Extreme sake

When I joined Tamagawa five years ago, the Kuramoto (brewery owner) asked me for new ideas and new directions. We have since developed a whole range of additions to the Tamagawa line-up, making for an exceptionally diverse portfolio. Of the various new products, the Spontaneous Fermentation Junmai (a yamahai made without using pure yeast cultures) which we make using Kitanishiki brewer's rice has proved to be the single most popular. Of all the products we make, this has had the highest number of batches for the last couple of seasons. We ship “3U” limited editions of each batch as it is pressed, and have already sent four different versions on their way into the world as we reach the half-way point in this season.

Yeast at the limits.
Brewing science orthodoxy tells us that sake yeast begins to die off when it reaches over 18% alcohol, but our Spontaneous Fermentation junmai brews regularly reach 20%. About three years ago, we had this conversation when the Kuramoto joined us brewers for a drink at the supper table.

“We don't think anything of it now, but 20% alcohol is actually quite amazing.”
“Yes, and we are pressing while the yeast is still pretty lively.”
“I wonder how far it could actually go?”
“Well, let's ferment one batch as far as it will go and find out.”

So, two seasons ago, we let Batch 32 have its head, and watched it bubble and seethe for a full thirty-five days (we normally press this kind of sake at about the three-week mark, with a SMV of about +3). It cruised to an SMV of +14, and an extraordinary 21.5% alcohol. Due to an exceptionally hot summer, last year's rice was very hard and alcohol yields were very low, so even our extreme-fermenting batch stopped short of 21%. This year's contender is Batch 24, which we mashed at the end of December, and have just pressed. SMV is up at +14 again, and this year we reached 21.2% alcohol – so the original record still stands.

Our “White Label” drinks much more gently than its fearsome statistics suggest, so we recommend drinking with extra caution. Though plenty of White Label fans love to drink it straight, the faint-hearted may like to try it over ice, or cut with about thirty percent mineral water. At this snowy time of year, o-yu-wari (cutting with hot water) is also a heart-warming option. For those with space and patience, this is also a great sake to age at home for a few months or years.

This year’s White Label went out to selected domestic retailers on February 8th. Find it if you dare.

「白い」酒の話

今年は私にとって玉川で５回目の酒造りです。
入社以来、蔵元から新しいアイディアを求められ、色々と提案させていただき、
次々と新しい玉川が生まれてきました。

その中でも、北錦という酒米で仕込む「自然仕込」純米酒（酵母無添加の
山廃）は特にお客様に喜ばれ、今では仕込本数の最も多い商品になりました。
搾ったままの受注生産限定品を、仕込別のシリーズでご案内しています。
この冬だけで、今までに4種類が出荷済みです。

清酒酵母の限界に挑む

一般論として、清酒酵母はアルコール度数が18％を越えると弱り、そして
死滅すると言われています。ところが、玉川の「自然仕込」タイプの純米酒は、
20％前後はあたりまえ、20％を超えることもしばしばです。

で、３年近く前、蔵元が蔵人の晩酌に同席していたとき、こんな会話が
ありました。

「考えたら、20％を超えるって、すごいことやな」
「いつも、まだまだ元気のある状態で搾ってるし」
「何パーセントまで行くもんでしょうかね」
「じゃあ、タンク一本、行けるとこまで行かそか？」

そんな経緯で、21ＢＹの造りでは、仕込32号をとことん発酵させることに
しました。

北錦で仕込んでいるこのタイプの山廃は、通常は20日くらい発酵させ、
日本酒度+３くらいで揚げるようにしています。

その時は「２個酛」、つまり、タンク２本分のもろみを酛一つで造りました。
同じ酛、同じ米、同じ水で、仕込32号と33号を隣同士のタンクで仕込んだ
結果――33号はアルコール度数19.9％で例年並み。
ところが、相方の32号を35日間発酵させたところ、なんとアルコール度数が
21.5％まで伸びたのです。日本酒度は+14でした。
以後、毎年タンク１本は最後の最後まで、引っぱれるだけ引っぱるように
しています。

去年の米は全般的に硬く、アルコールが出にくかっただけに、完全発酵を
させても、アルコールは21％手前で終わりました。

さて、今年は？

今期も２個酛で造り、仕込25号のアルコール度数はおとなしい19.4％で
揚げました。相方の24号は一ヶ月以上発酵させ、ついこの間搾りました。
今年も日本酒度は+14。そして気になるアルコール度数は21.2％まで上がり
ましたが、惜しくも新記録達成ならず！


何が「白」なのか？

毎年一回だけ造るこの完全発酵の限定品は、通称「白ラベル」と呼ばれて
います。由来は、通常商品は朱赤の地に黒字で「山廃」と書かれているところ、
この商品は白地だから。黒いラベルの右上、ほんのわずかな面積なのに
「白ラベル」とはややこしい話ですが、お客様の間ではすっかり定着して
しまったので、どうかご容赦を。

ところで、この酒には「アルコール度数が高いのに、やさしい」という
コメントをよくいただきます。しかし、「やさしいけれど、アルコール度数が高い」
のも事実。くれぐれも翌日、後悔しない呑みかたをなさってください。

この酒に詰まっている旨味は半端な量ではありませんから、色々と遊べます。
●酒３、水１の割合で割り水をして呑むのも美味しい。
●氷を入れて呑むのも楽しい。
●寒さ対策としてお湯割りもいける。
●根気強く待つだけの忍耐力があれば、家で長期熟成させるのにも非常に面白い酒です。


新記録達成はなりませんでしたが、今年も旨みたっぷりの「白ラベル」は
２月８日に発売となりました。
ぜひお試しください。

杜氏
　　フィリップ・ハーパー

Sake brewery terminology

The sake industry is a rather peculiar corner of Japanese society. It is also an unusual manufacturing industry, as traditionally the actual manufacturing (i.e. brewing) business wasn’t actually done by the brewery owner or even by company employees, but by seasonally employed craftsmen brought to the brewery under the leadership of a master brewer (杜氏, tōji）.

The tōji and his crew would leave their families and their rice fields (they were almost all farmers, with occasional fishermen) after the rice harvest finished in autumn, and live in the brewery for the winter months of the brewing season.

Now the number of kura where the brewing is done entirely by members of the traditional guilds has declined considerably, but that is the world in which I learnt to make sake.

The closed world of traditional sake brewers was notoriously feudal, with its own rules, customs and even vocabulary. Long ago, sake breweries were completely off-limits to women, and it is perhaps that boys-only element which is responsible for some of the racier (or even, frankly, downright vulgar) expressions which sake brewers use. There are brewery expressions of charm and even beauty, but I’m afraid those I am going to introduce today are rather in the other, seedier group.

The action of yeast is a key element in making sake, and the Japanese system has a whole separate step dedicated to propagating yeast in a seed mash, called shubo (written with characters meaning sake mother) or moto (written with a sake-only character 酛, which has only recently become recognizable to Japanese word processing software).

In the days before the finished seed mash is used in the main mashing process, it is kept for several days at low temperatures. At this point, you can sometimes see a distinctive pattern of foam on the surface, like that in this picture.



What does it look like to you?

Here’s another picture.



Sometimes this pattern is compared to the delicacy shirako - a great food to go with sake, incidentally. It looks like it is made of something’s intestines, which is not in fact the case. It is actually the milt sac of cod (or if you go even more up market, blowfish). I’ll leave it to the fearless and inquisitive to find out what a milt sac is. Fabulous with sake, I promise.

More direct-minded brewers see this pattern in the foam as resembling cow’s intestines. At this point, I must admit that I don’t know why it is the bovine version (as opposed to pig or horse or something), but it always is. The third commonly occurring expression finds the foam to resemble the grey matter of the brain. Personally, I love shirako, so that expression has happy associations for me, but overall, I suppose this hasn’t been a very appetizing post. I will try and redress the balance at some point by introducing some of the more brewery expressions.

In the meantime, let me point out that although the terminology for those patterns in the foam may not be so attractive, these shapes are what you get at the last stage in a batch of seed mash that has gone very well. It may not look so good, but it is a sure sign of a vigorous fermentation to come, so we are always pleased to see these brains or intestines.

蔵の言葉

杜氏制度によって育まれてきた酒蔵という独特の職場は、社会の中の小さな
社会のような面があります。酒蔵ならではの伝統や風習があるのはもちろん、
蔵の中で使われる言葉も独特です。

今となっては女人禁制の蔵はないでしょうが、昔の酒蔵は男だけの世界でした。
そのため（？）、蔵で使われる言葉には風情のある美しいものもありますが、
あまり品のよくない言葉（場合によっては「下品」としか言いようのないもの）も
あります。

今回ご紹介する言葉も、あまりキモチのいいものではないかもしれません。

酒造りに大切な微生物の一つは酵母です。
日本酒の場合、酵母を培養する段階があり、その時に造るものは酒母（しゅぼ）、
もしくは酛（もと）と呼ばれます。

本仕込に酛を使う前に、数日間、品温を落として、低温で管理する「枯らし」と
いう期間があります。
そのとき、こんな形の泡ができることがあります。



何に見えますか？

もう一枚。



「白子」という呼びかたもあれば、「牛の腸」「脳みそ」という、あまり響きの
よくない名で呼ばれることもあります。呼び名こそ美しくないものの、実は、
これは「いい酛」ができたときの形と言われているのです。

見た目も呼び名もゲテモノっぽくても、元気のいい発酵が期待できる、いい
酛ができました。

酛担当の中浜さん、お疲れ様でした。


杜氏
　　フィリップ・ハーパー

Catching up: January's limited editions

With the brewing season about halfway, we are having trouble keeping up with our own limited editions. Since the “Untouched” No.18 with which we opened the New Year, we have shipped three further limited editions, bottled to order just as they were pressed.

Batch No.19, “3U” Spontaneous Fermentation Junmaishu.
Round four of our popular yamahai series, straining at the leash with the usual uncompromising package of juicy acidity and chunky umami.

Batch No. 14, “3U” Junmai Ginjo Omachi.
Second outing for our Omachi series. Brewed with the classic No.9 yeast. Rather than the floral aromatic displays currently fashionable, we keep the top notes to a quiet level of organic fruit and grasses, allowing the flavour-in-the mouth its moment in the spotlight as it surges across the palate. This is the last chance for unpasteurised, unfiltered, undiluted Omachi in the junmai ginjo class until April.

Batch 16, “3U” Tokubetsu Junmaishu.
Made from Gohyakumangoku brewer’s rice polished in-house to 60%, and the stalwart No.7 yeast. Though acidity levels are similar to those of the Spontaneous Fermentation yamahais, amino acids come in rather lighter, making for a crisp, sharply defined brew. This season’s only limited edition in this class.

All the above were bottled to our customers’ orders. Snap them up if you can find them.

For us brewers, February brings the daunting period when we have to mash our second cycle of daiginjo at the same time as pressing the first. Limited edition bottlings this month will be a yamahai carnival, as we ship various Spontaneous Fermentation offerings, including several once-a-year rarities.

Philip Harper
Master Brewer