We are in the final month- known as “Shiwasu” in the traditional Japanese calendar - of 2011. As we all know, it has been a challenging year everywhere. Perhaps because I live here, it seems to have been particularly hard. On top of a weak economy, a strong yen, and squabbling political leaders, we had the natural disasters of March 11, the nuclear incident that followed, as well as two devastating typhoons in September that at least could be seen coming, sparing loss of life.
As we move into a fresh new year, sake brewing is progressing nicely. Sake is selling fairly well, too! And the Sake Education Council membership is growing at an appropriate pace. Expect a better and more significant presence in 2012.
Please find herein a bit of industry news, and a highlight of Yoed Anis, CSP, who has started a sake brewing in Texas.
Also: I will be running SPC LV 2011 next week, December 5 to 7. On the night of December 7, there will be a SPC alumi gathering. I have sent this out to my own personal mailing list of CSPs and ASPs, but should you have not have gotten that, and do read this, here is that information below. Sorry for the very short notice! Hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
John Gauntner
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FUTURE COURSES
Sake Professional Course in Japan,
January 23 - 27, 2012
The Sake Professional Course in Las Vegas (December 5 to 7) is full. The next running of the course will be the annual Japan-based Sake Professional Course with CSP certification. Currently, the course is almost full, and there is room for about two participants. Should you know (or employ!) anyone that might be interested, for reservations or inquiries, please send an email to sakeguy@gol.com.
Sake Professional Course Level II,
February 13 - 17, 2012
Sake Professional Course Level II and
Advanced Sake Professional Certification Testing
The “Level II” course and the subsequent ASP testing is scheduled for the week of February 13, 2012. As you likely know, the requirements are having successfully completed Level I. You do NOT have to have passed the CSP exam to take this course. However, to sit for the ASP exam you will need to take and pass the CSP exam, and an opportunity to do this will be provided to you at the beginning of the course.
The Level II ASP course is expected to cost 150,000 yen, with travel and lodging separate but evening meals included. Feel free to indicate your intention to attend if you are so inclined.
Currently, those that have expressed interest in attending Level II are: (Updated December 1)
Nancy Cushman Daniel Ford Drew Peterson Edith.Wong John Mang Julian Houseman Michael Carlson John Peiser Janice Stein Chad Lobner Yoed Anis Birdie Yang Trevor Zebulon Hiro Christoph Dhal Smith Daren Epstein Fran Kysela Lisa Bell Kysela Mariko Tajiri Andrew Remy Klaus Vogt Jesse Pugach Yosuke Nakano Tack Wai Cheong Karen Tan Tony Alexander
Should you be on that list and want off, let me know. Should you be off that list and want on, please let me know that as well. An email to sakeguy@gol.com will do the trick!
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Current Status of Sake Related to Radiation
The government of Japan has been checking rice for, in particular, cesium, since this year’s harvest began. And they have found a bit of it, very recently, in rice from Fukushima, close to the nuclear accident. But all of that was eating rice, rather than sake rice.
They then followed up with a statement that starting in October they would be checking all sake (and other alcoholic beverages) produced within a 150km radius of Dai-chi, the nuclear plant where the trouble occurred. On top of that, they would do checks of 40% of the breweries outside that region but in the Eastern half of Japan, and another 20% of the breweries in the regions outside of that.
The results of the first round of testing have come in. Two-hundred-thirty-five products were tested, and ZERO had any abnormal levels of anything. Whew.
On top of that, independently the NRIB checked to see how much cesium would make it through the brewing process. Starting with brown rice at 500 becquerels/kg, after milling (cesium tends to hang out in the outer regions of grains, so much gets milled away), washing, soaking, fermenting and then pressing out the dregs in the form of kasu, only 25 becquerels/kg remained. This is far below the 200 becquerels/kg level considered acceptable.
SAKE SHIPMENTS UP!
Sake shipments from January to September of this year were up a whopping 3% over last year. While this may not seem much, it is the first time in well over a decade that shipments have increased. While no one knows if it will continue, industry publications and eternal optimists like yours truly believe it may signal a shift that will see sake grow in popularity and consumption. Junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo together saw 12.4% growth, while straight junmai-shu saw 7%, and honjozo but 1.6%. The report also stated that the contraction of the futsu-shu category slowed!
ELEVEN LARGEST BREWERIES COOPERATING AGAIN
Eleven of the largest sake brewing companies from Nada, Fushimi and (the erstwhile brewing center of) Itami have continued in their efforts to increase the demand for and popularity of sake by holding, on November 8, a “Nabe to Kan no Hi” event. Nabe (say nah-beh) is one-pot stew, in which anything from meat (thing shabu shabu but cooked longer) to fish and vegetables are cooked, in one of countless broths. The communally enjoyed dish is a wonderful mainstay of winter in Japan. And “kan,” as you well know, refers to hot sake. The kura (factories?) involved were: Hakutsuru, Nihonzakari, Hakushika, Ozeki, Sakura Masamune, Kenbishi, Sawanotsuru, and Kikumasamune from Nada, Shirayuki from Itami, and Gekkeikan, Kizakura and Shochikubai from Fushimi.
The group ran various promotion events at various locations in Osaka, giving out 3000 sample bottles of sake as part of the effort.
To me, results aside, the spirit of cooperation (at least the appearances of it) are a very positive sign in the industry.
SUPPLEMENT FROM SAKE KASU
Ozeki, the 3rd largest brewer in Japan, has begun selling a supplement called Profiber ® Plus, made from sake kasu. Although the site is in Japanese, you can buy it and see it here:
http://shop.ozeki.co.jp/fs/ecshop/c/profiberplus/
In includes a lactic bacteria derived from plant material called “Gimune Extract,” or at least that is the best English rendering I can make of it. The product is supposedly beneficial for those that are concerned about their waistline, or tend to eat too many sweets. By performing a second fermentation of sake kasu, the process brings out plant fibers and resistant proteins which have a similar effect as plant fibers, and are not as easily broken down by amino acids as normal proteins.
YEAST #7 ANALYZED
The National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB) through the work of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) was able to complete a genome analysis of Yeast No. 7. They found that 5% of the genomes were different from previously analyzed yeast. Sake yeast is of the same genus as wine, bread and one medical yeast, but was different enough to allow it to ferment at 15C or colder and tolerate alcohol levels of up to 20%. The structure of genes was a bit different too, said the report.
SPACE YEAST IN SHOCHU
15 Shochu brewers in Kagoshima used one of three yeasts and some koji mold that went up in the Endeavor Space Station in May to make Uchu (“Cosmos”, or “Outer Space”) Shochu. Whatevuh.
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YOED ANIS INTERVIEW
Toji at TEXAS SAKE COMPANY
Explain how you got interested in making sake, in Texas.
After travelling to Japan for the first time in 2006, Yoed fell in love with Japanese customs, culture and, especially, with the country’s national drink—sake. When he returned to Austin, he got interested in homebrewing sake.
When Yoed researched further about Texas rice, he found that on the way to the St. Louis World Expo in 1904, a Japanese agricultural delegation traveled through Texas and discovered Texas’ blossoming rice industry. The delegation sent aristocratic farmers with better rice seed, farming methods and technique to Texas, and to everyone’s amazement, the rice from Japan grew even better, produced greater yields and was easier to mill. The fact that this rice is Japanese rice is the only reason we can make sake out of Texas rice. The type and amount of starch found in Japanese rice makes it the only kind that reacts properly to the
koji spores used for fermentation. One reason he believe our sake is so great is because our rice and sake are made with the same water, which gives it great balance.
Yoed set about learning everything he could about sake brewing and eventually got his sake professional certification from renowned sake expert John Gauntner. Because of Austin’s fascination with handmade spirits and its support of all things organic, Yoed felt that Austin would be the perfect place to start his brewery. He is committed to brewing his sake the old fashioned way, by hand using as little automation as possible and it is his belief that this process, combined with the use of organic rice, produces a delicious, complex and robust beverage that is evocative of sake’s from centuries past.
Tell us about the specific rice that you use.
The current form of rice we are using is called Apollo, however, it is a descendant from Early Prolific and Blue Rose, which were in turn decendant from Kiushu. However, the rice maybe a bit of wataribune and chinriki mixed in too. Not sure which strain necessarily did the best. However, more to the point we are not using a modern sake rices, ones which were propagated recently in Japan. Our rice dates back to Japanese rice 100 years ago, and I believe our rice is very similar to that. In that vein we attempt to make Sake in similar methods that they used a 100 years ago to work with the rice, and not against it. Its not a gingo (although we use diagingo brewing methods), its a traditional premium sake that is an ode to both the past (sake as it was made 100 years ago in Japan) and to the future (of developing a new rice terroir in Texas)
In the future we may toy with a sakemai if it works well in the Texas landscape; we'll only use it if it can grow organic and prolifically on its own. Otherwise I'm happy to continue using what we have and highlighting its uniqueness.
Kura Information:
Texas Sake Company
5501 N. Lamar #A115
Austin, TX 78751
512-772-1282
www.txsake.com
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EVENTS
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SPC Alumni Informal Get-Together
December 7, 2011, 7-10pm
Little Crown & Anchor
4755 Spring Mountain Road
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone: (702) 876-4733
The cost will be $30 a person, which will cover “a bunch of bar food, pitchers and pitchers of beer, and of course a good deal of sake.
There is only room for 65, and so if you do plan to attend, please send me an email at sakeguy@gol.com to that purport, and tell me how many in your party. You do not need to have a commitment set in stone; we just need a general headcount. |
For the third year, Etsuko Nakamura, whom many of you know from SPC I and SPC II, will be operating her Sake Tours, again this year visiting Akita and San’in (Tottori and Shimane). I will be participating as well to provide some sake educational lectures.
Below is the announcement from the Sake Tours brochure.
Sake Brewery Tours are 5-day excursions into the world of sake brewing, drinking, and enjoyment, featuring an exclusive seminar with renowned expert and published author, Mr. John Gauntner. Tours of the breweries and dinners with the brewers truly open doors to the new insights to their life and philosophy. Enjoy sumptuous cuisine, luxurious yet quiet relaxing time at hot springs, and excursions to fantastic cultural highlights in areas seldom visited by foreigners.
In 2012, our special excursions take you to experience the best of the snow country in Akita, and to really immerse yourself in sake and culinary traditions in the Land of Myth, in the San-in region.
Akita February 27 - March 2, 2012 (Monday-Friday)
Take this opportunity to enjoy the best of the snow country, Akita. Meet the sake brewers, savor simple inaka-style Akita cuisine, and soak in onsen. Some very memorable experiences you will find only with us are: a visit to a brewer's private historic estate; hands-on soba making experience at a historic sake brewery; memorable private music performance; and more. On the last day, simply relax at the rustic hot springs far away from the city, in the deep snow.
Get Details (http://saketours.com/akita2012.html)
San-in 12-16 March 2011 (Monday-Friday)
Well off the beaten track, San-in offers deep insights into the traditional heritage of sake, tea culture, and history. Local food and sake producers are extending extra hospitality for Sake Brewery Tours so we can offer exquisite experiences to our guests. In addition to a chance to interview sake brewers, some special moments include: a private tour of a wagashi Japanese sweets maker and matcha tea maker, a masterful tea ceremony, and visits to artisanal food producers. Of course, we'll have time to explore the distinctive cultural heritage of the area and to relax at hot springs.
Get Details (http://saketours.com/sanin2012.html)
Please visit http://saketours.com for tour information. Group size is limited to 12.
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Finally,
If you are no longer involved with sake, God forbid, or for any other reason you prefer to not receive this email, then please let us know. We welcome feedback, ideas and contributions from all of the CSP/ASP community.
By all means, all CSP and ASP readers are encouraged to submit content for the SEC newsletter. Don’t be shy!
Until next month, please keep well, and enjoy your sake.
Sake Education Council |
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