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By Sake Deep Dive
5
1010 ratings
The podcast currently has 34 episodes available.
Andy and Jim crack open a barrel of history with this look at a small but cool part of sake culture: tarusake/taruzake. Originally just an accident of logistics, sake stored in sugi wood barrels is now something breweries have to go out of their way to make. Why do they do it? HOW do they do it? Come, listen, and find out.
Vocabulary
Hadakadaru 裸樽 - a “naked” taru without any wrapping, sometimes with the company logo etc. branded on the side.
Hon’nidaru 本荷樽 - a taru wrapped in a woven straw mat that bears decorations and, sometimes, the official brewery logo/sake information, calling back to when sake was shipped to market in these containers. Also called komadaru 菰樽.
Kagami Biraki 鏡開き - a somewhat ceremonial practice, often seen at large public events, where VIPs use wooden hammers to break open the lid of a sake taru.
Masu 升 - a box shaped vessel, originally used to measure rice, now sometimes used as a sake drinking vessel. Usually bare wood, but some are lacquered or even made of plastic.
Sugi 杉 - Cryptomeria japonica, sometimes mistakenly called “Japanese cedar.” A conifer with aromatic wood.
Taru 樽 - a barrel, in this case a wooden one, used to store liquid.
Recommendations:
Andy - Choryo Tarusake
Jim - Kamotsuru Taruzake
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive
Also, check out Andy’s new sake tours at: https://www.originsaketours.com/
And buy Jim’s book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake wherever you order your books (print and ebook available)!
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Andy and Jim explore the past and present of the first-ever association of sake brewers, the Tanba Toji. From the origins of toji as a title to the value of labor organizations to the industry, listen in to see just how big a role this rather secretive organization has played in the history of sake as a whole.
Vocabulary
Toji 杜氏 - the head of brewing in the traditional sake brewing system, in charge of a team of brewers and all that happens to the sake.
Kashira 頭 - the second in rank in a brewery under the traditional system.
Dakidaru だき樽 - a small tank with a handle filled with hot or cold water to adjust moromi temperature.
Recommendations:
Andy - Kikumasamune Hyakumoku
Jim - Kenbishi Kuromatsu
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive
Also, check out Andy’s new sake tours at: https://www.originsaketours.com/
And buy Jim’s book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake wherever you order your books (print and ebook available)!
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Andy and Jim take a little trip up the Seto Inland Sea coast to sunny Okayama Prefecture, a hidden gem of sake in western Japan. A sacred land for Omachists everywhere, what makes the sake here so darn great? Come, listen and find out on Sake Deep Dive!
Vocabulary from this episode:
Bizen 備前
Bingo 備後
Bicchu 備中
Recommendations:
Andy - Fuyu no Tsuki
Jim - Momo no Sato Junmai Ginjo
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive
Also, check out Andy’s new sake tours at: https://www.originsaketours.com/
And buy Jim’s book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake wherever you order your books (print and ebook available)!
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Andrew and Jim take their first ever deep dive into a single brewery. Kenbishi is about as classic as it gets, and with Andrew’s first-hand experience, the talk gets deep indeed. Come see how this truly historic brand maintains its core flavor through the changing currents of history and fad!
Vocabulary from this episode:
Dakidaru - A small tank that is filled with hot or cold water to help control temperature in the brewing mash. Kenbishi makes their own out of wood.
Futakoji - A style of koji making in which the batch is split into small wooden boxes, called futa, for temperature control.
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive
Also, check out Andy’s new sake tours at: https://www.originsaketours.com/
And buy Jim’s book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake wherever you order your books (print and ebook available)!
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
This time, Andy and Jim put on airs and address the noblest of sake styles: kijoshu, a modern brew made to take on the snootiest of events. We discuss everything from the supposed mythical origins of the process to the ethics of trademarking names for shared styles. No Edo period brewing manuals here, just pure seventies funk.
Vocabulary from this episode
Engishiki - An ancient record of laws and customs from the noble court dating to around 927 CE.
Kijoshu -A style of sake made using finished sake instead of one part of the brewing water in the final brewing stage. Actually a trademarked name.
Saijoshikomi - One of several alternate names for sake made in the kijoshu style .
Shiori sake - An ancient brewing method in which a batch of sake is “refermented” with a fresh addition of rice and koji.
Recommended Sake
Andy - Kokuryu Kijoshu
Jim - Nakashimaya Kijoshu
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Finally, the European masters have introduced the world of sake to the power of blending, something that no one in sake’s centuries of history ever thought of before. Or, not. Jim and Andy stir things up with a talk about the real, and very long, history of blending sake in all its many shapes and forms.
Vocabulary from this episode
Arabashiri - The initial “rough run” of sake from a pressing.
Nakatori - The middle, and often considered best, run of a pressing of sake.
Seme - The final cut, sometimes considered the “dregs” or tailings of a pressing of sake.
Chogo - The Japanese word for blending, as in sake.
Recommended Sake
Andy - Kuromatsu Kenbishi
Jim - Miyoshi Hana
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Andy and Jim explore the history of Nara as an early center for sake development and innovation. From rice polishing to branding, there's a solid argument that this is where sake as a consumer good was born.
Vocabulary from this episode:
Katahaku - Sake that used polished rice for only the mashing rice.
Morohaku - Sake brewed with polished rice in both Koji and kakemai
Recommended Sake
Andy - Yucho Shuzo Takacho Junmai Bodaimoto
Jim - Kubo Honke Nemuryu Kimoto Junmai Jukusei
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Your humble hosts look over developments in the types of tanks used through history. It's a great chance to reflect on the surprising links between material advancements, brewing technology, and market demands.
Vocabulary from this episode
Horo - Enamel coating used on metal tanks
Kame - A general term for large ceramic jars/tanks used for storing or fermenting
Kioke - Wooden tanks
Taru - A wooden cask or keg used for storing and transporting sake
Recommended Sake
Andy - Kikumasamune Taruzake
Jim - Aramasa Cosmos
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Time at last for Andy and Jim to tackle the beast that is the junmai ideology. This time the gents look at just how junmai became such a hot topic, what it really means for the brewing industry, and the figures behind its postwar “revival,” if that’s what it really is.
Vocabulary from this episode
Aruten - Brewer’s alcohol added. Short for arukoru tenka
Komedake no osake - sake made from only rice/rice koji/yeast.
Mutenka - Nothing added
Recommended Sake
Andy - Gokyo Kiokezukuri Junmai
Jim - Ryujinmaru Junmai Nama Genshu
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
We are finishing our series on Japan's major brewing regions in Fushimi, Kyoto. Built around the palace of one of Japan's most powerful warlords, we discuss how this once-sleepy town literally cleaned its way to becoming one of Japan's most famous brewing regions.
Vocabulary from this Episode
gokusui: fragrant water
kinmeisui: Golden Water
ginmeisui: Silver Water
Recommended Sake:
Andy - Souku Usu-Nigori
Jim - Sho Chiku Bai
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
The podcast currently has 34 episodes available.
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