About Sake
Sake is produced from the inner part of a grain of rice. This is because in real sake rice, the core of the grain holds most of the fermentable starch, while the outer part contains fats, minerals and other components that may produce strange flavours.
In order to produce good sake, the outer part of a grain of rice is removed or polished away in a process known as seimaibuai 精米歩合. The outer part is discarded. The lowest quality of sake is called futsushu 普通酒 (over 70% seimaibuai), meaning that less than 30% percent of the outer part of the grain is removed. This is not the kind of sake that you want to go looking for. The next level is junmaishu 純米酒 (less than 70% seimaibuai), followed by ginjoshu 吟醸酒 (less than 60%) and daiginjoshu 大吟醸酒 (less than 50%). Really special sake can be made from a much smaller part of a grain, as little as 35% of the original.
Water is very important in making good sake, as about 80% of the final product is pure water. Locally, the three Asahikawa breweries use water that comes from the Taisetsu Mountain Range, to the southeast of town. Sometimes, breweries have a free flowing spigot in which anyone can go and fill up bottles with their special water.
Yeast is the third important component of sake, and arguably the most important. Breweries can spend years and generations cultivating their own proprietary strain of yeast that gives their sake its unique flavour.
For the sake novice, flavour is essentially based on a sliding scale that ranges from very sweet to very dry sake. When visiting a sake brewery, you should try a range of sake to see which flavour appeals to you, personally. The sake scale at Otokoyama here in Asahikawa ranges from -50 to +20. The minus end is sweet while plus is the dry side. Most of the famous sake in Japan lies in the +2 to +4 range. Acidity also plays a part in the flavour of sake. Acidity usually ranges from about 0.9 to 2.0. Higher acidity indicates a lighter or crisper feel, while a lower acidity will have a flavour that is heavier and more prolonged.
Higher quality sake is usually served cool, so that its unique flavours can be best appreciated. Typically, when you order warm sake at an izakaya, it will probably be some anonymous, cheaper quality sake. Also important to note that unlike wine, sake flavour usually does not improve with age! It should be consumed shortly after purchase. An opened bottle should not sit for more than a couple of weeks.
