When you think of various alcoholic beverages, perhaps your mind drifts toward the countries where these drinks originate. Think of wine, you think of France. Think of beer, you think of Germany. Think of tequila, you think of Mexico. Of a similar vein, when you think of sake, no doubt your mind is filled with images of Japan. Simply put, sake is rice and water that has been fermented to form a beverage containing alcohol.
Sake may drink similarly to wine, but in actuality, it is brewed in a way that closely resembles beer. The libation has roots in China but these days sake is all Japanese. In fact, the word the Japanese people use to refer to sake, Nihonshu, translates to “Wine of Japan.” In its current form, sake has been made by brewers for approximately 1,000 years, making it quite an ancient drink in its own right. The country of Japan features over 1,400 breweries, with each producing anywhere from 15 to 25 products.
To make sake, rice grains are first fed through a milling machine, which exposes the starchy cores of the rice. Next, the rice is washed in order to remove impurities that would change the taste and quality of the finished product. The polished rice is then soaked for a period of time to aid in the next step, which is steaming. Steaming works to bring out the grain’s starch molecules while also sterilizing it.
Next, koji mold is applied carefully to turn the starch to sugar. Then, a yeast starter is added in order to boost fermentation. After some time, unfermented rice particles get taken from the liquid and, in most cases, subject to filtering. The next steps are pasteurization unless the finished product will be a nama, and dilluting, unless the sake will be a Genshu brew or other product that is not diluted. The last step in the process is for the sake to be bottled, labeled, and then shipped for the world to enjoy.
What are some things about sake that you should know? For one, if you visit Japan and ask a taxi driver to transport you to a sake bar, he or she will drive you to a normal place to drink. Why? In the country, “sake” simply means an alcoholic beverage. If you hope to enjoy some delicious sake, it’s better to ask your driver to take you to where they sell “Nihonshu.” As touched on previously in this article, this is the word that means “Wine of Japan.”
Another thing to keep in mind about sake? It is an alcoholic beverage that is very, very clean for consumption. Because of the way the beverage is made, there is no need for sulfites, a common preservative in alcoholic beverages. Many individuals do not tolerate sulfites well, which can lead to a painful headache the day after drinking. In addition, it has very little acidity, which means that is can be enjoyed by those with acid reflux or other digestive issues.
