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Akita Sake Club Spring 2012 Tasting

Akita Friends!

Another spring, another Akita Sake Club tasting! And let me tell you, those Akita folks know how to enjoy their sake! This event is always a lot of fun and recently, has graciously included sake from other prefectures as well.

All the Akita sakes where on one table and allowed you to taste your way through Akita and go right down the line. I tasted such delicious sakes as Taiheizan Tenko Junmai Daiginjo, Kariho Namahage Junmai, and Akitabare Shunsetsu Honjozo Nama.

A wonderful tasting and fun for all… Next Akita event should be in the fall. Stay tuned to the UrbanSake.com Events Calendar for an announcement!

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Joy of Sake Aftertaste with Philip Harper at EN

With Philip Harper

New York’s biggest nihonshu blowout, The Joy of Sake 2012, is heading our way soon. As a run up to the big day, there are some fun events taking place.

The first of these was an evening of sake sipping and a little bit of sake learning with Tamagawa Toji Mr. Philip Harper. After a nice intro from World Sake Import’s Chris Pierce, Philip addressed the group about the ins and out of Kimoto and Yamahai sake production as it compared to the modern Sokujo yeast starter method. This may sound complex, but Philip made it easy to understand. Loved it. It was a great event and it really made me look forward to the main Joy of Sake event coming on September 20th. EN Japanese Brasserie provided a beautiful backdrop for the event as usual with some yummy nibbles to boot.

Some of the great sakes featured in this aftertaste event Shichida Yamahai Junmai Ginjo, Urakasumi Zen and of course all the Tamagawa sakes that Philip brought from Kinoshita Brewery. Can’t wait for the other Aftertaste events in New York!

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Tamagawa’s Philip Harper at Sakagura

Philip Harper & Sakagura's Manager Yukie

In Japan, a master sake brewer is known as a Toji. They train for years and it’s their job to manage the day to day operations of sake production. And it’s not everyday that a Toji superstar blows into town, so I wasn’t about to miss my chance to talk sake with the Kyoto toji who makes Tamagawa Sake. Besides making some kick-ass sake, this Toji is a little, well… different from his colleagues in the Toji Guild. I’m talking of course about Philip Harper, the only non-Japanese toji in Japan.

Hailing from Cornwall, England, Philip became a Master Sake Brewer the old fashioned way… he earned it. Arriving in Japan in 1988, Harper worked his way up the sake industry ladder, taking and passing the Nanbu Brewer’s Guild Exam in 2001, whereby he became the first and only non-Japanese person to earn the title of Toji. In 2007, he joined Kyoto’s Kinoshita Sake Brewery, makers of the Tamagawa brand and became their toji.

This week, Sakagura Restaurant hosted Philip Harper at a tasting event featuring four of his Tamagawa Sakes, two of which are not available in the U.S. All of the sakes served were very interesting – each in their own way. Two are currently imported, the delicious Tamagawa Kinsho Daiginjo and the loveable Tamagawa Tokubetsu Junmai.

The scene stealers, however, were the rowdy Tamagawa Junmai Yamahai Nama Genshu “White Label” and the outrageous Tamagawa “Time machine 1712″ Junmai Kimoto. The Yamahai Nama Genshu is brewed letting the house yeast fermentation run pedal-to-the-metal until the alcohol tops out at a staggering 20-21.5%! This makes for a strong, seasoned and sneaky yamahai – sneaky because it is still so smooth, drinkable and enjoyable as such sky high alcohol percentages.

New Tamagawa Fans

The “Time Machine 1712″ is brewed using a sake recipe from the year – you guessed it – 1712. This funky brew gives us a window into what sake lovers in Edo may have been enjoying. The taste is suprising – quite sweet with noticeably higher acidity. Pairing this sake with ice cream or blue cheese is a shogun slam dunk. Sakagura reserved the back room for the tasting with delicious appetizers served between generous pours of all the sakes in a socialble stand up style reception. Fun!

Tasting all these marvelous Tamagawa sakes, you can tell without a doubt that Philip is deeply devoted to his craft, and has a true love of creatively and deliciously pushing the sake envelope. But you know what? My sake spidey sense is telling me even more adventurous sakes from Harper are yet to come. What does the future hold? We’ll just have to wait and see where the Toji of Cornwall leads us next.

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Deeply Madly Truly Dassai… Yopparai Style

Sake Bar Yopparai kicked off May with a fun evening of yummy-sake-drinking and good-food-eating by partnering with Dassai Brewery for an event called “Deeply Dassai, Yopparai Style”. The event focused on a 5 course set menu, all paired with Dassai Sakes. Sounds good, but wait – there’s more… the little surprise is that many of the dishes were cooked using Dassai Sake Kasu (lees), the rice solids left over after pressing the sake. Dassai Sake Kasu is impossible to get here, but some was brought in especially for this one night.

Drumroll please – Here’s a glimpse at the menu:

Deeply Dassai Tasting Menu

Aperitif: Yopparai Cocktail w/ Dassai 50 Sparkling. Dassai 23 Sake Lees Wasabizuke.

1st Course: Daikon Radish Salad/Tomato Salad. Sashimi Assortment. Pairing: Dassai 50

2nd Course: Ebi Shinjo. Kurobuta Black pork Belly. Pairing: Dassai 39

3rd Course: Dassai 23 Sake Lees Marinated Grilled Fish. Pairing Dassai 23.

4th Course: Dassai 23 Sake Lees Kasu Jiru Miso Soup. Rice. Pickles.

Dessert: Dassai 23 Sake Lees soft serve ice cream.

If you’ve never tasted sake lees before, it’s important to know that not all lees are created equal. The Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo Lees are considered a rare and premium product. The taste is reminiscent of sake, but with hints of rice, a whiff of premium alcohol and light fermentation. Lees are used a lot in Japanese cooking and this menu allowed us to sample a wide range of uses for sake lees in one meal – from the Wasabi appetizer to the sake flavored ice cream – Genius! It’s a subtle taste that pairs so well with the sake, but doesn’t overwhelm. The folks at Sake Bar Yopparai got it right!

I think if I had to pick one, I most enjoyed the grilled fish that was marinated in Dassai 23 sake kasu and then served with Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo to drink. Simply delicious!

The Sakes themselves were served by Sakurai-san, 4th Generation Owner of Dassai Brewery as well as Dassai Sales Rep Asumi-san who came all the way from Japan for the event! The Dassai signature style is smooth, easy drinking, light fruit on the palate and delicious. You can read my interview with Saurai-san here.

The whole evening was a study in enjoying the essence of Dassai with a Yopparai twist. And, yes, I’ve think I’ve fallen again – you guessed it – Deeply, Madly, Truly for Dassai.

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Lucky Rice Grand Feast 2012

There’s one event each year you can rely on to provide some exotic food and sake, a dash of glamour and some killer views of the Park. We’re talking about the Lucky Rice Grand Feast. Held annually and benefiting City Harvest, the Grand Feast is a celebration of good food, good drink and SAKE! Some of the top producers donate their sake for this fun and exciting event. I was on hand this year to help pour and introduce the sake to the guests.

This event is fun and filled to the rafters with serious foodies wanting to sample everything the event had to offer. Most guests start off sampling the appetizers and then make their way to the sake table. The represented brands included Born, Dassai, Tatenokawa, Tengumai, Amabuki and several others.

Several quests came up to me and, pointing to the sakes said, “I’m an absolute beginner with sake. Walk me through what we’ve got here.” For me, this was the most fun – being able to introduce the various sake brands that I know and love to enthusiastic folks wanting to get on board the sake soul train.

Giving the guests their first taste of a premium sake is a great feeling – it always recalls my first “a-ha” moment with premium sake, too – good times!

If you want to experience Lucky Rice for yourself, get on their mailing list and get your tickets early for next year. It’s a great way to sample food from some star chefs and also drink you fill from some of the best sakes in the world – who can ask for more than that?! All aboard!!

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Tatenokawa Launch Party at Kirakuya

Tatenokawa 33 Junmai Daiginjo

The two new sakes in question are Tatenokawa 33 Junmai Daiginjo and Tatenokawa 50 Junmai Daiginjo. The number in the name refers to the seimaibuai or rice milling percentage.

Mr. Kurosu with Tatenokawa 50

Mr. Kurosu was the Tatenokawa representative who was on hand at Kirakuya and introducing these sakes to everyone. Those who bought a bottle received a Tatenokawa wooden masu as a gift – a wonderful way to celebrate the arrival of a new V.I.S. (Very Important Sake) to the American market. Can’t wait for the other Tatenokawa brews to debut!

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Sake In the News

In Japan, sake has long been known as “The Drink of the Gods”…but coming soon, sake will also be designated as the “National Alcoholic Beverage” by the Japanese Government. My initial reaction to this news was, HUH? Sake isn’t already officially the “National Alcoholic Beverage”? But the more I thought about it, I realized that whatever the timing, any effort the Japanese Government makes to promote sake is a great thing for the industry, so let’s celebrate! Grab your Japanese ‘National Alcoholic Beverage’ of choice and Kanpai with me! Below is a link to the full article:

Govt to Designate Sake, Shochu as ‘National Alcoholic Beverages’
by The Yomiuri Shimbun
April 16th, 2012

With a view to boosting the overseas market for Japanese traditional sake and shochu, the government will soon designate them as “national alcoholic beverages,” according to Motohisa Furukawa, state minister for national policy.

The planned designation is aimed at encouraging the revitalization of local economies concerned and expanding demand for rice, Furukawa said Saturday.

Rice is the raw material used for making sake, a fermented beverage, as well as shochu, a distilled spirit. Shochu also can be produced using other crops, such as sweet potatoes and barley.

Read the Full Article >

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Kibō Cookbook Event with Elizabeth Andoh

I was recently honored to help support an event called “Kibō: A Taste of the Tohoku” here in New York featuring well known Japanese cookbook author Elizabeth Andoh. Living full time in Japan since 1967, Andoh-sensei is famed for teaching the complexities of Japanese cooking to an English speaking audience through in person classes and award winning (and beautiful) cookbooks such as Kansha and Washoku.

The Kibō e-cookbook is Andoh’s precious way of both helping Tohoku with proceeds from the cookbook sales as well as preserving Tohoku specific dishes and cuisine culture. Andoh-sensei prepared a bento for each guest at the event featuring highlighted dishes from the cookbook, whose she also explained in detail using a slideshow and an engaging presentation.

I was asked to introduce the sake. The Tohoku sakes featured on this evening were Miyagi’s Urakasumi Zen Junmai Ginjo, Iwate’s Nanbu Bijin Tokubetsu Junmai and Fukushima’s Daishichi Kimoto Junmai. I gave the guests a quick sake 101 along with a brief profile of each brewery and the steps they’ve taken to recover from the March 11th disaster. Many Students came up to me afterwards and commented on the pleasures of pairing real Tohoku sake with Tohoku Dishes made by an expert. I couldn’t agree more!

On the food front, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed the delicious dishes and Downloaded the Ebook myself as soon as I got home. “Kibō” itself means “brimming with hope” and after eating these dishes, I’m brimming with hope myself that I will cook them at home and can’t wait to have my own Tohoku sake and food pairing.

I’ve got a lot of admiration for Andoh-sensei using what she knew best to reach out and help the people of the Tohoku in their recovery and, to help the rest of us learn about this fascinating regional cuisine. Here’s a big Kanpai for the recovery and rebirth of Japan’s Tohoku! Here’s the link of you want to get the Kibō e-cookbook yourself:

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Get Yopparai at Yopparai

I recently discovered a new sake bar gem on the lower east side called Yopparai. In English, “yopparai” means ‘drunkard’, or ‘I’m drunk’. This hidden away sake sanctuary has a large selection of premium sakes by the carafe and an even larger selection of wonderful sakes by the bottle.

When I spoke with owner Gaku Shibata, he told me his intention was to transport an honest-to-goodness Tokyo sake bar to Manhattan – and I can tell you this has been achieved. No detail was too small from the bag locker under the seat, to the shaved ice chilling every carafe as well as the custom made ochoko cups. Every aspect of this place is right in line with what you would expect in Japan. How awesome is that?!

The food selection is also really, really good. I enjoyed some superior sashimi (with super cute custom cut daikon and carrot butterflies – never seen that before!), some wonderful grilled asparagus and a delicious salted salmon. Everything was top notch and just the sort of food you want to drink with premium sake!

Speaking of sake, over the course of the evening, I ordered three “Go” of sake. A “go” is a single 6 oz serving that is served in a small carafe. you can order 1 or 2 “go” at a time. On this trip, I enjoyed clean and sexy Kudoki Jozu Junmai Ginjo from Yamagata, then rich and umamai-ful Kokuryu Junmai Ginjo from Fukui and finally the smooth and ricey Denshu Tokubetsu Junmai from Aomori.

No joke, the selection is top notch – you can’t ask for much more if you’re looking to explore the world of premium sake. There is no better way to get yopparai then at Yopparai! See you there!

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Masumi Night at Sakagura

April 4th was a special night at Sakagura Restaurant celebrating the annual Springtime U.S. launch of Masumi Masumi Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu sake from Miyasaka Shuzo.

The tasting set on this night consisted of Miyasaka Yawaraka Junmai, Masumi Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu and Masumi Yumedono Daiginjo Genshu. Keith Norum and Katsu Miyasaka were on hand from Masumi Brewery to introduce these delicious sakes to everyone at Sakagura.

The star of the night was of course, the Masumi Arabashiri. It tasted as fresh and bold as ever – a wonderful full bodied Genshu nama with lots of fruit and fullness on the palate.

I hope you get a chance to taste these wonderful sakes, too. After my tasting set, I enjoyed some sashimi and some more Miyasaka Yawaraka Junmai. Delicious together! As usual, the staff at Sakagura was amazing and I felt so welcomed.

Keep an eye out for Arabashiri in your neck of the woods – it’s always a wonderful harbinger of spring… after one sip you can say without a doubt “Spring has Sprung”!

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