BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
Introduction
1. The basics of sake
a. Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice
b. Typically clear and colorless in appearance, some can be pale yellow or green
c. 15—17% ABV, slightly sweet, lightly acidic
d. Light and delicate cereal, lactic (think yogurt), or fruit flavor
2. Four main ingredients
a. Steamed white rice
b. Kōji
i. Mold that is widely used for fermentation
ii. Provides enzymes that break down the starch of the rice grain
c. Water
d. Yeast
i. Converts sugar into alcohol; tiny microorganisms
e. *optional ingredient: high-strength distilled alcohol
3. How alcohol is made
a. Sugar is dissolved into water
b. Yeast is added to this sugary liquid
c. Yeast “eats” the sugar, turning it into alcohol
i. CO2 is also created/released through this chemical reaction
The importance of starch
1. Unlike grapes, sake is not made from sugary fruit; rice grains do not contain sugar
a. Starch is made up of sugar molecules that are bonded into long chains
i. Yeast cannot eat these chains until they’re broken down into individual sugar molecules
ii. Starch conversion
1. Enzyme chemicals unlock these bonds and break down into individual molecules
ii. These enzymes are created by Kōji-mold
d. Basically: when steamed rice and kōji are mixed with water, enzymes created by the mold
convert the starch into sugar; the sugar can be converted into alcohol by the yeast
Steps to making sake
1. Essential production steps
a. Fermentation Starter
i. Ingredients are mixed together; at first, the brewer makes a small starter fermentation to
create a healthy and active yeast population
b. Main Fermentation
i. The starter fermentation is slowly mixed with small amounts of the four primary
ingredients to make a larger batch for the main fermentation
ii. This mixture is built up over a few days
iii. The brewer then lets the mixture ferment for about a month
iv. When fermentation is complete, the new sake typically has ~20% ABV
c. Filtration
i. All sake must, according to law, be filtered
ii. This removes rice solids
d. Bottling
i. Nearly all sakes are packaged in glass bottles
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
2. Optional production steps
a. Adding alcohol
i. High-strength distilled alcohol with neutral flavor can be added before filtration
ii. Helps make sake lighter, cleaner, slightly drier and gives more refreshing flavors
iii. Extracts flavors trapped in the rice solids
b. Adding water
i. Reduction of ABV from ~20% to 15—17%
ii. This step is almost always done but not essential
c. Pasteurization
i. Heat-treatment before or after bottling
ii. Prevents faulty aromas from developing (spoilage)
3. Parallel Fermentation
a. Enzymes from the kōji mold create sugars by converting starch at the same time as the yeast eat
sugar to create alcohol
b. Starch conversion happens at the same time as alcoholic fermentation
c. Unique to sake brewing
Types of sake
1. Basic sake (futsū-shu)
a. Clear and colorless in appearance; some can be pale yellow or green
b. 15—17% ABV
c. Slightly sweet
d. Lightly acidic with delicate lactic, fruity, and cereal flavor
2. Premium sake
a. More complex and can be divided into different grades
i. Divided by flavor and aroma or by the addition of alcohol
b. Typically 15—17% ABV
c. Clear, pale yellow, or green in color
Categorizing premium sake
1. Aromas
a. Floral and fruity
i. These sakes will have pure floral and fruity aromas and less acid and umami
ii. Ginjō
1. Diaginjō means “big ginjō”—purest sake with fruity and floral flavor
b. Cereal and lactic
i. More acid and umami than the ginjō styles
ii. Honjōzō and Junmai
iii. Junmai actually means “pure rice” (see below)
2. Whether or not distilled alcohol has been added
a. Added alcohol
i. Honjōzo, ginjō, and daiginjō
b. No alcohol added
i. Junmai, Junmai ginjō, Junmai daiginjō
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
Making different styles of sake
1. Steamed white rice
a. Begins as grains of brown rice that go through four-stage process
i. Polishing
ii. Washing
iii. Soaking
iv. Steaming
b. Rice grains are made of three parts
i. Outer layers
1. Brown in color, contain starch and other components that give sake extra acidity,
umami, and cereal flavor
ii. Middle layers
1. White in color, contains starch and other components as well
iii. Starch core
1. White in color, almost pure starch
2. Polishing
a. Grains are dropped past rotating rough stone and repeated
i. Chips a little off the outside, slowly removes the outer as well as some of the middle
layers of the grains (making the rice white in color)
ii. How much of the middle layers to remove has a significant impact on the style of sake
b. Removing some middle layers
i. Resulting sake will have more acidity and umami, with cereal and lactic aromas
c. Removing most middle layers
i. Leaving the core, which is almost pure starch, the sake will typically have less acid and
umami and more fruity, floral aromas
d. Higher polishing ratios = polished less / lower polishing ratios = polished more
e. Polishing ratio is defined by Japanese law and expressed as a percentage
i. If the law requires a ratio of 60%, this means that only 60% or less of the original grain
remains after polishing
f. Polishing ratio is the percentage of the original rice grain that remains after polishing
3. Ratios
a. >70%, can be used to make junmai but this is uncommon
b. ≤70%, used to make honjōzō and most junmai
c. ≤60%, used to make ginjō or junmai ginjō
d. ≤50%, used to make daiginjō or junmai daiginjō
4. Washing, soaking, and steaming
a. Washing removes the dust on rice grains left from polishing process
b. Soaking, and then steaming the grains ensures they have the correct texture and level of moisture
so they can break up into the water during fermentation
Making kōji
1. Kōji is the mold that is grown on steamed white rice that provides essential enzymes
2. Takes place in a special series of room in a sake brewery
a. Temperature and humidity controlled very precisely
3. Four key stages to making kōji:
a. Cooling the steamed rice
i. Rice is spread out on mats to cool naturally after steaming
b. Spreading mold over steamed rice
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
i. Warmest and most humid part of the kōji room
ii. Spread out in a thin layer on a large table and mold spores are spread over the rice
c. Initial mold growth
i. Mold grows rapidly over rice
ii. Rice is turned regularly by hand to ensure even growth
d. Controlling and stopping mold growth
i. Sometimes transferred to racks and moved to cooler and less humid parts
ii. Goal of brewer is to slow mold growth so an exact amount can be grown
iii. To stop growth completely, the rice can be removed from the kōjji room
4. Steamed white rice has a slightly sticky texture / kōji has a dry, crumbly texture
5. The small amount of steamed white rice, kōji, water and yeast that the brewer uses to build a
healthy yeast population is called the SHUBO or FERMENTATION STARTER
Fermentation and style
1. Special yeast strains
a. Choice of yeast and temperature of fermentation can affect style
b. Yeast is where the most flavor in sake comes from
c. Special yeast strains are used to create fruity and floral ginjō styles
2. Temperature control
a. Cooler temperatures create fruity and floral ginjō aromas
b. Warmer temperatures create earthy, spicy, and cereal/lactic aromas
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
Japanese labeling terms and specialty styles
Japanese symbols are known as kanji
Junmai 純米
a. Left character (jun, meaning “pure”) – imagine right hand part as someone holding up their arms,
stopping the brewer from adding any impurities to the sake
b. Right character (mai, meaning “rice”) – kind of stylized rice plant
Honjōzō 本醸造
a. Left character (hon, meaning “origin”) – looks like an arrow
b. Middle character (jō, meaning “fermentation”) – left part looks like bottle
c. Right character (zō, meaning “production”) – looks like factory
Ginjō 吟醸
a. Left character (gin, meaning “scrutinized” or “examined”) – eye looking at something
b. Right character (jō, meaning “fermentation”) – left part looks like bottle
Daiginjō 大吟醸
a. Left character (dai, meaning “big” or “great”) – outstretched arms
b. Middle character (gin, meaning “scrutinized” or “examined”) – eye looking at something
c. Right character (jō, meaning “fermentation”) – left part looks like bottle
Specialty styles can also be a grade of premium sake or a futsū-shu
1. Nama are unpasteurized sakes
a. “Nama-zake”
b. Should be consumed shortly after release and refrigerated at all times
c. Can taste particularly lively & fresh; can rapidly develop spicy, malty aromas (negative to some)
2. Nigori are roughly filtered sakes
a. No sake is “unfiltered” by law
b. These sakes are cloudy due to suspended particles of rice
3. Sparkling sakes are created when CO2 is dissolved in the liquid
a. Some can also be nigori as well
4. Koshu are aged sakes that are amber or brown in color
a. It is not usual to age sakes, but brewers do to change appearance, aroma, and flavor
b. Can be aged in various vessels either in bulk or individual bottles
i. Storage tanks, terracotta, glass bottles, wood (rarely oak)
c. Can be aged at room temperature or low temperatures (sometimes below freezing)
d. Most is richly textured and sweet, pronounced aromas of nuts, dried fruit, and even meat and
pickled vegetables – although some can be paler and more delicate
i. Think “tertiary” re: wine
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
Storage, service, and sake food pairing
1. Service-ware
a. Wine glasses
i. Ideal for serving premium sake either chilled or room temperature
ii. Small enough for sake to stay at right temperature (surface area)
iii. Tulip-shaped to enhance the aromas
b. Masu
i. Japanese word for small box made of cedar wood (adds flavor to sake)
ii. Historically used for measuring rice, occasionally used as vessel for ceremonial occasions
c. Tokkuri
i. Japanese word for sake carafe used for heating and serving sake
ii. Most common are ~150—300-mL and made of pottery
d. O-choko
i. Japanese word for traditional sake cup
ii. Most common are small pottery or glass cups with flat base
iii. Small size means must be frequently refilled, reflecting tradition of Japanese hospitality
2. Service temperature
a. Not all styles of sake are suitable for serving warm, but it smooths the texture
i. Sweeter, more umami, less bitter (helps when pairing with food)
ii. Ginjō styles lose their aromas and flavors when heated, best served chilled
b. Warming methods
i. Water bath – water heated to ~80ºC (176ºF), two to four minutes for small tokkuri
ii. Chilled – in a fridge, served directly or decanted
iii. Small microwave – 20—40 seconds to warm 180-mL
1. Water heats at almost the same speed as sake
3. Recommended service temperatures
a. Futsū-shu, junmai, honjōzō
i. Chilled (6—13ºC / 43—55ºF)
ii. Room Temperature (15—18ºC / 59—64ºF)
iii. Warm/Hot (40—50ºC / 104—122ºF)
b. Ginjō styles
i. Chilled (6—13ºC / 43—55ºF)
ii. Room Temperature (15—18ºC / 59—64ºF) – personal preference
c. Sparkling sake
i. Chilled (6—13ºC / 43—55ºF)
d. Koshu, nigori
i. Generally best served chilled, but some can be served warm
4. Storing sake
a. General guidelines
i. Keep it cool
ii. Drink it young
iii. Store the bottle upright
iv. Avoid bright light (could cause faulty aromas to develop)
b. Once opened, sake bottle should be sealed and stored in a refrigerator
i. Open bottles generally last two weeks, more delicate ginjō might remain fresh one week
c. Common faults
i. Oxidation – open too long / unwelcome aromas of caramel and toffee, deep in color
ii. Out of condition – too old / unwelcome aromas of caramel, toffee, picked vegetables;
becomes deeper in color
BISUTORO SAKE TRAINING
SKAGGS 2022
iii. Nama-hine – the development of unpleasant aromas of malt, meat, and rotting vegetables
1. Particularly for unpasteurized sakes (nama)
Random: WHO recommends 75-mL or 2.5-oz of sake at 15—17% as one unit of alcohol
Interactions with food
1. Positive: when food is salty or acidic
a. Sake seems less drying and bitter, less acidic, sweeter, more fruity (same as wine)
2. Negative: when food is umami, sweet and has chili heat, bitter
a. Sake seems more drying and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and less fruity
b. Salt in food can cancel out the negative impact of umami
c. Chili can also increase the burning effect of alcohol