In this issue:

• Sake "Independence" ? A Day To Reflect
• Sake & Bar-B-Q ? The Do's and Don'ts
• Sake Bombs ? The Dubious American Way
• New Store Arrivals
• Special Events
• Sake Vibes
• "Ask Beau"
• The SECRET WORD

It has been said that sake is the national beverage of Japan. You will get no argument from me for this claim. Knowing as much about the history of the rice culture and the great lengths that the government has become intertwined with the sake industry I find it quite easy to say that yes this beverage represents a people and a distinct way of life. Sake is Japan and Japan is sake. Well as much as wine is France and Beer is Germany.

I would argue however that this was much more the case before the war when Japan was an isolated island nation. With the opening of commerce into Japan wine and spirits became hugely popular, as many of the younger generation wanted or longed to be like other people of the world. Why drink your father's drink? Why drink sake when you could sip a California Chardonnay or Irish whiskey? Booze became an affordable means for "escapism." As such sake lost its stranglehold on the "identity" of a nation via an alcohol. And to this day it has not captured the enthusiasm of the younger generation to fuel its future success.

Now when sake hit our shores it was an amazing thing! A hot booze, how novel. You will have to read my book (coming out in Spring 2006) to get my take on this libation with no education that jumped into the spotlight. Suffice it to say though we embraced this beverage with a zest that has not been seen in Japan for decades. Sake was so darn unique. Of course we were not drinking it in the best fashion ? super heated butane, but we enjoyed the "newness" of it.

As more and more sake awareness takes hold in the US and abroad, consumers are quite surprised and delighted to know that sake is quite a different beast than the jet-fuel served at lava temperatures of days past. Sake is more complex and dare I say more wine-like than the perceived hard alcohol misconception. And herein lies a potential problem. The brewers of sake today have embraced this "wine-like" quality to a certain extent. They are making sake with more wine-like qualities, they are marketing sake with more wine-like terminologies, and they are encouraging the sale and consumption of sake in a wine- like manner. In a word they are trying to align sake with wine in many cases.

(Loud thunderous music, cymbals crashing, drums pounding, trumpets blaring ? and the image of people throwing British tea over the side of sailing vessels in Boston) To the brewers of sake that I have consulted to, to my friends who are brewers, and to those in the sake industry across the board I say REVOLT! I say strike up our INDEPENDENCE. Sake is sake! It is not wine. It is not one of the 4,000 wine labels that Americans have a choice of buying. Sake is unique, and we should keep it that way. The fact that sake is different is the differentiator that is so beautiful. Thus think in terms of SAKE INDEPENDENCE. Independent of all that wine out there, all that beer, and of course all that booze. Keep wine over there, beer over there, spirits over there and sake here away from them; keep sake on its own ? independent.

Back to top

Yes, sake goes well with your Weber. Many of you know about Bob Kantor's place called Memphis Minis on Haight Street in SF, where sake comes face to face with the biggest badass rack of ribs in town. Bob swears that sake and Bar-B-Q dance the forbidden dance and I most certainly agree. But the trick is matching the sake to the type of charred substance. Meaning it takes a certain kind of sake to pair well with your holiday-grilled excellence. Here are some basic tips to help you look like a rock-star when you show up to a BYOB Bar-B-Q party:

• If you are grilling meats with lots of sauce stay with a sake that has lots of fortitude. Think about acidity levels and try to pair the meats to sakes that have higher acidity identities. For example think about matching your Bar-B-Q'd meats with Nama "unpasteurized" sakes that are genshu "undiluted." Or look for Yamahai (old-style sakes using open-air yeasts) or Kimoto (old-style sakes that arte pole-rammed). If all else fails I always like to use very dry Junmai sakes with tons of grain and smoky characteristics. Deep rich sakes with more earth tones such as soil, leaves, mushroom, and wood elements tend to dance better than a fruity sake.
• If you are grilling fish or light fowl on the coals then I say look for bigger Ginjo sakes that have pronounced layers and are balanced well. I prefer sakes with more mouth feel or gooeyness if you will. Plump sakes with higher amino acidity that really fill the recesses of your mouth with flavor. I think fruit-forward sakes work great with grilled fish and chicken.
• If you like your veggies tossed to hell's fires then I say get goofy and try a nigori (unfiltered) sake. These sakes tend to be very fruit forward and straight-talkers and as such they bring out the sweetness in veggies on the grill. I prefer nigoris with a hint of coconut to make the veggies feel more like a Thai grilled concoction.
• Lastly, if the weenie is in the works I say pair that Hot Dog with a creamy Junmai that is silky as all-get-out. A silky Junmai along the lines of a Nishinoseki that has an almost buttery- popcorn tonality that pulls well with a bun.

Back to top

The origins of the "Sake Bomb" are as confusing as who created the Caesar Salad! Some say that American sailors practiced their "depth charges" when stationed in Japan; while others say that it occurred late one evening in Manhattan when some Japanese businessmen watched several locals drinking "boiler makers" and tried it with sake. I will say that I prefer the former scenario, because the Japanese love their sake too much to muddy it with beer! Regardless, "Sake Bombs" have become a cult beverage ritual unto themselves, and the future will not see this ill-conceived practice ending anytime soon. I say ill conceived on account of the singular fact that drinkers would never entertain the idea of doing Chardonnay Bombs or Cabernet Bombs or would they? And as I am a purist but not a snob, and despite the fact that "Sake Bombs" confirm the misconception that sake is a hard alcohol, I have decided to use my professional sake tasting skills to guide you through this bomb field. (All pun intended)

But first a special memory that is fun story telling. Several years back I was in Osaka, Japan having dinner with John Gauntner, Philip Harper, and Yasutaka Daimon ? owner of Daimon Sake Brewery. We were drinking the entire sake menu of a restaurant when I casually mentioned the phenomenon known as "Sake Bombs." Yasutaka said "What? Sake Bombs?" and I sheepishly told him about this dubious sake-related concoction. The story is funnier when you can visualize a person of some authority first lowering their eyebrows in disgust than opening their eyes wide in fascination. "I want to try a Sake Bomb," were the next words out of his mouth. The three of us persuaded this great sake-soul to not enter the world of sake-sub-culture. Knowing Daimon- san, I personally believe that he has tried it by himself.

So here are the bloody details and recommendations. I have "heard" of about ten different methods and two stand out above the rest. The first requires a pair of chopsticks and a firm forehead. In this approach you take a pint of beer and place the chopsticks spread in a mild "V" on top of the beer glass. Then you place a sake cup filled with hot sake on the closed end of the chopsticks. At this point you can either pound the table or bar with your hands until the sake plops down into the beer ? cup and all ? or you can use your head! You make the call. (I have seen the negative side of having to use your head twice or three times to make the cup fall) The second method of doing a Sake Bomb is to use a pint glass filled with beer with the hot cup of sake sitting beside the glass. Without using your hands, you must pick the hot sake cup up with your teeth so as to not burn your lips and carry the vessel over to the awaiting cool bath of brew. More often than not a splash of heated beer douses your face in this process, which makes it a better dare!

Again, a Sake Bomb is purely a drinking novelty void of any rationale other than to have fun. But to make it more fun I say why not taste the sake, so use a big dry cheap honjozo that will be at the very least slightly discernable amongst the beer flow. Bombs away!

Back to top

The new "Summer Nama-sakes" are in, and worth a try. Just like last summer we are carrying nama (unpasteurized) sake from Umenishiki (Dai Ginjo) and Ohyama (Junmai) ? this was hands down the most popular nama of all unpasteurized sakes that we sold last year. We also are carrying a new nama from Tsukasabotan in 300ml for those wanting to try a little bottle. We also still have Masumi's Arabashiri, which is also incredibly popular, but will soon be sold out. Keep a look out for a new nigori and sparkling sake from Gekkeikan. Lastly, we are introducing a new Junmai Ginjo called "Kaori" from Tamanohikari the brilliant brewery from Fushimi who usually make sake with the Omachi rice strain, but switch things up for Kaori.

You can review many of our sakes on our web site: www.truesake.com

Back to top

• July 19 ? "Day of the Dai Ginjos"
  This sake tasting will feature 6 amazing sakes that represent the best of the best of what breweries have to offer. Dai Ginjos are the pinnacle of a brewery's abilities and these sakes will remind all that sake is indeed a godly beverage. This is a tasting event focusing on the sake rather than a pairing event, but there will be some substantial compatible appetizers. We recommend eating out after the event. And on account of the fact that Dai Ginjo's are more expensive this tasting will sell for $65/person with a maximum of 20 seats. This event will take place at the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Order early because these events sell out quickly. Call the store to reserve your seat now ? 415.355.9555
  
  
• August 17th (tentative) ? The "Seafood & Sake" pairing/tasting.
  This is a great chance to pair some of the freshest seafood with the freshest sakes available in the US. This tasting is based on a sake- food pairing motif where the food is as good as the brew. A bargain at $45/person with a 40-seat limit. Tickets will go on sale August 1st.
  
  
• September 15th ? The Joy Of Sake tasting spectacular.
  Circle your calendars, because September 15th will see history repeat itself for the 3rd time in San Francisco, as this event is the definitive sake tasting event outside of Japan. This is an amazing occasion that should not be missed by anybody who reads this Newsletter or visits True Sake. It is the only time and place where you will have access to over 150 sakes, some of which are not even available in the US. Add to that over 12 fantastic restaurants preparing sake food, makes this THE SAKE EVENT OF 2005. True Sake is a sponsor of this event and we highly recommend that you take your appreciation to the next level. Tickets will soon be available at True Sake or participating restaurants. You can also buy tickets at The Joy of Sake staring early next month. If you purchase your tickets on-line or at a restaurant please tell them that True Sake urged your participation. We want the organizers to know the vastness of the True Sake community.

Back to top

I was approached by several readers of the Newsletter to share more sake brewery websites so what follows is a list of some fun and crazy sake websites. Some are in English, but I prefer the Japanese-side of these bi-lingual sites. Enjoy!

• The Hakutsuru Brewery in Kobe. They have a great museum for old style production techniques and you can see a bit of it on their website.
• The Urakasumi Brewery is one of my soul-brother breweries. I like looking around the Japanese side of the site as well:
  Urakasumi - Japanese
• The Gekkeikan USA website has good general info about sake made in the USA.
• Takara Sake. Another sake brewer in the US. This site for Sho Chiku Bai is worth a look for style and crispness.
• Fukumitsuya is the only "other" store in the world that I know of that sells just sake. The difference is that they only sell their sake. A cool website.
• Daishichi Sake Brewery. Love this brewery for so many reasons, and it shows because we carry 5 of their sakes.

• Tsukasabotan. I love this brewery too and we sell 4 of their brews at True Sake.
• Hokkaido Brewery This is the great Hokkaido brewery and their website is cool, like the weather up North.
• This is a section of the Japan Prestige Sake Association's website in Japan.
• Jizake.com. This the largest on-line seller of sake in Japan.

Back to top

I recently received an email from Tim G from Oakland, California who asked "Why don't you sell American-made sakes in your store?" Firstly Tim the "store rule" to not carry domestic sakes is purely a reaction to the fact that you can buy most American-made sakes in large grocery stores. Sake from Momokawa, Ozeki, Gekkeikan, Sho Chiku Bai to name a few are available at various outlets, and I seen no reason to double their exposure at the risk of not introducing imported sakes from Japan. The more American sake the less Japanese sake, and it has always been my goal to bring as many Japanese sakes to my customers as possible. Both the heads of Gekkeikan Japan and Gekkeikan USA were in my store and asked the same question. They pressed on as to my opinion of American made sakes, and I was blunt ? I do not like them!

There are many reasons why I do not prefer foreign made sake ? USA, Australia, South America etc. For one we do not have the greatest brewing water, although many local breweries would beg to differ. And secondly we do not have the greatest brewing rice. And of course these two ingredients are the two most important. There is also something also to be said for small batch sakes made by hand with old equipment. This is not the case in the foreign sake example as most facilities are large scale, automated, and are relatively new in scope ? most opened in the early 80's.

All sake is good! But I happen to prefer sake made in Japan. It is up to you the drinkers to try all types of sake, albeit domestic or Japanese made. Sake is an individualistic sport and preferences should always be unique. And of course even bad sake is better than Shochu and wine!

Please send your sake specific questions to askbeau2 @ truesake.com. (This address is not for general questions and I only review the questions once per month. All correspondence should use info @ truesake.com.)

Back to top

Man I am so pleased with myself! Last month I decided to imbed the SECRET WORD within the text of the Newsletter to keep the "scrollers" from scrolling down just to get the word without reading my glorious durge! At least 20 people came to the counter laughing that they were "caught" by surprise. We shall see if I do the same this month. For those who are new to the SECRET WORD, this is a chance to receive a 50% discount off of a sake of my choosing to aid your "habit" and sake knowledge-gathering path. Per usual only one bottle per reader and those abroad must order three other sakes to fill out a 4-pack shipper to get the SECRET WORD sake. Merely mutter/utter/whisper the SECRET WORD and you shall receive the sacred sauce.

July's sake is one that I review in my soon-to-be-released book, and represents the Ginjo category where the rice is polished at least 40% with 60% remaining and has added brewer's alcohol. I enjoy the flavor of this Ginjo has there are many hidden subtleties on all different levels. In other words it is layered pleasantly and drinks like a story! The sake is called Manyou No Koubai "10,000 Apricot Blossoms" from Wakayama Prefecture. SMV: + 3.5 and Acidity: 1.2 This is a very low acidity level and would appeal to those who like their sakes very subtle void of booziness. The importers of this sake are a local SF start-up called Tanabata Imports and they carry about 10 sakes and one very famous plum wine.

This month's SECRET WORD is "Sake Bombs."

Back to top

Thank you for reading!

True Sake