Does anyone here enjoy sake beyond the casual “going out for sushi, it’s either sake or Kirin Ichiban”? I’ve had a few sakes that I really enjoyed in the past, but not enough to really make me want to seek it out on a regular basis. Then I discovered Nigori (unfiltered) sake a few years back, and I was hooked.
A lot of sake is hot and harsh to my palate, but Nigori sake tends to have just enough sweetness to balance out that hotness. Right now I’m drinking Snow Beauty, which is a really nice one. It has some floral and muskmelon notes, and a flavor reminiscent of mochi/daifuku rice candy, with some melon and plum wine highlights.
My biggest issue with sake is that it’s not particularly easy to find a store with a decent selection of different higher-end sakes to try, especially nigori sake - which is still very much a niche product.
Usually I’ll drink whatever whats served to me, but sought out the Nigori. I hear tell of the really rustic(?) sake actually still having rice in the bottle.
Looks like a real PITA to brew- which was not your question but it has to be raised…
I never cared for sake but a few months ago I tried Nigori and really liked it. It probably won’t be something I buy to drink at home just because we have so much other alcohol at home.
At some point I would like to try brewing sake. It doesn’t seem that difficult. Basically you are performing a long conversion step at the same time a you are fermenting the resulting sugar.
I really love the aroma of the aspergillus as it consumes the rice’s starches. But concur with
the consensus of the PITA it is to make all the timed stirring and additions etc…my attempt
was a success. I always wondered who in the who contrived this crazy process.
Bob Taylor (who runs that site) did an interview with Basic Brewing Radio a while back that is a pretty good primer on the whole process. It’s a good listen even if you don’t plan to try to brew it yourself. As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to go download it now to listen to on my way to work. (it’s the 11/29/07 episode)