Sake’s served HOT right?
NO.
High-end sake is
typically served chilled or at room temperature. Japan has several climates, it’s an island
for one thing which always makes the weather interesting and dramatic but some of
Japan’s northern prefectures are quite cold and get incredible amounts of snowfall!
Say Hello to Hokkaido!
There are indeed sakes brewed specifically to be heated and
served in the cold winter, but for the most the answer is NO.
Sake’s very
high in alcohol content, like hard booze right?
NOPE.
When most
people envision a sake glass they conjure up a small white cup similar to a
shot glass. These images along with some
sakes (and sake drinkers) that can and do enjoy drinking their sake in a “shooter”
style of consumption have led to this misconception.
Sakes are for the most part about as high in alcohol content
as wine; however some are even much lower than hoppy IPA style beers or light
white wines. There are “Genshu” sakes
(undiluted) sakes were the brewers don't add additional water- these can get up
to the 16%-20% alcohol content similar to a dessert wine.
So again NO, it’s not hard booze, and high end sake is not
to be “slammed” back- rather poured into a nice big glass, swirled around, sniffed,
and sipped; enjoyed just like fine wine.
Sake’s expensive, only for fine dining, and for $$$
folks, or older folks, right?
YES(NO)
High-end
sake can be expensive but that being said expensive might not be the right
word. There’s a very broad range.
First off you can buy most sake in either a small 300ml
bottle or in a 720ml bottle (the size of a standard bottle of wine). You can also get sakes and a whole hell of a
lot of people do in Japan in tiny 200ml cans and bottles from vending machines!
So you can try the best of the best for less than $20-$30 in
a smaller bottle, or you can have a fantastic larger sized bottle of a Junmai
or a Ginjo for under $30 as well. You
can also get a can of Kikusui Nama for $6(!), a Genshu (the unfiltered) and it’s
a delicious sake: you're going to have a very lovely tasting sweet sake and get
a nice wonderful little sake buzz for $6!
People get sake for
fun, for parties, to drink at a baseball game, maybe grab a One Cup before their
long train commute home to make it a little more tolerable, and again this is
not “PBR” relative in quality- Kikusui Nama is delicious it’s just not
pretentious and you can rock it in a little can!
Sake has sadly become more considered “granddads” drink of
choice in Japan. But the industry is evolving,
sparkling and flavored sakes are increasingly popular, and Americans are now
the number one importer of sake around the world, I believe this shifting tide
will continue. Sake breweries are
tapping into the US market with fancy bottle designs, tastings, social media,
and merchants are beginning to start carrying them in their specialty beverage
shops more and more.
Sake is only good with Sushi, right?
NO. Just no.
That’s insane. I recently had a glass of Wakatake Daiginjo with a plate of Memphis style dry rubbed ribs and collard greens- it was
great! No harm done! You neither have to love or hate
sushi to love or hate sake, remember there are on estimate 15,000 different sakes produced in Japan, they
have a vast variety of flavors so trust me- there’s one out there to pair well
with a cheeseburger, a slice of pizza, a salad, or a bag of peanuts.
Beau Timken Races Into Action To Combat This Misconception!
(great read)
Sake is only available at Sushi restaurants
right and Asian Markets?
Nope.
You'd be surprised (taking note that this is Carolina centric blog, on the west coast this probably doesn't apply) how few Asian
markets even carry sake. I've had so
many owners of these fascinating little shops tell me, “Try Total Wine...”; too
many to count.
Some Harris Teeters
carry some decent standards, Hakutsuru Junmai, Ozeki Dry (these are $8~9, not a great sake but decent for sake slummin'); I saw a bottle of
Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo at a Piggly Wiggly in South Carolina! I would avoid however, if your grocery store
carries just one green bottle of “Ozeki” or “Gekkeikan”- those are mainly for
cooking and not a good first sake engagement. “Total Wine” they carry a lot of
American produced sake but I'm not a big fan, it’s more expensive than it’s
cheaper Japanese bottom line sakes and not as good (Sake Ones G, is pretty good- Whole Foods and World Market's carry it). BUT I digress, this blog will show you NC/SC
folks were to find the good stuff, that’s the whole point!
Some More Misconceptions and Interesting Sake Facts
Sake’s Gluten Free! *For the most part
High-end/decent sake is gluten free. As long as it’s a Junmai, a Junmai Ginjo, or
a Junmai Daiginjo its gluten free!
Water+Rice+Mold(Koji)= No Gluten. (sulfite free, and kosher as well)
Sake is a great low calorie mixer for a
variety of cocktails; it also has a lot less calories than beer proportionality.
Sake is “Rice Wine”- it’s not. It’s brewed like beer. I always say, brewed like beer, enjoyed like
wine.
Sake Lasts! Unlike beer or white wine, you can open a bottle of sake and keep it in your fridge for 2 weeks and it will stay delicious!
Sudo Honke (須藤 本家 Sudō Honke) is a Japanese manufacturer of sake based in Obara, a settlement in the present borders of Kasama, and one of the original settlements of Ibaraki Prefecture. Founded in 1141 and run by the 55th generation of the Sudo family, it is the oldest sake brewery in Japan and one of the oldest companies in the world. *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudo_Honke
-Brad Russell
