Dear Sake Drinker,
Welcome to the November Issue of America's sake-centric Newsletter.
In this issue read why Masao Aisawa is the "Elvis" of the sake
world, how making kimoto sake without poles means some serious foot
action, check out the sake socks that are making waves in Japan,
read Miwa's reviews of the new Fall Draft brews, reserve your spot
for our "Tease Your Cheese" sake and cheese pairing on Nov 16th,
behold our price cutting brews, and discover the real reason why
sake goes so well with turkey on Thanksgiving.
In this issue:
Sake Story - Masao Aisawa (The Elvis of the Sake World!)
We all have one! We know it! And sometimes we appreciate it and
often we just simply forget to recognize how lucky we are to know
"that guy." I have a "that guy" and quite frankly I am so privileged
to even be in the same room with him (or the same shared hotel room
for that matter). A "that guy" is somebody who wants the best for
you - as a person, as a friend, and as just one of us shmoes out
there trying to take this wacky life day by day. My "that guy" is
not only one of the "good guys" in life - he's also the Elvis
Presley of the sake world. (And yes he will kill me for calling him
the Elvis of the sake world - but - it fits!)
Masao Aisawa married into a sake brewing family. This is a blessing
and a curse. It's a blessing because you marry into the best
"business" in the world, and it's a curse because your name is not
the brewery's name - something that always gets the nudge nudge wink
wink in the recesses of the sake brewery owner's inner circles. (BUT
there is no greater motivator to prove that you are worthy - and my
"that guy" is totally worthy!) Not only is Masao a dedicated and
immensely loving father, but he is also truly one of the most gifted
friends in the making friends industry. People love him. Oh and he
is a genius to boot.
I met "Elvis" at a food tasting expo in SF nearly six years ago.
I've been to a lot of these food/sake/all things expos and I know
the amount of enthusiasm needed to "get by" from a vendors
perspective. What I saw that day amazed me. I did not see the
typical sake vendor station manned by a person who looks A) un-
amused B) wary of drunks C) tired - What I saw was a gentlemen in a
kimono (full-dress cutting no corners on proper kimono etiquette)
manning a station that was nothing short of superb. In a word - it
was a declaration of the most "into it" sake guy that I had ever
seen. The guy was in to it!
On a side note - Masao-san speaks about the same moment when some
"white guy" came to his station and immediately went to the
specially bottled brewery water and started shaking his head in
total appreciation. He laughs to this day that I spent about five
minutes tasting the water - really tasting it. (Yes - I am a slut
for the breweries that do the entire and glorious "we are blessed
and love our water so much" thing.) Then we started talking - and
talking - and talking.
That first meeting sealed a deal that remains to this day as my most
loyal and sound retailer to brewer relationship. I love selling
Takenotsuyu sake. We carry 5 of Aisawa-san's creations. (Honjozo,
Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, and a 10 year-old koshu named
after his oldest daughter. Oh and his brewery water as well!) And
yes - Elvis even let me name one of his sakes - the Junmai which he
wanted to call "Bamboo Dew" and I said no way - sounds too much like
a soft drink or a dance craze - so I said why not call it "Tears of
Bamboo" or "Bamboo Tears"? The rest is retail history!
Why am I using the "top of the fold" section of my Newsletter to wax
praise on Masao Aisawa? - because my "that guy" made my recent trip
to Japan outstanding. He opened doors and imparted so much knowledge
on me that I can only do such a meager little pay-back as to
highlight him in BIG BOLD words within this rag. (M-san I am certain
that you are reading so thank you.) And yes - you would be a fool to
not have tasted his sakes at least once - he won gold (and almost
the top trophy) at the IWC (International Wine Challenge) this year
and almost always wins gold in the Hiroshima national tasting.
I went to Japan for other reasons - two of which you will read about
later in this issue - but had to at least touch base with M-san at
some point. He lives in Yamagata prefecture, which is sort of "up
there" but in a sense it is "god's country" right after Ohio. Near
the Sea of Japan and encased in some of the most beautiful mountain
ranges in the world - with the flatlands exploding with agriculture
- namely sake brewing rice - well at least near his kura. When I
told him that I was visiting I said that I would like to check out
one of his fellow Yamagata breweries. "That guy" lined up 5
breweries in one day! That's what "That guys," do. He also let me
into the "inner sanctums" of the Yamagata Brewers Association annual
brewing/fermenting technical meeting for tojis to transfer
knowledge- for that I am forever grateful.
Yamagata prefecture has the oldest and most established "Brewers
Association," which is basically a study group that each and every
brewer in Yamagata attends annually. I find this fascinating -
essentially they are competitors competing for the same sake
consumers, but they are more bound to the fact that they all
represent Yamagata so they want to see the other brewers do well.
Thus, they get together to share as much information as possible to
improve the entire band of quality prefecture-wide. These meetings
usually start at 9am and continue through until 4pm. And trust me
when I say that they are technical. Everything from brewing
schedules and fermentation temperature charts to new rice varietals
and the best non-slip work boots gets discussed. All for the common
good of making Yamagata sake better.
And there I was - probably the first white guy - sitting beside
Masao at a desk in a row of desks very similar to my business school
days. I will be honest - in spoken word I probably understood 30% of
what was being said. But I had the brewing charts nailed! (There was
some statistical analysis that I had no clue about whatsoever - and
I was having horrible flashbacks to business school where I wrote a
poem for my "Stats" final.) But "my guy" walked me around and
introduced me to everybody - and some of the guys in that room were
heroes of mine - from the toji of Rokkasen to the kuramoto of the
famous Juyondai brewery. He made me feel like I belonged! He also
promised me that I would not have to say anything. Doh! Right before
the lunch break this promise fell flat on the floor and the kuramoto
of Dewanosato introduced me and asked if I would like to speak for
20-30 minutes. (Gulp - usually this is no prob - I love talking
about sake and the US market, but my "that guy" had taken me to a
Yamagata great 8 (representatives from each of the 8 areas within
Yamagata) dinner that included lots of sake, geisha, and more sake.
Then we had a "2nd party" followed by a 3rd party - and I was
feeling a little grotty in that classroom.) So with the assistance
of my buddy Toshi Imai (Kudoki Jozu) we managed to entertain
Yamagata's best for 20 minutes.
From my retailer's perspective - this meeting also had a cool
component in that they had purchased a bottle of sake made by each
brewery that was obtained in some retail shop or liquor store - to
check the quality and conditioning of the brews. We tasted these,
and also tasted 5 sakes sent over from Aichi Prefecture. The same
type of brewers group from Aichi sent what they believed were 5
representative bottles of regional sake, and they wanted the
Yamagata guys' impressions of the sakes. I thought that this was
very interesting - they respected the Yamagata guys so much that
they wanted to have their efforts judged by their prefectural
competitors.
I would never have been privy to this if it weren't for Masao. When
the meeting was over we went to his house (cabin) - my Yamagata
hotel - and he let me taste some of his newer brews - including a
Junmai made with the very new and hot rice varietal called
Dewanosato. Masao also cracked open a "hon" nama that he had only
reserved 15 bottles for personal use. (Yes - brewers must lay claim
to certain brews before they get sold!) Then it was off to Kyoto for
the new class of Sake Samurais to be sworn in. Masao and I ripped up
Kyoto for two nights - and basically I deduced that he was "Elvis"
when we went to a great izakaya and I watched as the owner nearly
fell over when Masao walked in. The old guy went on a mission to
introduce each and every person to Aisawa-san - from table to table
- and Masao did the rounds with a huge smile smacked on his face.
There was one very inebriated gal who not only bowed deeply to Masao
- she got down on her knees and kept saying "Hakuro Suishu - Hakuro
Suishu - Hakuro Suishu" - (the name of one of Masao's more famous
products.) I just shook my head and said, "He's like freakin Elvis."
If you are ever in Japan - because these products do not get
exported and he only brings them to trade tastings in the US - you
must seek out one of the offerings that Masao is well known for -
his "line-up." What's his "line-up"? Being the sake stud that he is
Masao decided to make 6 identical sakes - with only one differing
component - the brewing rice! So he literally brews 6 different rice
sakes exactly the same - same water, same milling %, same alcohol
content, same koji-kin, same yeast, same everything except the rice.
Why? So you can compare to see/taste the flavor and feeling of the
rice - and it is supposed to represent why you make sake to begin
with - to highlight the rice! (He also puts them in bottles with
really beautiful identical labels of differing colors!) Sheer
genius!
Now there are a lot of really great photos that I could have shown -
the ones of the fellow Yamagata cohorts laughing and really valuing
Masao's passion and wisdom - the ones of other brewers from around
Japan who know Masao for being a new gun on the sake scene - the
ones of his friends in Kyoto who love his products so much that they
have formed a Yamagata Sake Lovers Group in the heart of darkness
known as Kyoto - or I could have shown the pictures of Masao with
his wonderful family - but maybe it's best if you meet the man
himself on one of his "Elvis" sake tours in the US. And yes there is
a line to be put on his "groupies list" and you are behind me!
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Sake Souls - Making Sake With Her Soles!
So there I was! - nose and pallet working away on over 260 sakes
for a tasting in Fushimi (Kyoto) that was hosted by my fellow
Sake
Samurai organization last month. The
tasting itself is superb in concept. Basically all of the brews are
organized by price - no matter the grade or designation. The tables
are set up by the retail price for each and every brew, and I had a
ton of fun down in the "cheap" end. The quality was really really
good for brews that cost as much $12/720ml bottles. (Again - this is
the future for the jizake industry and we must make better sake at a
lower price-point to attract younger drinkers who have little to
spend on booze.)
I just so happened to have the same drinking pace as a woman wearing
a t-shirt and work pants. I could tell right away that she was a
brewery worker of some sort - and since the tasting took place in
the heart of the brewing region known as Fushimi - I was fairly
confident that she was in the biz. Her tasting skills were also
front and center - this woman knew what she was drinking, and I
could tell that she was breaking the brews down for her own reasons.
My tasting partner asked this "focused" sake drinker what she liked,
and then we were introduced.
Truthfully, when I taste - I don't like to talk. (Is this anti-
social? I dunno, but do surgeons chit chat when doing their job? Am
I a surgeon? No, but my point is that I am pretty focused when I am
in the midst of so much wonderful brew! But, she was intriguing and
I was guessing that sake from her brewery was at least within the
very near vicinity. Then she said that she was a toji (head brewer)
for a local kura. Cool - I love that! I love female head brewers?
Why? Why should I care? Well - the industry used to be very "male"
in scope, and I know how hard it is to get to the level of head
brewer - even for a man! So for women - well - let's just say that I
wish that it would be more of the norm, rather than the exception.
So there I was speaking to Maho Otsuka - the head brewer for
Shoutoku Brewery in Fushimi proper - and of course I had to ask:
"Okay where is your sake?" Without missing a beat she said "#270."
(I think she was expecting the question) "I entered my kimoto sake."
I said great as I am a big fan of kimoto sake. "But this is a
different kind of kimoto!" Huh? What do you mean different? "I made
it with my feet!" NICE! Rather than pole ram the steamed rice, she
used her feet to pound out the lactic acid. "I made it like wine!"
She said this for the visual effect I believe. In any case I was
very stoked and immediately went over and tried her foot juice! How
cool is that?
Proper technique is to always say that a sake is amazing when the
maker is standing there watching you taste their efforts. "Amazing!"
But this time I meant it. What a wonderful rich and vast brew. I
didn't want to go on and on - still had 200 sakes to taste - so I
played it cool. But inside I really wanted to pick her brain and ask
the reasoning as to why she chose that method, what the shortcomings
are, does she do other types etc?
Now membership has its privileges - isn't that the slogan? - and as
a charter Sake Samurai member the guys who organized the event asked
me if I would like to take a bottle with me when the event was over
and the room cleared out. Ummmmmm- Sure! So I ran and grabbed the
rest of good ol'#270. Before the end of the event - Maho and I took
some pictures together and she told me that she liked the brew
served at the luke-warm "nuru-kan" temperature point. I was excited
to play with the last few ounces. But would do so back in the
States.
I had so many questions to ask Maho but realized that she was so
busy. But that never stops me - so I produced a lengthy email asking
her all sorts of questions - technical and non - thinking that she
would sort of reply! Boy was I wrong - herewith is an email exchange
with her at the start of her brewing season - I am so honored that
she took her valuable time and applied it to educating a sake freak
in America:
Herewith is my email to her:
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"As I needed to give my liver a little break from drinking so many
sakes in Japan - I waited until tonight to taste your brew: A very
deep and impactful kimoto with layers of rice, grains, wood, and
earthy elements with a solid "roasted" vein that carries all of
the moods. It has a very nice body, well-rounded, and the richness
is one part umami - one part earth tones - and one part rice
goodness all balanced out by a very high acidity and an extremely
high amino acidity - which to me makes the sake drink plump and
alive! A very solid and "attitude-driven" kimoto - by foot!
Questions:
- Why is the amino san-do (acidity) so high?
- How would this brew taste if you only milled to 70%?
- What supplemental kobo (yeast) did you use?
- How long did you use your "feet"? (Kimoto time is typically 12-16 minutes.) Looking at your kurabito picture I hope it was only your feet!
- How long was the brewing cycle - days?
- Does your brewery export currently?
- How long have you been toji?
- What is your strength? What are you known for - style, expression?
- What toji guild are you from? Who trained you? Nanbu Toji?
- How many shikomi (tanks)will you make this season? - how many last year?
- Of your product line - what is Shoutoku best known for?
- Fushimi-mizu is a little bit of a generalization as there is both soft and hard water in Fushimi - which do you pull from your well?
- Is all of your rice local? How many farmers?
- What other kobo and rice varietals do you use?
- Why did you make kimoto using the wine method? Does it produce more and superior lactic acid?
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And because she is so incredibly cool - here is her great reply:
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Thank you very much for your enthusiasm tasting impression to our
Kimoto.
This product is very special for me, because when I became Toji, I
proposed to my owner to try brewing Kimoto and it started. Till
that time, our company didn't brew Kimoto so nobody know how to
brew Kimoto, but I wanted to try because I felt Kimoto of another
Kura like Daishichi, Hurousen...etc. have very rich and deep
tastes and clearly different to normal Sake. I loved the deep
tastes. When I try to brew Kimoto at first, I studied old text
book and also took advices from some Toji, engineers and I
assembled those to my own way. During brewing Kimoto at 1st year,
there were difficulty and some troubles but I enjoyed because the
taste of seed mash (Shubo) was very delicious and it changed
little by little, every day. Kimoto is very special for me for
such a memories. And fortunately, Junmai Kimoto Genshu of 19BY is
awarded to Trophy of Kimoto-Yamahai category of International
Sake Challenge2009 (http://www.sakechallenge.com/). (The product
Kimoto you brought to SF is the blend of 18BY and 19BY, and
added water a little.)
Now, let me answer to your question.
- The amino acid of our Kimoto may be a little high than another
kimoto. I don't know the reason exactly but I suppose that our
Kimoto's term of Shubo is longer than usual kimoto so more
reaction of enzyme may go on . I have no experience of brewing
Kimoto with 70% milled rice but I image that the taste will be
more acidity and the characteristic of Kimoto will be more clear
and strong but it may too strong for some persons, may be.
Last year, I tried Junmai Daiginjo Kimoto with 40% milled
Yamadanishiki. The reason of this trial is that I supposed that
the fusion of new technique (milling rice more than half) and
traditional technique(Kimoto) may produce newly tastes of Sake.
The finished Junmai Daiginjo Kimoto has both the Umami of KImoto
and the elegance of Daiginjo, and very interesting. It is
Daiginjo but good for Nurukan. The product is started to sell from
this October.
- Kyoukai 9-gou
- About 15mins. (It due to the condition of crashed rice.)
- We export to China and Hong Kong a little, and not to USA now.
- Four years.
- I think one of my strength is Kimoto of my own brewing method,
as I wrote above in detail. in Hushimi,no other Kura brew Kimoto(
although some Kura in Hushimi brew Yamahai) so it became one of
the characteristic of Shoutoku. As Toji, I don't gain a lot of
experience yet, but I want to aim for Junmaishu with tasty
acid(Umai sanmi). And also, I designs the labels of our products
from 3-4years ago. By Toji designs the labels, those will
represent the inside of the bottle well, I think.
- At first year I joined Shoutoku, Toji was a man from Tanba.
Next year, Toji changed to Nuka( Fukui Pref.) Toji and I learned
brewing from him for 3 years and he retired. Now I don't belong to
any Toji guild but I have took part in summer Toji seminar of Noto
Toji guild these three years.
- 35 tanks. The regular Shikomi size is 2ton rice / tank
- Our company restarted to brew Junmaishu from 1960's and now,
more than 70% of our products are Junmai. Shoutoku was best known
for Junmaiginjo Hana, but it became behind of the time a little,
so we produced a new brand from this September,named"Karaku"(the
word means "the city of Kyoto with a lot of flowers"). We made
both Junmaiginjo and Junmaidaiginjo Karaku. These will be the main
brand of Shoutoku, I hope.
- Soft water, I suppose.
- We are increasing the amount of rice local but not all, yet.
Now, the amount of rice local is about 50% of Junmai Product. We
contract with two regions of Kyoto Prefecture One is young
Nishiyama brother's farm in Ayabe city and the other is four
farmers of SagaKoshihata.
- kyoukai 9-gou, Kouro(from Kumamoto Pref.), Kyo no Koto(from
Kyoto Pref.).
- The most famous way of Yamaoroshi( the way of crashing rice)
is to use Kaibou(stick), but in my company, Nobody had the
experience of Kimoto, so we didn't know how to use Kai. I heard
the wine method from a Kura which is famous for Kimoto and I
adopted it. The wine method is the most primitive and easy way for
kimoto beginners, I suppose.
- I brew Fuhimi sake(Onnazake) not consciously but naturally. I
think if someone brew sake in Husimi with Hushimi water, the
taste of Sake will become Hushimi taste(mild and soft), naturally.
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How cool is that?
If you would like more information on the brewery
check out their
website.
And yes - you can click the "English" button.
This - I have a feeling - will be a long lasting relationship - one
that may just see their products here in the US - (Hint Hint)
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Sake Socks - BT Designs Socks for Sake World
A very good friend of mine (Sven Wiederholt), who is one of the most
creative "dudes" in the creative world, and also one hell of a
photographer (he slums it and helps us shoot our bottles for the
website) asked me to design a sock that symbolizes the sake world.
Hmmmmm! I thought. Should it be cliché and have little bottles or be
in the typical brown or green bottle color? Should it be blunt and
have some sake serving device or drinking cup? Should it look like a
wooden drinking box? Nope!
I decided to go a little more "subtle" and train my focus on one of
my favorite components of the sake industry - the maekake or sake
apron that we wear in the shop. Think those cool dark blue aprons
with bold white kanji and orange string ties. Yes, that is the
design and I just took 40 pairs over to Japan and gave them to a
bunch of brewers and sake folks, who were blown away. (They loved
saying "Sake Socks") (I love saying my maekake sake socks!)
We have ten pairs in the store for sale and will get more - had to
re-load after the Japan trip! (By the way, these high-end socks are
made in Japan and are quality personified) You may purchase at True
Sake or at Sven's website.
Check them out here.
This is truly a one of a kind piece of sake lore - so get yours now!
(Great X-mas gift!)
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Sake Deals - Yes We Are Lowering Prices!
Weird! Very odd! That is so strange. What are they thinking? Don't
they know the dollar is dropping? Don't they know that everybody is
raising prices? Haven't they heard about the increased shipping
prices? They must know that distributors are jacking up their prices
and adding fees for delivery etc? What is wrong with these people?
Yup - call us goofballs - call us sake dorks - call us sake fools -
but just call us, because in this really and truly wacky financial
period of our lives - your buddies at True Sake are lowering the
prices on a portion of their offerings. Can you believe it?
Herewith are several sakes that you should take a second look at - a
cheaper look at some good brews or as Miwa would say "Sakes for
less."
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Aramasa Junmai Ginjo (500ml): now $23
Wakatake Junmai (720ml): now $23
Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai (300ml): now $8
Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai (1.8L): now $40
Umenishiki Junmai Ginjo (1.8L): now $48
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Those are some good deals folks!
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New Store Arrivals - The Fall Draft Selections Are Back - Hiyaoroshi Time!
Yes - it is that time of year again for the seasonally released
sakes known as hiyaoroshi (pasteurized once then rested for 6
months) to grace the shelves at True Sake. This year we have two old
favorites and one very new brew! For those who like it light and dry
we have the very user friendly Wakatake Onigoroshi. Those sake
drinkers who like a little more richness and body turn to Urakasumi.
And for those who like it big- gooey - and rich sweet try the new
full-bodied Sawanoi from Tokyo prefecture.
Herewith are Miwa's reviews for these sakes:
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Wakatake Onikoroshi "Akino Ki-ippon"
From Shizuoka Prefecture. Tokubetsu Junmai Namazume
SMV: +3 / Acidity: 1.4 / $27 (720ml)
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Known as the "Demon Slayer" brand, Wakatake Onikoroshi brings
semi-dry fall-released sake every year. This year, the bottle
nose-the aroma that arises from an opened bottle-has a unique
combination of bubble gum and root beer. A green-ness of young
peach, subtle licorice tones and a hint of mineral make this sake
slightly dry and compact. In the background is a roasted element,
like the sweet bitterness of coffee, and a thin layer of umami
(savory yummy-ness.)
Urakasumi "Hiyaoroshi"
From Miyagi Prefecture. Tokubetsu Junmai Namazume
SMV: +1.5 / Acidity: 1.5 / $29 (720ml)
"Hiyaoroshi" is a sake that is brewed this past season with the
rice from 2008. It is pasteurized once before storage and matured
over the course of the summer, to be enjoyed in the fall.
Following the dynamite spring nama (unpasteurized), this
hiyaoroshi gives a pleasant aroma of cream and melon and offers a
smooth first sip. Layers of savory notes, like rice, dried lotus
leaf, combined with melon-like fruitiness is reminiscent of
earlier namas--you can feel these sakes come from the same place.
The sake has a full texture without being heavy, and its acidity
and sweet bitterness are tucked behind the main savory and fruity
flavors.
Sawanoi "Genroku-Kura Hiyaoroshi"
From Tokyo Prefecture. Junmai Namazume
SMV: +/-0 / Acidity: 1.8 / $27 (720ml)
This autumn-released brew from Tokyo is imported for the first
time this year. The aroma of this sake is filled with nougat,
vanilla, and banana. The elements of cashew nuts and hazel nut
syrup are also present in the nose. The texture is velvety,
giving the sense of complexity. In the taste is a hint of melon,
an earthy sweetness of caramelized yam, and the balancing act of
acidity and bitterness. At the finish is a faint cedar tone, which
may translate into the subtle tannin feel of red wine. Over all,
this sake represents complexity, balance, and autumn feel.
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You can review many of our sakes on our web site.
Our inventory list is here.
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True Sake Selects - Team True Sake Select Monthly Brews of Note
Welcome to "True Selects" - featured sakes that are selected and
championed by Miwa, Lynette, and Keiko - our three resident sake
studs. As we can only stock so many different brands of sake - think
limited space - this effort is a way to offer sakes that we wouldn't
usually carry. They will select by price-point, uniqueness,
availability, and other factors that make these selections unusual
for the store.
Miwa's Pick:
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Wataribune Junmai Ginjo 55 "Ferry Boat"
From Ibaraki Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo Muroka
SMV: +3 / Acidity: 1.4/ $38 (720ml)
This sake is brewed with Wataribune rice, a parent rice to the
most popular brewing rice, Yamadanishiki. (For more:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20091030d1.html) This
sake offers the complex fruity notes combined with grain and
earthy flavors and compliments hearty poultry dishes. Try this
brew with your Thanksgiving dinner!
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Keiko's pick:
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Hideyoshi Honjozo Namachozoshu "Namacho"
From Akita Prefecture
Nama Honjozo (single pasteurized sake) SMV: +0.5 / Acidity: 1.3 $14 (300ml)
Hideyoshi brewery is located in Akita prefecture, which is popular
for great harvest of rice and natural water. This sake has
refreshing pure taste with fruity aroma. Hint of rice layer fits
to variety of dishes, especially hot pot dishes and any vegetable
dishes. Great to serve cold temperature during dinner and for
people who like nama-zake!
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True Sake In The News: Food & Wine Magazine (Nov'09)
In the November Issue of Food & Wine Magazine there is a special
section "paid advertisement" by the Fukushima-based brewery called
Diashichi. This brewery is known as the home of "kimoto" sake -
brews that are made using the old method of pole ramming in small
batches. It's a pretty bold move to do a three page spread in this
rag, and yours truly is quoted speaking about several of the brews
that we peddle at True Sake. "Pure pleasure and a gold mine of
flavors," is just one of several power quotes!
The Food & Wine website is
here but this 3 page spread is only in the print magazine.
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Sake Events
November 9th - Nanbu Toji Gold Medal & Murai Family Saké Tasting
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New York Vintners (21 Warrant Street, Tribeca) hosts Kyota Murai,
the President of Momokawa Brewing Japan (sold in the U.S. under
the Murai Family label). Kyota will pour the family's 60th gold
medal winner from the exclusive Nanbu Toji Saké Competition, among
other selections from the Murai Family brand, and share his
insights into the American saké trend. The evening is set to begin
at 6:30 PM on Monday, November 9.
Date: November 9
Time: 6:30 (approximately 2 hours)
Cost: $45
Trade and Press Inquiries: Contact Monica Samuels (562) 331-0128
Limited Seating: 35 people
Location: New York Vintners, 21 Warren Street, New York, NY, 10007
Reservations: 212-812-3999
Web:
http://www.newyorkvintners.com
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November 11th - "Akita Sake Tasting In NYC"
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Organizer: ASC: Akita Sake Club
Sponsor: Sun Pop International Corporation
Date: November 11, 2009 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Location: The Japanese American Association of New York, Inc. 15 West 44th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10036
Space is limited and reservation is required. Please pay the
admission fee by Cash (No change, please) at the reception desk on
November 11, 2009.
Admission Fee: $50
Reservation/Contact: Masatoshi Yamamoto
Sun Pop International Corporation
211 East 43rd Street, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-682-4393
Fax: 212-682-4392
e-mail: sunpop@worldnet.att.net
Learn more
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November 16th - True Sake Presents: "The Tease Your Cheese - Sake and Cheese Pairing"
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Monday November 16th
6:30-8:30PM
Sebo Restaurant - 517 Hayes Street (Restaurant is closed on Mondays)
7 Sakes Vs. 7 Cheeses! (49 possible pairing combinations)
Vote for your favorite pairing!
$25 cash at the door.
Limited to 30 guests so please RSVP to True Sake 415.355.9555
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Sake Shipping - 41 Sates Are Now A Go!
My word - where in the hell are all of those people who have been
clamoring and brow-beating and verbally assaulting me for not
shipping to their corner of the world? Your ship has come in! The
shipping ship has docked and it's time for you to start ordering
sake on-line from our partners at SakeSocial.com. The inventory is
now the largest and most legal available. So order with confidence.
Look for names that you know - or use our handy dandy Sake Selector,
which uses all of my Sake TasteMatch techniques to help you select
brews that speak to you.
There are only 9 sad and lonely states that we cannot ship to - that
means 41 states are ripe for some really great sake to be dropped at
your doorstep.
What about all of you who wanted monthly sake clubs? Tadah! We have
some awesome clubs where I select the brews! Get your butt over to
Sake Social read my blogs, read and post on the
forums, but most of all start ordering sake on-line!
BUT! When you order make certain to use the promo code - truesake -
when
checking out!
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Sake Tweeting! - True Sake Now Does Twitter & Facebook
Yup - ye'ol fuddy duddy has gone the way of the future. Dragged
kicking and screaming (well not exactly) Team True Sake convinced me
to venture into the land of instantaneous and the land of immediate.
With the help of everybody we will be keeping you abreast of all
things True Sake! Last week on Twitter we announced a secret sake
tasting that occurred on a Saturday - Oh and the sake tasting was
free and illegal! Hint Hint - wink wink! The Facebook has all sorts
of event info that is far more current than this here monthly rag!
So if you want the latest inventory specials, announcements about
special guests at the store, updates as to which brews are drinking
great and all other sake commentary that is as fresh as our sakes
then check us out at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/truesake
Facebook: Search for "True Sake" and find our fan page!
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"Ask Beau" - "Should I do sake this Thanksgiving?"
The email was quite short. It was quite simple. And it was very to
the point. A friend from Boston asked," Should I do sake this
Thanksgiving - and will my wine friends and family understand?"
My reply was equally short and to the point: "My God - why not?"
For six years I have been asking/begging/tricking/by-hooking-and-
crooking/convincing/urging/prodding/plugging/pushing people into
drinking sake at their bird-day feast! Why? Because I believe in it!
It works - does that sound lame or like some Colt 45 malt liquor
commercial? It's true. It's so very true - the combination of a
starch beverage and fowl plus all of the fixens make great dancing
partners. And why wouldn't they?
For those who are new to the Newsletter let me re-print some of my
past Thanksgiving pleadings - I'm certain that you do not need
convincing - or do you?
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Ahhhhhh Turkey Day 2008! Yes - it is that time of the year for me
to get you to think outside of the box in regards to your holiday
dinner! I have been doing it year-in and year-out since the
beginning - my 3rd issue of the Newsletter was the November Issue
where I said - give it a try! I have continued to ask and will
continue to do so - As many have pointed out that I have become
jaded in regards to wine - I will not make the necessary
comparisons. BUT sake is different!
Read the whole article for sake recommendations
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So don't make me beg! Come on down and grab the perfect brew for you
and your bird!
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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The SECRET WORD
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.
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 tribute to my man Masao Aisawa who I wrote
about in the first paragraph of this newsletter, which you "just
glance at the Secret Word" folks should go back and read. The sake
from his brewery is the one that I was honored to name "Bamboo
Tears" instead of his attempts at "Bamboo Dew." This Junmai is a
quality sake that drinks so well at several temperatures - and you
may have to go that route because the date is a little long in the
tooth! And herein is the rub - we are moving some his "dated" brew
as a friend, so that our distributor will order all new fresh
inventory. So that means this month's learning opportunity is to
taste a sake past its prime, but still very drinkable. We would
never push a damaged brew on you if it didn't drink well, and in
this regard we usually sell this terrific Junmai from Yamagata
Prefecture for $25, but for you sake jockeys we will part with this
720ml in a nice box for $15.
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!
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Consider this...
Did you know that there are 45 active breweries in Yamagata
Prefecture? Did you also know that each toji was trained in Yamagata
and is not affiliated with any other toji guild? Now that is some
serious "locals only" flavor and technique.
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STORE HOURS
mon-sat:
12pm-7pm
sun:
11am-6pm
560 Hayes St., San Francisco, CA 94102
CONTACT US
415-355-9555
info @ truesake.com
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Sake - A Modern Guide
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