bo-peep. Immediately, you will see a big yellow sign for 24h Times parking. At the sign, take a right into a small street. Nagomi is located at the first steps you see on the block. It’s only a few minutes walk from JR Gotanda. Reservations are recommended.

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Aramasa Tokubetsu Junmai “Rokugo” Hatsu-shibori Nama Genshu

Aramasa Tokubetsu Junmai “Rokugo” Hatsu-shibori Nama Genshu was the group’s pick out of six different sake we tried at the Tokyo Sake Meetup at Nagomi on Friday. This bottle was the first one we tried for the evening with an assortment of sashimi. It had a very soft, gentle “nama” feel with a very pleasant fruity taste in the middle.

Here “Rokugo” comes from the number of the yeast used for brewing. Number 6 yeast is widely provided by the Brewing Society of Japan, but it was originally isolated at Aramasa over 70 years ago. According to Aramasa’s web site, sake brewed with #6 yeast is low in acidity and very soft, with a rounded flavor and gentle, elegant aroma. So, that fits with the profile of our tasting notes.

Other sake and food we tried were:

Watarai

Takaisami

Watarai Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu from Yamagata paired with Tomato Tuna Salad
Takaisami Junmai Shiboritate Nama from Tottori with Tuna Nuggets

Hiokizakura

Tengumai

Koshikoi

Hiokizakura Junmai Ginjo Goriki from Tottori with Chicken Chashu
Tengumai Ymamahai Junmai Daiginjo Nama from Ishikawa with Kamo Nabe
Koshikoi Junmai Ginjo Genshu from Chiba with Udon
We had a really good first MeetUp of the year with great food and sake, thanks to the people at Nagomi. I will do another post on our latest favorite sake-centric izakaya in Gotanda soon!

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Gangi junmaiginjo Kassei Nigori Nama Genshu

In a moment of calm before people arrived and dinner got started, I tried to get a decent picture of the bottle. If you look closely, it has a little keitai strap charm hanging around the neck. It reads 噴き出し注意 or “Caution! Spouting!”. When I bought this, the staff at the store were careful to warn me and I did need a towel to catch some of the overflow. The little warning charm will probably go on my keychain or phone soon.

A fizzy filled glass

We all enjoyed the light taste and fresh lively aroma. A few murmurs of “calpis” spread around the table. There is something of that culture to the taste of this sake, but since it is “kassei nigori” or living/active nigori, the similarity to an active culture yogurt isn’t unexpected. The yeast is still active in there, but it’s good! The light bubbles liven up this very light nigori and keep it drier than some-an excellent alternative to champagne.

Stuffed chicken legs in the pan

Et-chan labored to bone these drumsticks and keep the skin together for a nicely wrapped, moist, and deeply flavorful stuffed chicken.

Served with rich mushroom and cream sauce pasta

UPDATE: Chanterelle, porcini, Morel, oyster, shiitake, maitake, chanterelle, and just a tiny bit or porcini mushrrom; then blue cheese, cream, sherry and white wine went in the pasta sauce. the deep umami of the mushrooms was so good.

A happy dinner guest holds up the bottle for me

Below is a slideshow of some photographs from our visit to the kura almost two years ago. Ever since, Gangi has been one of my steady favorites. Good thing I have a steady source right down the street.

Links
Previously: Sake of the Week #026: Gangi Hiya Oroshi kicks off fall
Yaoshin Shuzo-Brewers of Gangi

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SakéOne Moonstone Raspberry

At the end of the second video of the tour at SakéOne in Oregon on Basic Brewing when they are in the tasting room, their Moonstone Raspberry Sake caught my attention. At first, I thought “raspberry flavored sake?” But soon I imagined something close to umeshu or dessert wine-like licquer such as Adoberry from Furosen made of nihonshu, berries, and sugar, then matured to extract the full flavor and color of the fruit.

Last week when we were in the rather sake-deprived state of Connecticut, I spotted the blue bottle along with several other of their fruit-infused sake at big, otherwise pretty generic-seeming liquor shop in a mall in New Haven. I had to try it. Since Moonstone Raspberry seem to be widely available in the US, it may not be anything exotic, but for us, it triggered our curiosity just like Mango or Peach Snapple Green Tea because it’s a combination we simply do not see in Japan.

“It’s all clear, just like regular nihonshu!” I was totally caught by surprise since I was expecting a trace of reddish raspberry color in the brew as I poured it into a beer mug. Well, it had the very distinct aroma but subtle taste of the sweet, tart berry, but with all the characteristics of regular sake. After checking the SakeOne web site, I see that they add the flavor at bottling. People sometimes taste pear, muscat, or berry in regular ginjo or daiginjo, so I suppose this is a more direct approach. As we were finishing up this new (at least new to us) adaptation of sake, we decided to try it again with a summer BBQ–and a wine glass.

[Photo credit @calliope for the front page picture.]

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