COVID-19 Latest
World|life|April 3, 2014 / 11:17 AM
Hokkaido sake makers unearth snow-enhanced beverage

AKIPRESS.COM - sake Sake makers in Biei, Hokkaido (Japan), on Wednesday started to dig out containers of rice wine aged under the snow during the long winter, The Japan Times reported.

The freshly brewed sake had been placed about 100 days earlier in cellars carved out of snow banks. Temperatures in the cellars hover between zero and 2 degrees, which allows the liquor to mature more slowly and results in a smoother texture and lighter taste.

The practice is popular among Hokkaido sake brewers, who like to take advantage of the natural environment.

Two types of sake were aged this winter: Junmaishu, characterized by its “umami” flavor, and Honjozoshu, brewed with a small amount of alcohol added to enhance its fragrance.

The storage tanks measure about 3 meters tall and have a diameter of about 2 meters.

Junmaishu, made with rice, water and “koji” mold spores, refers to a type of sake where the rice used must be polished to at least 70 percent, while Honjozoshu is made with rice, water, koji and a very small amount of “brewers’ alcohol.”

All rights reserved

© AKIpress News Agency - 2001-2024.

Republication of any material is prohibited without a written agreement with AKIpress News Agency.

Any citation must be accompanied by a hyperlink to akipress.com.

Our address:

299/5 Chingiz Aitmatov Prosp., Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic

e-mail: english@akipress.org, akipressenglish@gmail.com;

Follow us:

Log in


Forgot your password? - recover

Not registered yet? - sign-up

Sign-up

I have an account - log in

Password recovery

I have an account - log in