Less than 10 minutes' drive east from the "Lumber Town," we arrived at Yoshino's sake brewery, Miyoshino Brewery, while enjoying the view of the Yoshino River. As we mentioned in our previous article on the Log Market and Sawmill Tour, Yoshino forestry originated with barrels and tubs used to transport and brew sake. While wooden barrel brewing has disappeared in recent years in favor of enamel tanks, it seems that wooden barrel brewing has recently been gaining renewed recognition.
Since 2010, Miyoshino Brewery has revived wooden barrel brewing for the first time in 60 years, and has released its "100-Year-Old Cedar Wooden Barrel Brewing" every year. However, that's not all that's amazing about Miyoshino Brewery. Our in-depth tour of the brewery began.
Sakes that surprised me - it's amazing how different their flavors can be, even from the same brewery
■The complete opposite of traditional sake making
Our guide was Managing Director Hashimoto Teruaki. He has also been the master brewer for the past seven years. We started by talking about rice, and I learned that Nara is not a producer of rice suitable for sake. As the saying goes, "rice-growing areas = sake-growing areas," and so conventional wisdom dictates that rice is the most important factor in sake making. However, while Hashimoto uses rice grown in Nara Prefecture, he is not particularly attached to it.
"Rice from the mountains and rice from the plains. The water and soil are different for each, but both are correct. I think it's important to listen to the farmers' wishes and use rice that is good for this brewery," says Hashimoto.
Currently, they use "Gin no Sato" rice from Nara Prefecture. The whitish part of the brown rice is a characteristic of sake rice.
■ Wild Koji Making
The koji-making room is called the koji-muro. Here, koji mold is sprinkled on the steamed rice. Apparently, this room was built 50 years ago using Yoshino cedar.
Temperature and humidity are adjusted using electric heaters and humidifiers. Cedar is also excellent at regulating humidity.
At Miyoshino Brewery, they use a method called "sohaze koji," in which mycelium is spread all over the rice, keeping the room temperature at 30°C and humidity at 70-80%, which is quite humid (the normal humidity is around 50%). Unlike "tsukihaze," in which spores are sprinkled evenly on the bacteria to allow the fungus to penetrate in patches, this method boldly sprinkles the fungus on the steamed rice with a sprayer. It seems quite wild. The pure white koji is created when the mycelium spreads throughout.
"Koji is the DNA of sake brewing," says Hashimoto, who is particular about "acidity." A high-quality acidity, a strong acidity with a strong umami flavor. Koji production is also related to the subsequent "shubo" process, and is an important step in creating the perfect acidity.
■Making a shubo without adding yeast
"Shubo" is the process of cultivating yeast that promotes fermentation in the mash that is added later before brewing. The basic set consists of "koji rice made in the koji room + steamed rice + water + yeast." However, Hashimoto decided to go with no added yeast. He says he was impressed by the idea of "yeast is something you don't search for, but make" at Kenbishi Sake Brewery, where he worked for three years, which was completely different from conventional wisdom.
A yeast-free starter fermenting bubblingly in a wooden barrel
The starter is deliberately placed in a harsh environment where conditions change with the seasons, and the yeast that continues to ferment despite this is the "yeast fungus of this brewery."
The Yoshino cedar wooden barrels are a project in collaboration with mountain guardian Nakai Shota and others.
The sake then undergoes a three-stage brewing process, including mash fermentation, before going on to become refined sake. Incidentally, although Miyoshino Brewery does brew some sake using the standard method of adding yeast, they say that currently 70% of the sake they ship is made without adding yeast.
■An even wilder mizumoto
Miyoshino Brewery also employs a rare brewing method called mizumoto. This sake, produced at Shoryakuji Temple in Bodaisancho, Nara City during the Muromachi period, is considered the root of sake and a fitting starting point for sake brewing in Nara, the birthplace of sake.
The method of making this starter mash is even wilder, involving soaking raw rice in mizumoto (simmered rice stock) to rot and induce fermentation, a process that is on the very edge between decay and fermentation. Hashimoto laughed, recalling the sour smell, "At first, the smell was so strong I thought about throwing it away."
■ Yoshino's Water, Climate, and Nature
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that sake brewing requires low temperatures, mizumoto can be made in the summer, eliminating the need for low-temperature maintenance. Even so, this vibrant starter mash is truly a sake unique to Yoshino, grown in its climate and natural features.
"I never intended to pair mizumoto with sashimi," Hashimoto declared. Nara is a landlocked region, so it's only natural for the people of Nara to be grateful for the blessings of the mountains. "I want to make a sake that is a mountain sake," says Hashimoto, whose passion for local sake brewing is what makes it so rewarding.
When it comes to sake brewing, Hashimoto suddenly becomes talkative.
■Yoshino's water, climate, and nature as it is
Miyoshino Sake Brewery uses underground well water from the Omine mountain range for its brewing water. Thanks to the bounty of the majestic Mount Omine, Hashimoto's sake brewing is a thoroughly Spartan education. He has trained his yeast to adapt to the Yoshino environment.
So, when asked what he would like to do next, Hashimoto answered, "I want to turn my aluminum heated barrels into wooden ones!" A heated barrel is like a hot water bottle, where you adjust the temperature by filling it with hot or cold water. "It conducts heat more slowly than metal, so it doesn't cool down as easily," he said, and the nerdy talk continued, but that's all for today. Perhaps the day is not far off when Hashimoto will use a heated barrel made from Yoshino cedar.
Next time, we will travel to Kyoto in search of Yoshino cypress.
[Sake brewery information]
1-1238 Rokuda, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
TEL: 0746-32-3639
http://www.hanatomoe.com/
Since 2010, Miyoshino Brewery has revived wooden barrel brewing for the first time in 60 years, and has released its "100-Year-Old Cedar Wooden Barrel Brewing" every year. However, that's not all that's amazing about Miyoshino Brewery. Our in-depth tour of the brewery began.
Sakes that surprised me - it's amazing how different their flavors can be, even from the same brewery■The complete opposite of traditional sake making
Our guide was Managing Director Hashimoto Teruaki. He has also been the master brewer for the past seven years. We started by talking about rice, and I learned that Nara is not a producer of rice suitable for sake. As the saying goes, "rice-growing areas = sake-growing areas," and so conventional wisdom dictates that rice is the most important factor in sake making. However, while Hashimoto uses rice grown in Nara Prefecture, he is not particularly attached to it.
"Rice from the mountains and rice from the plains. The water and soil are different for each, but both are correct. I think it's important to listen to the farmers' wishes and use rice that is good for this brewery," says Hashimoto.
Currently, they use "Gin no Sato" rice from Nara Prefecture. The whitish part of the brown rice is a characteristic of sake rice.■ Wild Koji Making
The koji-making room is called the koji-muro. Here, koji mold is sprinkled on the steamed rice. Apparently, this room was built 50 years ago using Yoshino cedar.
Temperature and humidity are adjusted using electric heaters and humidifiers. Cedar is also excellent at regulating humidity.At Miyoshino Brewery, they use a method called "sohaze koji," in which mycelium is spread all over the rice, keeping the room temperature at 30°C and humidity at 70-80%, which is quite humid (the normal humidity is around 50%). Unlike "tsukihaze," in which spores are sprinkled evenly on the bacteria to allow the fungus to penetrate in patches, this method boldly sprinkles the fungus on the steamed rice with a sprayer. It seems quite wild. The pure white koji is created when the mycelium spreads throughout.
"Koji is the DNA of sake brewing," says Hashimoto, who is particular about "acidity." A high-quality acidity, a strong acidity with a strong umami flavor. Koji production is also related to the subsequent "shubo" process, and is an important step in creating the perfect acidity.
■Making a shubo without adding yeast
"Shubo" is the process of cultivating yeast that promotes fermentation in the mash that is added later before brewing. The basic set consists of "koji rice made in the koji room + steamed rice + water + yeast." However, Hashimoto decided to go with no added yeast. He says he was impressed by the idea of "yeast is something you don't search for, but make" at Kenbishi Sake Brewery, where he worked for three years, which was completely different from conventional wisdom.
A yeast-free starter fermenting bubblingly in a wooden barrelThe starter is deliberately placed in a harsh environment where conditions change with the seasons, and the yeast that continues to ferment despite this is the "yeast fungus of this brewery."
The Yoshino cedar wooden barrels are a project in collaboration with mountain guardian Nakai Shota and others.The sake then undergoes a three-stage brewing process, including mash fermentation, before going on to become refined sake. Incidentally, although Miyoshino Brewery does brew some sake using the standard method of adding yeast, they say that currently 70% of the sake they ship is made without adding yeast.
■An even wilder mizumoto
Miyoshino Brewery also employs a rare brewing method called mizumoto. This sake, produced at Shoryakuji Temple in Bodaisancho, Nara City during the Muromachi period, is considered the root of sake and a fitting starting point for sake brewing in Nara, the birthplace of sake.
The method of making this starter mash is even wilder, involving soaking raw rice in mizumoto (simmered rice stock) to rot and induce fermentation, a process that is on the very edge between decay and fermentation. Hashimoto laughed, recalling the sour smell, "At first, the smell was so strong I thought about throwing it away."
■ Yoshino's Water, Climate, and Nature
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that sake brewing requires low temperatures, mizumoto can be made in the summer, eliminating the need for low-temperature maintenance. Even so, this vibrant starter mash is truly a sake unique to Yoshino, grown in its climate and natural features.
"I never intended to pair mizumoto with sashimi," Hashimoto declared. Nara is a landlocked region, so it's only natural for the people of Nara to be grateful for the blessings of the mountains. "I want to make a sake that is a mountain sake," says Hashimoto, whose passion for local sake brewing is what makes it so rewarding.
When it comes to sake brewing, Hashimoto suddenly becomes talkative.■Yoshino's water, climate, and nature as it is
Miyoshino Sake Brewery uses underground well water from the Omine mountain range for its brewing water. Thanks to the bounty of the majestic Mount Omine, Hashimoto's sake brewing is a thoroughly Spartan education. He has trained his yeast to adapt to the Yoshino environment.
So, when asked what he would like to do next, Hashimoto answered, "I want to turn my aluminum heated barrels into wooden ones!" A heated barrel is like a hot water bottle, where you adjust the temperature by filling it with hot or cold water. "It conducts heat more slowly than metal, so it doesn't cool down as easily," he said, and the nerdy talk continued, but that's all for today. Perhaps the day is not far off when Hashimoto will use a heated barrel made from Yoshino cedar.
Next time, we will travel to Kyoto in search of Yoshino cypress.
[Sake brewery information]
1-1238 Rokuda, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
TEL: 0746-32-3639
http://www.hanatomoe.com/
