Sake, sets, and rice

Misconceptions about sake abound in today’s world. Few people really seem to understand what it is and the work and preparation that has to go into making it. So SakeUSA.com strives to explain a bit more about this fascinating drink and its history. We try to cover many aspects of the drink, so bear with us.

One thing that most people do realize is that Sake is made from rice. The drink originated in Japan, and is popular around the world today. It is a staple is most sushi restaurants, and while many people consider it something of a novelty, others enjoy it on a regular basis, even buying sake sets to keep at home.

Sake requires multiple fermentation of the rice, much like beer does. There are many different types of sake because the word “sake” refers to alcohol in general in Japanese. Different quality levels of sake include futsu, ginjo, daiginjo, and many others. These names mean little to the average person who doesn’t speak Japanese, but if you love sake, you will soon be familiar with all of them.

Sake has been around for a very long time. It is mentioned by Japan’s first written history, Kojiki, several times. This book was created in the eighth century. The drink that the Western world associates with the term “sake” is called nihonshu in Japan. It is created with water, rice, and koji mold. It became the dominant form of alcohol in Japan by the Asuka period from 538 to 710 A.D.

Sake production was a government affair for several centuries. In the tenth century though, temples and shrines took over the operation. Producing sake wasn’t opened to any other venues until the Meiji restoration of the 19th century.

An unprecedented number of people jumped into sake making once it was legalized. Just about anyone who had the equipment could start making it. Approximately thirty-thousand breweries were created in under a year. Most of these breweries closed down as more taxes were placed on the sake industry, and eventually there were only about a third left. Farmers who were already growing rice crops had the most successful breweries. Rice that was leftover at the end of the season was turned into sake rather than thrown away. A few of these family-owned breweries still exist to this day.

In the 20th century brewing techniques for sake improved. The Japanese government created an institute devoted to studying the production of sake and how to improve it in 1904. This led to production optimization, and thus, more sake. More sake meant more taxes, and in 1898 over half of the country’s direct tax income was from sake production.

During the Second World War, there was a shortage in rice. This encouraged shortcuts to be taken in the production process. To quadruple the yield, alcohol would be added to the rice mash. Three-quarters of sake in still produced in the fashion.

Here at SakeUSA.com you will find lots more information, both basic and advanced, if you browse the site. If you are looking for some surprising information, try looking through the habu sake section. This sake is only for the adventurous drinker.

We provide information on specific brands and breweries on the site, both Japanese and domestic, and we also delve into some of the types of serving sets. It may be a little overwhelming at first to learn all the styles, but once you start, it is really quite simple to grasp. Contemporary options are explored, as well as traditional options such as masu, sakazuki, and choko.

Hopefully you will find all the information you are looking for on our site. Please check back for new information, as we will update the site from time to time.

 

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