Welcome to the December Issue of America's sake-centric newsletter. In this issue think gifting sake for the holidays, don't UV your Ginjo Dude, January 1st sake traditions, why oil and water don't mix, and of course the fruitier side of sake.

And note our holiday hours:

• December 24th (X-mas Eve) True Sake will be open from 11-4PM
• December 31st (New Year's Eve) True Sake will be open 12-5PM

In this issue:

• True Sake Holidays - The True Gift Packs
• Sake Spotlight - New Year's Day And Sake!
• Sake Moment - Purposely Abusing Sake
• Sake Bummer - Oil Slick Blues
• True Sake Quick Hit - Kiji Restaurant
• True Sake In The News - NY Times, US Airways Magazine, Sunset Magazine
• New Store Arrivals - Mini Mu and Mini Suigei
• Special Events - January Junmai Tasting (Room Temp Brews)
• "Ask Beau" - "What type of Sakes Are On The Fruitier Side with Low Acidity?"
• The SECRET WORD

Each and every day somebody will ask why I opened True Sake? And each day I reply, "Because I needed a place to buy good sake!" But there was more to it than that. I mean opening a dedicated sake store is a pretty risky proposition. That is called faith in your product. Well yes, I had faith in sake, and knew that others would soon see the light. But there were two other factors as to why I believed that the west (as in outside of Japan) was ready for a store that only sells sake. Firstly, at some point in time, everybody and I mean everybody has been given a "sake set" as a gift - from Pottery Barn or Target or brought back from Japan. So with all of these "rampant" sake sets floating around it amused me that people didn't know what to put in them. They had the vessel but not the brew itself.

Secondly, and this by far has become one of the main drivers of my business - sake is a great gift. Three out of every ten people who purchase sake do so in a gifting capacity. They come in and say "I'd like to bring a bottle of sake to a party - what do you recommend?" or they will offer "I want to give a unique gift this year to my wine drinking friends - what should I get? Etc. Gifting of sake is HUGE! There are many reasons - the uniqueness of sake, the over saturation of wine, the tie in with sushi, and of course the amazingly beautiful packaging.

When I take a bottle of sake to a party and stack it amongst all of the wine and some spirits that others bring as gifts almost always the bottle of sake is opened first and consumed far quicker than the other libations (no it's not me opening and slugging it down - not always!) There is just a fascination with nihonshu right now. So to capture that gift giving spirit we at True Sake have produced "True Packs" for the holidays. These gift boxes (very clean) hold three 300ml sakes and they have room for one of my books. In each Pack we give out a review and information about each of the brews. Great for those who want to know more as they drink more! The True Packs are as follows:

• The Sake 101 Pack
  • Urakasumi Junmai
  • Wakatake Junmai Ginjo
  • Yaegaki Mu Junmai Dai Ginjo
  • With signed copy of "Sake - A Modern Guide" by me.
  • $62

• The Designer Pack (really beautiful bottles)
  • Koshi no Omachi Junmai Dai Ginjo
  • Tenzan Junmai Genshu
  • Bunraku Yamahai Junmai
  • With signed book $69 and without $52

• The Dry and Bold Pack (each bottle has a manly image!)
  • Suigei Junmai
  • Shichi Hon Yari Junmai
  • Murai Family Tokubetsu Honjozo
  • With signed book $57 and without $40

• The Bright and Beautiful Pack (each bottle has a pretty image!)
  • Kudoki Jozu Junmai Ginjo
  • Nanbu Bijin Junmai Ginjo
  • Kaguyahime Junmai
  • With signed book $56 and without $39

• The Nigori "Unfiltered" Pack
  • Oimatsu Junmai Nigori
  • Hakutsuru Junmai Nigori
  • Hitorimusume Junmai Nigori
  • With signed book $53 and without $36

• The Hanukkah Pack (this is not kosher but the bottles are blue and cool)
  • Kan Chiku Junmai Dai Ginjo
  • Amanoto Junmai Ginjo Usu-Nigori
  • Hakutsuru Junmai Dai Ginjo
  • With signed book $59 and without $42

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What if I told you that all of your ills and bad lucks to come would go away if you offered somebody a cup of sake? What if I told you that you could make amends for all of your "transgressions" if you offered a cup of sake to a stranger? And what if I told you that you could become as rich and famous as you so desire if you offered a cup of sake to somebody other than yourself? Hmmmmm I am saying that most of you would say show me the bottle!

The history of sake is not as crude as this, but it has always been a mainstay when praying to the gods. Sake has always and will always be an offering of sorts to those greater than ourselves for anything from producing a banner crop this year to having that boy that you always wanted. Most every religion in Japan incorporated the use of sake to make offerings and to bless things, lands, people etc. Sake was and will continue to be the elixir that defines a country's morays and traditions, and it has both an ancient and modern usage.

No other day sees the "need" for sake like New Year's Day. This was the day that fathers would welcome gods into their houses for a sip of sake and humble words. I have not witnessed this act in person, but I have both been told in great detail and have read the typical process to make an effective offering. Essentially the head of the house would put on his best clothes, have a small food offering of high quality, and of course would have an o'choko of sake poured for the arrival of the god. They would first walk around the house speaking about its contents and any stories that the year had provided. Then they would sit for a bit of sake and food. And lastly the cup - sill filled - would be placed in a shrine if the household had one. Sound weird? I don't think so. Don't we all have that imaginary friend that we talk to?

Typically sake is opened the night before on New Year's Eve to celebrate, and what is left over is steeped in herbs for several hours and then served warm on New Year's Day. And yes kids get to have some. (How cool is that?) They celebrate well-being and life appreciation. It is an opportunity to be thankful and to ask for a special favor if needed. All in all it represents another way that sake is meshed into the fabric of Japanese culture and tradition, and it bears trying here in the US.

I say grab a bottle of sake for New Year's eve ring in the New Year and then save a little bit for the next day. And whilst watching college football bowl games warm a cup of sake and be thankful!

Also to think about we currently stock 10 different sparking sakes - so if you don't like your champagne hangovers then get a bright and fresh rice libation that drinks so well from a champagne flute.

Likewise we currently stock 4 different Kinpaku or "Gold Flake" Sakes that are very festive and are very much a part of the gift giving season.

Stop by True Sake or phone 415.355.9555 and we will cover all of your holiday sake needs!

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Recalling past Newsletter issues it is obvious that I like to abuse sake. No not heavy drinking! No not sake bongs or sake body shots (not yet at least), rather putting sake under duress to see what happens. We continually create experiments to see how well sake stands up to the "elements" of transportation and storage and the keeping of brews once released from well-conditioned breweries.

Typically what I do is to take two bottles from the same batch - keep one in good condition (store in a dark and cool place or even in the fridge) and the other goes to sake hell in one way or another. For example four years ago I took two bottles of Kan Chiku Junmai Dai Ginjo - put one in my basement and the other in my store's window display. What? You put sake in direct sunlight? Yes-sir-ee! For two months that bottle had direct hot sunlight hitting it each and every day. This is a big No-No in the world of handling most alcohols. But I wanted to see what the ultimate effect would be on the brew.

During a big tasting (The Comfort Food and Sake Pairing) I pulled the two bottles out and let the tasters try two exact bottles of the same sake. Obviously the color of the window sake had turned more golden and the nose became muskier. But this didn't translate to bad tasting sake - in fact 75% of the tasters preferred the damaged sake to the well-kept bottle. Thus proving my point that if a sake is made well - it will drink well even under the harshest of mishandlings.

Fast forward to November 2007 to an experiment that Lynette Harui (from True Sake) did involving the same parameters of a well-kept bottle and a bottle of sake that got screwed! Lynette wanted to see the effects of florescent lights on sake and she picked Taisetsu from Hokkaido, which has a very light clear blue bottle - for easy light penetration. She put one bottle in a box and placed it in our storage rack in the back of the store. The other bottle she placed in the multi-colored light and bottle display in the store. (The display with the bottles on their sides with light coming through the bottom of the bottle.) For three months that sake took enough florescent light to light up the Time Square. Not to mention that it took considerable heat as well.

Light and heat all-day and everyday - basically enough to really destroy a sake (in theory). We watched as the color of the sake changed from a clear fluid to a light caramel color. Finally we could stand it no more - the daily screams coming from the light display - the moans of agony were too much so we decided to put the little guy of his misery. At one of our True Sake staff tastings we tried both sakes side by side (Please see the photo for this section - the damaged sake is standing on its cap upside down) chilled and out of wine shaped glasses. (I won't mention names but one of our tasters said "No way" to trying this experiment but capitulated when the bottles opened.)

It is often the case that I do not know which sake to try first. Do the damaged brew first and then compare it to the un-damaged version thus ensuring that you are tasting the damage with no preconceived notions of what it should taste like? Or do the un-damaged sake first to set a basis, which is better for defining how much the brew has changed? We chose the later.

The well-kept Taisetsu drank clean and mellow with slight fruit elements on a light texture. A very drinkable Junmai Ginjo with a soft fruity nose and traces of minerals. The nose on the florescent sake was pretty musky but still had some fruit amongst the dirty aromas. The damaged sake drank even softer than the undamaged brew and there was indeed a presence of Koshu-like qualities - the flavor went from fruity to more earthy but it still drank incredibly smooth. I was thinking the term "Koshu-Light" or "Semi-Koshu" as in partially aged sakes. Then I really started thinking (yes out of the box per usual) that maybe there could be a market for "light-aged sakes" for those who do not want the full and beefy flavors of pure Koshu (aged for more than two years), which tend to be rich and heavy. Yes sounds crazy - I know - taking a sake that was made to taste like something and changing it so it would taste like something else. Not very true to the brew! But the flavor and the feeling of the damaged sake was so drinkable that it confirmed what I said before. If it is built well then it will drink well.

"Why do this stuff?" you may ask. The answer is simple. Not everybody stores and conditions sake like we do at True Sake. We are fanatics because we care so much. But there are a lot of sake selling places that do not care and they do not condition their brews well. And it is reassuring to know that good sakes will still taste good to unsuspecting consumers who feel that they are getting the real deal, when it fact they are getting damaged product. I will pass on the results of Lynette's experiment to the brewery, so they know that even if their babies get smacked around that they still drink well. And hopefully this Sake Moment will inspire you to test the boundaries of your favorite brews, and if you are new to the Newsletter perhaps it will put you at ease if you have left a gift bottle of sake on your mantle for two or three years. If it is built well - it should drink well!

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Add oil spills to the list of natural and un-natural occurrences that have adverse effects on the sake industry. Forget Typhoons and early frosts - forget rice eating insect invasions or excessively hot summers. In November a loser of a shipping captain took a chance and tried to navigate San Francisco Bay by using "the Force." With no radar and heavy fog said loser hit a bridge! Yup smacked a bridge - The Bay Bridge to be exact. The result of such abused Jedi Mind Skills were 58,000 of crude oil floating across the Bay and up and down the coast. I was quite peeved on two counts - well three actually if you consider my concern for the environment being an actual peeve. Firstly I swim in the bay. I am one of those crazy Alcatraz and GG Bridge swimmers out of the South End Rowing Club. And the beaches were all closed, including ours! That said we have some hard asses in the club and for certain I thought that we would have some guys hitting the water with floating globs of fuel! They didn't and neither did I. It was nasty, and never before have I been so close to something "that you see on TV but never happens to me." I will never forget looking out over Aquatic Park and watching dozens of birds splashing/twitching/shaking themselves trying to get the oil off of their feathers. What a bummer.

My second peeve about this oil slick was that I had to cancel our very famous Kani Night (Crab Night) which pairs fresh crab prepared 6 different ways with 6 sakes. They delayed the official opening of Crab Season and as a result we had no crab. No crab = No Kani Night. And that is my Sake Bummer of the Month. (But if you have access to fresh crab or other shellfish don't forget to pair those babies with sake!)

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I snuck into Kiji (http://www.kijirestaurant.com) - a small sushi restaurant on Guerrero - for a quick meal and a glass or two. With roughly 20 sakes on the menu they have a good selection from Gokyo Junmai to several Honjozo offerings. They also do a daily sake sampler that is pretty exciting! My food choice for the evening was a daily special Aji Tataki for $14.

The Aji Tataki was beautifully prepared and consisted of chopped Spanish mackerel with chopped ginger, scallions and a ponzu sauce with the skeleton of the fish curved up on a wooden stick! (After you are done with the dish they deep fry the entire skeleton and bring it back to you with a little soy sauce and lemon.)

I selected the Dassai Junmai Ginjo (4.5oz pour for $9) to pair with the raw fish and the salty and smoky deep fried skeleton. The smoothness of the brew really went well with the softness of the fish and the ponzu pulled out a little fruit. The oil of the fish and the deep fried skeleton was enhanced by the thickness of the sake, which really holds the flavor. The flesh was oily but not greasy - rich but not heavy - so the fat sake really made the dish taste fresher. The scallions and chunks of chopped ginger brought out a brightness to the dish that also danced with the plump fruit flavors of the Dassai.

In a word the balance of Dassai is what really made this pairing work! It calmed the snappy components like ginger, scallion, and ponzu and it melted with the nice oil of the mackerel. Definitely a pairing worth $23.

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In the NY Times Sunday Magazine there was a small section about Hayes Valley and True Sake!

There is a nice piece in the US Airways Magazine that interviews John Gauntner and a sommelier in Las Vegas with a brief mention of True Sake.

In the December issue of Sunset Magazine (pg 22) there is small little piece called "Sake for the holidays" and they have several recommendations from the good folks at Zilla Sake House (in Portland) for gifting brews.

Also check out the Nov/Dec issue of Imbibe magazine and look for True Sake on page 15!

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We have received new bottle size offerings from the ever popular Yaegaki Mu Junmai Dai Ginjo and Suigei "Drunken Whale" Junmai. Think 300ml's! And the fresh batch of Kudoki Jozu 720ml's is now on the shelf! We are almost out of the Fall Drafts - Hiyaoroshi - so if you didn't try them now is your last chance.

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

Our inventory list is here.

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Jan 28th - The Room Temperature Junmai Tasting How about a cold weather sake tasting on the fly? This event will be the first of many to come on Monday's across the street from True Sake at a restaurant called Sebo. (Sebo is closed on Monday's so we want to use their space to spread the sake gospel.) We will pour 7 different Junmai sakes at room temperature in a very casual setting. There will be no real food service just some dry snacks. Come and go as you please. $10/person at the door and no credit cards will be accepted. 5-8PM • What: 7 Junmai Sakes served at room temperature to explore true Junmai flavor! • Time: 5-8PM - Come as you go! No formal lecture - just tasting and discussions! • Where: Sebo Restaurant, 517 Hayes St., across the street from True Sake. • How Much: Pay at the door - $10/taster CASH ONLY NO CREDIT CARDS! • What Else: No reservations necessary.

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Got a very specific question from a gentleman who saw a segment about True Sake on television. I get these questions quite often because people are quite curious about my trademarked TasteMatch^TM system where I identify sakes that a person would enjoy if they can speak to their wine and beer profiles (likes and dislikes). This system has proven to be incredibly helpful and accurate and it does take out much of the guesswork for buying a bottle of sake. At the end of this "Ask Beau" I will include my definition of the TasteMatch^TM system. Here now is the question from Darien G from San Jose:

I saw your segment on In Wine Country and had a question for you. You mentioned that you try to pair people's wine taste to their Sake choice. Well I tend to prefer the fruitier varietals of wine, (White Zinfandel, Riesling, etc.). Beringer White Zin is probably my favorite wine. I just can't get into the acidic reds like Cabernet or Chianti. What type of Sake that is more on the fruity side would you recommend for me? Thank you, Darien

Firstly thank you for the question Darien and let me comfort you by saying you are not alone! There is a vast and growing universe of folks who have a problem with highly acidic wines, and they are looking for a new home! Well the door to "Sake World" is wide open and we have plenty of room for new consumers.

Sake - in general - has about 1/3 the acidity (overall number) of wine. It also has far lower histamines and of course it is void of additives and preservatives such as sulphites. As I like to say "sake is a cleaner burning fuel." And indeed we get a lot of people in the store who complain about how they feel after that big glass of Cab or that snappy white. We are all different and acidity works for some but not for others, and as such on every one of our reviews at True Sake we provide an "Acidity" number/reading that is based on an "over-all number." We could also provide an Amino Acid number for each review, but where do you draw the line - too much info!

My first recommendation is to browse the "Sakes" section of the website and look for brews that carry an acidity level of 1.3 and below! Your range would be between 1.1-1.3 I would think! (Hey sort of like a Craftmatic bed - what's your number?") Then Darien I would look more closely at the Dai Ginjo section as you will find far more gentle and easy brews that speak to your desire of finding good fruit flavors/elements with a soft and comfortable acidity level. The numbers and descriptions are right there at your fingertips but I will also throw out a few brews which may call to you (not knowing your budget I will offer several brews at different price points.) - Yamahoushi, Akitabare Suirakuten, Kubota Manju, Hoyo Kura No Hana, Ginga Shizuku, Kaguyahime, Kaika Kazeno Ichirin, Manyou no Koubai, Ozeki Osakaya Chobei, Takenotsuyu Hakuro Suishu, Yuki No Bosha (DG), etc.

Hope these low acidity and good fruit element sakes find a way into your mouth and soul.

Herewith is the definition of TasteMatch^TM:

What is TasteMatchTM? TasteMatchTM is a system that was developed by Beau Timken to help take the "guesswork" out of purchasing a bottle of sake. If you can address your wine and beer likes and dislikes then we can better match you to a sake that would speak to you. For example somebody who likes big Cabernets and Guinness or other stout beers will generally enjoy a different flavored sake than somebody who likes light beers and Chardonnay. This system gets you into a general ballpark of textures and flavors and removes the "taking a chance" when buying a bottle of sake. It is 99% accurate and we have had a tremendous response to this system.

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 other correspondence should use info @ truesake.com.)

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Ah, at last we have reached the end of this Newsletter and that of course means that we have come to the now-famous SECRET WORD. To those who are new the SECRET WORD is a chance for you to try a sake of note for half of that sake's original price. Just for reading this Newsletter. It is our way of saying thank you for trying to understand the wonders of sake. And in this regard we typically select a sake with a story, and this month's story is Red Rice Sake - yes sake made with a red sake brewing rice!

Please remember the rules: only one bottle per reader, and don't tell your buddy at the moment if he/she isn't a Newsletter subscriber, always use a hushed or secret agent voice when saying the SECRET WORD, and lastly for those who have their sakes shipped we can only include the SECRET WORD sake in a four-pack purchase - meaning you must buy three other sakes.

This month's brew is a Red Rice Junmai called "Hisui" from Kumamoto Prefecture that has a very beefy presence! It is juicy and a big mouthful of layered flavors. As we do not stock this brew permanently the price would be about $30/720ml with box, but for you sake-jockeys we will part with this brew in 720ml form for $15. WARNING WE ONLY HAVE 40 BOTTLES TO GIVE OUT! FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. A VERY LIMITED RELEASE. And the SECRET WORD is: Check Your Email Inbox - We only give out the SECRET WORD in the mailed Newsletter! So sign up for the Newsletter!

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Thank you for reading!

True Sake

TRUE SAKE: America's First Sake Store.