Welcome to the January Issue of America's sake-centric newsletter. In this issue find out the skinny on dipping in hot tubs with sake, pairing sake with deep Italian flavors, how even in Japan you can get a bad brew, and what makes Beau "Obsessed" about sake! Stay frosty and stay in sake this January.

In this issue:

• Sake Video - BT Does CHOW "Obsessives"
• Sake "Tips" - Hot Tubing With Sake 101
• Sake Moment - Italian Food Meet Sake!
• Sake Bummer - Bad Nama in Osaka!
• True Sake In The News - United "Hemispheres" Magazine, SF Chronicle x 2, Midwest Airlines, TIME "Man of the Year"
• Special Events - January 28th Is Junmai Night! Feb 5th Is Nama Night!
• "Ask Beau" - "I am lazy and know nothing about sake can you help?"
• The SECRET WORD

I type a lot. Yes, my Newsletters are long. They just turn out that way. What can I say? (Many of you are yelling "Nothing - say Nothing!) Of course there are those - or let me say one of you - who like it long. They are the "we cannot get enough" crowd (I LOVE YOU PEOPLE) who consistently email me for more and more and more info. And yes there is also the "scanner" crowd who breeze through the Newsletter looking for the "SECRET WORD," and they could care less about word count or let us say avalanche word count.

All in all - I have great readers! (Thank you - I mean that) But for those who would rather watch me in action rather than read my "action" I present to you a very unique and quite cool interview that I did for a CHOW.com series called "Obsessives" which is rather quiet self- explanatory.

There are roughly ten segments.

Click here to check it out.

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Sake is serious business...... Not! ......( - said like our very dear friend Borat - R.I.P). Sake is a booze and booze is a luxury - we drink when we want to! Not when we "need" to. It is a beverage that is far from necessary for the human body or human condition. It is - in a word - a destination other than the platform that we currently stand affixed. In this light, and begging this time of year I get about ummmmm 20 queries per day about "what sake is good for hot tubing?" My first thought is "darn, I haven't been in a hot tub for about a half decade" and my second thought is "why rub that in my face?"

Okay I am a bitter guy - but for the sake of "journalism" (let me re- type that because it sounded so good) for the sake of "journalism" I'd like to offer those H2O cats, who love sitting in soup-degreed water for long durations of time typically under dark star-filled evenings in cold exotic destinations, a "professional's" opinion on how and who to do sake in a hot tub. (Did I just type that? - pathetic! Must be an Internet sake-related newsletter's "Sweeps Week")

As there are so many "legitimate" angles to cover this essential topic, I have decided to use a an abbreviated "bullet" point delivery system to better communicate the endless (boundless) examples of how sake and hot bubbly water go together - (and quite frankly each angle is and is not based on the "onsen" - natural hot spring baths and/or "seto" - indoor bath house - experience in Japan)

• Try to not drink cold sake in your hot water bath, as a cold beverage doesn't agree with an "internal" digestive system that is warm to begin with. (If you do not believe the big cheese then ask any resident of a warm weather society - they will confirm that a room temperature or even a hot beverage will function better than a cold brew going down a hot gullet.) So get your brew out of the snow bank and bring it to at least log-cabin- fire temperature. This "tuber" prefers hot sake in a hot tub - let it be known.
  
  
• Use the "Buddy System" when tubing - pick a partner who will take account of you and you of them when the going gets rough. If you are ummmmm! "willed" enough to tub solo then please don a life preserver and duct-tape a snorkel to your head in case you go "floater"!
  
  
• My sommelier license deems that I recommend a full-bodied brew for your aggressively temperate water experiences - meaning don't bring a pricey Dai Ginjo or a Ginjo that tastes cleaner at a chilled temperature point into the hot tub (remember you want a brew that is good at room temp - warmed - or hot). You want a brew that is gutsy, frisky, filled with oom-pah-pah because you will be able to taste it! Light cold sakes will taste flat when standing gut-deep in bubbling water.
  
  
• For those who are Japanophiles it is strongly recommended to tie two "Japanese water floats" - made of blown glass orbs used for fishing nets and traps in Japan and have been known to float across the Pacific to the shores of America - to save your drunken soul from going "Hollywood" in your watery delight. This is a themed water preserver of sorts and should make you feel comfy when drinking your Japanese brew in your own hot stew.
  
  
• Glassware! Glassware, who the hell is recommending glassware in a watery pool of doom? Oh so you're the gal who broke the white wine glass in my hotel's hot-tub which resulted in the fact that yellow tape kept me from my hot watery reward? DON'T bring glass into a hot tub! Pretty simple rule, but probably the number one social contract rule that is broken on a daily basis in our free democratic nation. Think outside of the heated sand paradigm - think ceramics! It is best to use small O'Choko (those cute mini- cups) for hot or warm sake. And best of all - those suckers don't break! Small but effective. And yes they were designed small and compact to keep the sake hot in the small surface area.
  
  
• The American Doctor's Oversight Committee (ADOC) has recommended the following "excessively heated water duration exam" when drinking alcoholic beverages in a hot tub: Close one eye - hold up one finger in front of your face - then open the other eye - if two fingers appear it is safe to assume that you are too hot - you then have two options: 1) re-fill your cup and call a cab - 2) re- fill your cab and call a cup.
  
  
• For the true professional hot-tuber who knows his/her water temperature pairings I offer the following extension course advice: If you use Chlorine then go Kyoto-based sakes and if you use Bromine then use Kobe-based sakes. (This is for professionals only.)
  
  
• Do not underestimate your inebriation - you are pretty much loaded when drinking alcohol in the hot tub, so do NOT stress out your dripping wet motor-skills by continually getting out of the tub to obtain more sake. Bring/pour the amount that does not require you getting out - so cold brrrrrrrrrr - and getting more sake. Make certain that you are brew equipped. (For the advanced tubers this could mean bringing the bottle into the tub with you - heated between 105-115 is perfect! - please disregard the rule about glass in the tub)
  
  
• If one cannot be in the natural birthing condition - ye'ol birthday suit! - then it is strongly advised to wear trunks as apposed to high mountain garments such as thongs, bikinis, twinkie- slings, banana-hammocks, marble-pouches, etc. You see wearing trunks will always aid the overly-loaded consumer as the air-pocket in said trunks will bring the too-tipsy tuber to the surface 7 out of 10 times.
  
  
• For those "tubers" who have a problem holding back your own heated water system there is a brewery in Osaka that is offering a "hot tub catheter sake system" that allows both male and female sake drinkers to not visit the "facilities" whilst hot tubing. All it takes is a little "pre-tubing" before you enjoy the realms of public tubing.
  
  
• Beware of the "fruity" sakes that some rookie may have brought into your pool of dreams. Fruity for most spells "island vacation" with rum-based drinks that are way too sweet and yummy to drink slowly. Look for dryer brews sans the fruitiness that drink slower and more buoyantly. (Respect!)
  
  
• Lastly - abandon the notion of bringing a "Nigori" (unfiltered) sake into your hot tub as this type of brew is best served very cold, and what did we learn? You do not want a cold brew in hot tubs. Secondly a Nigori tends to be quite heavy compared to a filtered brew and one does not want a "Nigori" belly when in the semi-nude. And furthermore warm Nigori tends to curdle - need we say more?

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Continuing my series of "Westernizing" sake and cuisine I brought an old friend with a new title to one of the best effort restaurants in California - Incanto - in Noe Valley, SF. www.incanto.biz

My friend with the new title is Mr. Yasutaka Daimon - owner of Daimon Shuzo in Osaka (makers of Mukune Junmai Ginjo) - who now not only pays the bills but also is the head brewer of his own brewery. This owner/operator/toji title is occurring more and more in the industry and may become a trend that could bring a new simplicity to a very difficult profession. This potential "trend" is worthy of a future Newsletter segment, but for now let's focus on a tremendous evening filled with gutsy Italian food and a sake that has enough grit to make for some wonderful pairings.

Firstly Incanto - the brainchild of Mr. Mark Pastore - is a Californian version of an Italian restaurant! Sounds simple, but in reality it is the essence of taking the tiger of out the jungle but not being able to take the jungle out of the tiger. San Francisco is not Italy! But Italy is not San Francisco, and by using what we have in the Bay Area in an "Italian" flow Incanto captures the soul of a nation within four walls in Northern California. And to capture a soul one needs a serious soul hunter - found in the form of Chef Chris Cosentino! (Please by all means check out Chris in action at the Chow.com "Obsessives" link above - yes he is a fellow "obsessive.") In a word Chris is a culinary tiger and that has a new meaning in San Francisco. He will leap any well-defined barrier in the established Italian food industry, and I could only pray that my guest's sake would meet the hefty challenge.

The bottle of Mukune "Root of Innocence" Junmai Ginjo was not of Yasutaka's making - his brews - made as the head brewer - will come on-line in about 5 months in the US. The version of Mukune that I brought to Incanto was made by none other than celebrity (said for PH's smile) sake brewer Philip Harper. Philip - the first white boy Toji - worked at Daimon Shuzo for the past several brewing seasons and is now making sake in Kyoto prefecture. His influence and style made for a little gamier drinking experience and this stacked up well with all of the cured meats that found our plates!

I will list the dishes that we were served, how Mukune worked and our grades for each pairing: (YD = Yasutaka and BT = Beau)

• Mushroom crustini with light oil (gift from the kitchen)

  Mukune works with the mushrooms by down playing the oil and becoming a tad more sweet with the richness of the fungi. It created a smoothness with the feeling and the flavor of the dish.
  YD = B BT = B
  
  

• Huge anti-pasta platter for two of Boccalone artisan salumi, roasted garlic & marinated vegetables.

  What a glorious pairing as Mukune went happy-feet with the oily salty meats! The higher acidity of Mukune brought out a sweetness in the house cured meats (especially the head cheese - wow!) and the compact tone of the brew didn't back down at all. Likewise Mukune also brought out an amazing sweetness in the roasted garlic - just a terrific balance of flavor and feeling. But my most favorite and most baffling (as in "how in the hell?") pairing from this platter was the house made whole grain mustard that had a massive presence and worked like a dream with Mukune - was it the acidity playing with the vinegar-like sharpness - was it the dryness playing with the grain - I do not know, but it Mukune was amazingly adept at neutralizing the largness of the flavor and making it more round in the palet.
  YD = A BT = A-
  
  

• Escarole (leaf) with toasted almonds, ricotta & raisins.

  Okay here we go! A sake with an Italian salad - did it work? In a sense yes, but overall Mukune was a little lost in all of the subtle flavors. In a word Mukune sort of went soft as in laid down. It didn't highlight nor detract from the salad, but it also didn't make the cheese pop or bring forth a snap of flavors. It worked, but only in a subtle capacity.
  YD = B BT = B-
  
  

• Pasticcio of pig's trotter, kidney, chestnuts & nettle.

  Can anybody think of a more beefy (I know - piggy) hearty, and wintry dish than this stew that came in a small crock pot to the table? I don't think so in an Italian sense. The flavors were immense, deep and rich beyond belief. A very masculine flavor-base that needed quite a masculine brew to work together. And wow what a flavor hand-shake as Mukune went to the mat with all of the largeness. Just an eye-opening pairing! Mukune completely stood-up to the grandness of this dish and did what a perfect libation should do - compliment without detracting and enhancing the edges of the dish. (For me this was the "money" pairing as the possibilities of sake and western fare met in a very hearty pot that has influences from all nationality cuisines in the mix - the future is indeed bright!).
  YD = A+ BT = A
  
  

• Salted cod with locally grown yuzu and oil.

  This salty and citrusy ensemble made for my perfect pairing of the evening as I could eat salted fish all day and night! The citrus and oil play was superb, and of course Mukune was swimming along with the salty and bright flavors. I wrote in my notes "Mukune went crazy - the salty fish brought out a gentle sweetness in the Mukune that the salted pork did not pull" I could have had a far bigger glass of Mukune with this pairing (we only had 720mls for all of the pairings and had to watch out intake - which we weren't so good at!)
  YD = A- BT = A
  
  

• Chef Chris then started going "off menu" on us and produced an "air cured" yellow fin with capers and a hint of oil.

  The yellow-fin exploded in a very deep rich and expansive way - even the capers said "goodbye" in a see-ya-later way! I wrote that 'Mukune works with the huge flavor of the dried fish and it neutralizes the subtle oil play to produce a balanced pairing." By the way, I love the taste of cappers and sake! At this point we had a lot of flavors and acidities working in our mouths, which is very much in-line with Italian dishes, and Mukune was drinking so well.
  YD = A BT = A-
  
  

• Barolo & radicchio risotto with Castlemagno cheese.

  I love tossing sake at risotto, so I really looked forward to pairing Mukune with this red-wine-based risotto. But overall - and this doesn't happen that often - the Mukune didn't work. Hmmmmm? Why I asked and perhaps it had something to do with the red wine, but overall it didn't highlight nor compliment the dish. In fact for me it detracted from the richness of the warm risotto. Sadly this was my least favorite pairing when I thought that it would be my favorite. I wrote in my notes "too much acidity" and cannot remember if I was speaking about the risotto or the Mukune. (probably the risotto)
  YD = B BT = C+
  
  

• Braised pork, smashed root vegetables, chard, and salsa verde.

  This is the "stuff" that sake is built for! Rich and dark green flavors always work with a brew that has a pronounced structure and acidity level. And Mukune did not disappoint, especially with the greens. My dinner guest suggested that the pork was on the "dry side" but I found that all of the juices from the pig and the veggies at the bottom of the dish a good way to "mix-it-up" and drip more feeling into the meat. The Mukune played wit the saltiness and richness, but it also pressed the bitterness of the vegetable which I found to be a surprising effort. Again, this is a very universal dish and the Mukune went hand in hand!
  YD = B- BT = B+
  
  

• Chris came back with another off-menu item of an entire grilled eel that had been braised with balsamic vinegar.

  There is no lie that eel and sake go hand-in-hand (wait eels don't have hands), and this pairing is popular in many different forms in Japan. The difference at Incanto was the balsamic vinegar. Mukune went right at the eel and brought out a richness that was really delicious and then it hit the vinegar and the most amazing "smoky" flavor came forth. I thought the vinegar would overwhelm my rice water from Osaka, but it did not. This was a very "professional" pairing and I am fairly confident that Mukune did as well or even better than most red wines.
  YD = B+ BT = B+

PS. If you would like to order some of the amazing cured meats that we tasted at Incanto please visit Chris and Mark's own cured meats website at www.boccalone.biz

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Okay, so here "abroad" or "in the West" or even "overseas" many of my Japanese peers in the sake selling business call us "unprofessional" or even the dreaded "not good" when it comes to storing and conditioning our sake inventories. I continually champion the fact that we are on a huge and very steep learning curve and the result is that we are handling and controlling our product much better than in year's past.

Although we are not all "there" yet, most importers and distributors keep their products in refrigerated conditions that are superb. Also many keep their products in cool and dark storage rooms. The bottom-line is that nobody keeps their brews in abusively hot or UV rich environments. In this regard the retail stores are doing far better as well. Even some wine shops that sell sake have put their offerings in the fridge or they do a better job of turning inventory over. (Remember a majority of sake need not be refrigerated for storage, but getting the product into customer's hands in a timely manner is the main priority for freshness and drinkability issues.) So in a word I am both proud and encouraged that we are doing far better across the board in treating our babies. (And things will only continue to improve.)

That said on my last trip to Japan in October, I was walking around a market in Osaka and stumbled upon a liquor store. (Most sake is sold with all of the other usual suspects as in wine, beer, whiskey and the dreaded shochu - rarely will you ever find a dedicated sake store! In fact the only ones that exist usually just sell one line of sake from one brewery, as in it's a brewery store. Nine out of ten "sake stores" sell shochu as well! As the owners tell me "Shochu pays the bills"! Yes that hurts!)

When I walked into the shop I saw a rather large selection of shochu and a bevy of whiskey/bourbon selections and then found my little sake offering. I noticed several Kobe sakes - Kenbishi etc - and a few from Kyoto. I then turned and looked in the refrigerator and saw several nama offerings plus several Niigata well-named brews such as Hakkaisan etc. My eye was drawn to a cool 300ml green bottle of Nama Junmai from one of my favorite breweries called Fukunishiki. The bottle looked very much like the Junmai that we sell at the store (See JH04 at our website) and my hand instinctively grabbed at the bottle - it was mine! I like drinking as much Nama as possible in Japan - just because of the availability or unavailability issues here in the US. As I was reading (well just looking at the pictures really!) I noticed that the date on the bottles was 17.04! Huh? That is waaaaaay old I said to myself. That basically means the brew was made in April '05. For one brief moment I felt let down- how could a Japanese liquor store have such an old bottle of nama, which typically should be consumed with 3- 5 months after bottling. As I was there in October '07 this bottle was over 2-1/2 years old! I then looked at the date of the other two bottles that were on the shelf - all the same date.

I took the bottle up to the "owner" who was a rather seasoned individual and said that I believe his nama-zake was a little bit long in the tooth. I sounded something like this "Ummmmm your nama is old - heh?" He put on his glasses and tried to figure out what I was mumbling about in English with a Japanese accent. "Oh" he got it really quickly! He bowed and said that he was sorry. I said no problem, and went back to the fridge and took out the remaining two bottles and brought them to the counter. He was a bit perplexed. I said, "Okay I will buy all three!" Basically I wanted all three for two reasons. The first is I love tasting and making aged nama sake. Secondly I was doing a mercy mission by protecting my brewery Fukunishiki - they and I don't want this product on a commercial shelf for sale to the public.

Still very confused he rang me up for the 3 bottles and gave me a 10% discount. There is no question the guy thought that I was mad, or just goofy, or at the very least didn't know anything about sake and was just buying the three bottles because of the cool label. (Which of course I was!)

As one could have guessed the sakes were indeed "off" and did not taste good at all. The mercy purchase paid off, as those aged brews did not constitute somebody's first sip of premium sake. My job was done!

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United Hemispheres: "What's in Store: 'Frisco Shop-Hopping"
www.hemispheresmagazine.com/ 2007_12/instore.php

SF Chronicle: Mark Morford writes "Pass on mall junk this season and opt for sexy and subversive"
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2007/12/14/DDTCTTNJN.DTL &hw=true+sake&sn=002&sc=839

SF Chronicle: "In our glasses: What we're drinking"
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2007/11/30/WI8DTJ326.DTL &hw=Sake&sn=008&sc=423

Midwest Airlines: "San Francisco Specialties"
mymidwestmagazine.com/2007/07/01/goodies-3/

TIME:
In a weird twist of fate the guys at TIME made a typo and meant to say Timken for their "Person of The Year."

This link will probably not work:
www.TimkenNotPutin.com

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Jan 28th Is Junmai Night! • WHAT? Yes, the first tasting of 2008 will be a room temperature exploration of 6 Junmai sakes to get the feel and flavor of sake in the real temperature zone! Why go cold or hot when Goldie Locks said enjoy the "just right" zone? We will pour six brews and field as many "Q's" that you may have in a great space with cool people. • WHERE? Sebo restaurant - literally across the street from True Sake on the 500 block of Hayes Street between Octavia and Laguna. • WHEN? Monday January 28th from 5:00-8:00PM • HOW MUCH? $10/taster at the door! This is a cash tasting with no reservations, so please do not call to reserve tickets! (Yes, this is for all of you who can never get in to the other sold-out tastings!) • WHY? To taste sake at a great temperature point that is both forgotten and left behind. Room temperature is not a crime and you are no sake criminal, so get your chains to this tasting. • FOOD? Not much! We will provide some light snacks, but count on launching after this casual walk-in tasting!

Feb 5th - Nama Night with Miwa at Yuzu Miwa - True Sake store manager and sake sommelier - will be hosting a special tasting at Yuzu and she sent me the following information: Winter Nama (Unpasteurized) Sake Tasting Fresh nama sake of 2008 have arrived! Miwa Wang, a sake sommelier from True Sake and Yuzu Restaurant are hosting a sake tasting featuring seasonal sake and winter-inspired appetizers. This is a casual tasting where you come when you wish and try sake at your own pace. • When: February, Tuesday 5th, 5:30 - 7:30 pm. (Come in any time between these hours as you wish!) • Where: Yuzu Restaurant, 3347 Fillmore St, San Francisco (between Chestnut and Lombard St.) • What: 5 winter nama sake & appetizers plus a surprise sake from Miwa • How Much: $40 per person / cash at the door • RSVP: Limited seats: Please call Yuzu Restaurant (415) 775-1873 to reserve your spot. • Bonus: If you stay for dinner at the restaurant after the event you will receive 10% off of your dinner bill.

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Oh my! I get them all of the time. They used to come once per month or so, but now they come at a rate of bowel movements per week on a vacation to Mexico. I am talking about the emails that want the quick and dirty about sake - the quick "answers" as per what people like or want in sake. In short these people want the scoop on how to sell sake quickly for a buck!

I will be honest - I have serious mixed emotions about these types of questions - should I fear them? Should I rejoice in them? Should I embrace them? Should I use them as learning experiences even though the questioner doesn't want an answer as much as the key to making money! I am vexed! But per usual I always lend a hand to get the word "sake" or the concept of "nihonshu" out there even if it is for all of the perceived wrong reasons.

At the end of the day after answering questions such as the following I ask myself if sake did better today? Did I promote the betterment of sake? Even if the vehicle was wrong - even if the point was lost - did the mere fact that I got the word sake out there - is it better for my brewers and the sake industry as a whole? Welcome to my world and enjoy the following question from a gal in Florida and please by all means answer her for me:

"opening a sake bar in fl. was wondering what your top selling sake is to your younger hipper customers i want to feature sake bombs as one of my signature drinks is their a recommended beer sake combo i should use to enhance the taste"

Woman - you got me on a bad night! I recommend that you follow your heart. If you love something then you will know how to treat it - if you don't care then you will reap what you sow. A sake bomb should never be a "signature drink" - sake should be a signature drink! 'Nuff said! Best of luck with your "sake bar!"

Damn!

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 dry! Bone dry and light to boot!

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 Junmai from Nara Prefecture and is a stalwart in the Harushika stable of excellent brews. Think thin, dry, and light with an added "clean." It usually sells for $24/720ml bottle but for you sake-jockeys we will part with this very dry - as in that is why dry - beauty for a mere $12. 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.