The Music Of Sake
from the 03/96 paper Ibaraki Report
For distinct taste produced with artistic care, jizakenð or local sake breweries are treasured by connoisseurs. The Asahizakura Brewery was founded by a family that came to Daigo 100 years ago for the quality and taste of the local water. Today, Tatsunori Saito and his two brothers run the brewery themselves preferring to keep the business small and traditional in order to foster their art. In that spirit, theyfve become patrons of the arts as well, hosting classical music concerts in the brewery warehouse and art exhibitions by local artists in a storage room turned gallery.
The sake making season runs from December to March, the coldest time of the year. Asahizakura sake uses Yamanonishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture, washing and steaming it in fresh Daigo water. The rice is spread onto mats and the kouji mold is added to begin the fermentation process. During that time brewers canft indulge in natto as the natto mold will compete with the kouji mold. My heart beat in guilty panic remembering the delicious, sticky natto of that morningc
The kouji rice is mixed with normal rice in one of five giant vats in a large warehouse. The smell of sake vapour wafts throughout the cold and in the stillness we could hear the gentle popping and the bubbling of the soupy rice. It sounds like rain, Mr. Saito pointed out. Someone once noticed the quality of the acoustics and since then local classical musicians have been invited to perform here, twice a year in June and October. Itfs a tribute both to local artistry and to the music of sake they listen to during the winter.
The sake mash is transferred to a fune or wooden press. The sake that runs out though the wooden spout tastes strong and fresh and is known as funakuchi. A bottle of funakuchi, unpasteurized, must be kept chilled to prevent it from continuing to ferment. Nigorizake or unrefined sake is a milky color with a variety of sakes, a brand meant for atsukan or heated sake, another more sophisticated taste enhanced when slightly warm, and finally a chilled sake served for refreshment on warm summer nights. All were music to our mouths.
For information about gallery exhibits, concert dates and reservations for viewing the brewery, call 029-576-0121
