Nanbu stands for the region, and bijin meaning beautiful woman. Meet the 3 female sake brewers running japan saveur. Nanbu bijin acquired the worlds first vegan sake certificate on january 25th, 2019. Fermented beverages are alcoholic drinks made when yeast ferments alcohol from the. However, one day it occurred to the brew master would it be possible to brew good sake using 100% komekoji. The fourth director of the nakao sake brewery, nakao kiyomaro, recognized that yeast is the most important element in determining the taste of sake, and from a young age he made a study of yeast. The flavor of sake can vary from fruits and flowers to herbs and spices and can be served chilled. Apr 22, 2015 the men who labor tirelessly at the 144yearold tedorigawa brewery in northern japan get a portrait worthy of their devotion in the birth of sake, a richly immersive documentary that plays. See for yourself and experience a day of adventure with a brewery tour and tasting, and a ride on the notoro express. All told, southern beauty is an affordable, highquality, and foodfriendly brew thats well worth a purchase. Nanbu bijin tends to favor local and organic rice strains. This gourmet japanese sake brewer makes clean and beautiful sake. We are located in the ballard neighborhood of seattle, wa.
Made with unique ginotome rice which is grown in iwate. This amazing brew is made using the shizuku trickle method that simply uses the force of gravity for 4 hours that allows the clear sake. Sake that bridges brazil and iwate nanbu bijin president, mr. The whisper of shubo, the mother nature of sake, guides brewery masters, who are tuned to feeling out the best course of making sake. Before i got involved in growing rice, he says, i just wanted to brew clean, lovely sake. However, starting in the 17th century, sake brewing was restricted to just winter, with restrictions by the shogunate due to lack of rice and seasonal nature of toji chief brewer and kurabito skilled brewer labor due to the winter off season for farming.
Jun 08, 2018 nihonshu, unlike wine, is typically low in acidity, which is one of the reasons it goes so well with japanese food. Then, nanbu bijin get vegan status in a clever play that highlights sake s inherent purity. Sparkling sake is making its case as a specialty, food. It differs from wine in that sake is produced in a process much like beer, where the starch is converted to sugars before being converted to alcohol.
Nanbu bijin, southern beauty, junmai ginjo premium. By eliminating the carbon filtration and storing sake below 41 degrees f, nanbu bijin retains its lively fresh aroma and. Sake brewery nanbu bijin in japan becomes worlds first. Nanbu bijin is located in a small, northern town in japan that sees snowwhite winters, during which sake brewing season is at its peak. Suzune, happoseishu, ichinokura brewery miyagi junmai. May 26, 2015 meet the 3 female sake brewers running japan.
Using 100% locally grown ginotome sake rice, nanbu bijin is produced to bring out the flavor of rice to its fullest. Sep 11, 2015 brewing sake in japan is becoming a womans game again. And you definitely need to know nanbu bijin southern beauty brewerys story to appreciate its sake. Brewing sake hit amazon around the 20th and is making it into the channels. Kazuma sake brewery revitalizing notos sake brewing. Hiroshi sumikawa of sumikawa shuzojo, which produces the brand sake toyo bijin. In 2017, nanbu bijin yuinoka and nanbu bijin junmai daiginjo received gold prizes in the junmai daiginjo category as well. Yoko suganami fromnanbu bijin sake brewery and her husband makoto esaki, who will be here at the shop to pour her companys delicious sake and answer your questions.
For them, more than most, rice steaming is important and needs to be done right. It is an area blessed with lush and beautiful natural reserves, fine water, two national parks, and a lake. Japan is home to some of the worlds most interesting alcoholic beveragesfrom traditional sake and shochu to japanese whisky, beer, wine and cocktails that. Buy sake online huge sake selection at the best sake store. Based firmly on the actual methods used by japanese brewers, brewing sake details each step in. In the old days, sake was brewed yearround, with different sakes in each season, and different brewing methods to suit the climate. Kosuke kuji, in line to become kuramoto, is extremely knowledgeable about sake brewing. An awardwinning sake brewery in the tohoku region is eyeing a new approach to sake production that uses artificial intelligence to assist skilled workers. Tanba no kuromame is a japanese happoshu style beer brewed by kizakura sake brewing co. Their brewing master was selected as one of japans 100 great craftsmen. Tamagawa sake brewery, where people and snow unite to make.
I would like to offer our sake in condition that everyone can understand the sake difference by the type of brewing, such as purerice sake, ginjoshu. Kosuke kuji studied the art of making sake and shochu at the prestigious tokyo university of agriculture, learning from professor takeo koizumi, who is a well regarded authority on fermented foods. Nanbu bijin uses the original sake rice, gin ginga and gin otome, which was codeveloped with iwate municipal government and iwate sake makers association and iwate industrial research institute, japan. With increased exports, that seems about to change. The brewery was established in 1902, and the nanbu bijin brand name came to be in 1951. Nanbu bijin daiginjo is a beautiful sake to introduce beginners to the world of premium sake.
Nanbu bijin awa sparkling junmai ginjo made using a local strain of rice called ginotome and with volcanic water sources, this sparkling sake offers. Mar 31, 2018 organic sake by terada honke is undeniably a smart choice for anyone who enjoys japanesestyle brews made out of pure goodness. Stop by if you want to have a chat over the counter with the bars hostess yukari yanaba, the wonderwoman behind the bars. Apr 17, 2019 nanbu bijin won the sake champion at the international wine challenge 2017 for the high quality of its product.
Here is the official website of nanbubijin sake brewery from ninohecity, iwate, japan. For its first approach named ai sake, ima will support traditional methods of japanese sake brewing with artificial intelligence, collaborating with nambu bijin, a japanese sake brewer. Slated to be the 7th generation kuramoto, he has already come to represent the face of nanbu bijin. Sake that bridges brazil and iwate nanbu bijin president. I want as many people as possible to know of and taste the sake we brew.
Top iwate brewery turns to ai for hightech assist with sake. Nanbu bijin, awa sake sparkling, nanbu bijin brewery iwate 2. Get immersed in this traditional sake brewery founded in 1902 in nihone city. Add a few of these sake competition 2017 winners to your. Nanbu bijin brewery is located in ninohe city in japan. Brewing sake in japan is becoming a womans game again. Sake made from blue water nanbu bijin iwate prefecture located in the inland part of northern iwate prefecture, the city of ninohe is surrounded by glorious natural scenery, nestled between the kitakami and ou mountains. Available in the us at select restaurants and retail outlets in over 40 states.
Wear your love of sake on your sleeve with brewery tshirts from uniqlo. The captain will always make that extra effort to find a good story no mountain is too high, no river too wide. But senkin shuzo, a 200yearold brewery, has turned conventional sake wisdom. We are focusing on our companys business with all staffs power together. Typical umeshu plum sake has loads of sugar added to offset the extreme tartness of the plums on average 1. Laboratory analyses have found commonalties amongst the waters from these regions, known through time to be the most suitable for sake brewing. Tahoma fuji sake brewing company is a small batch producer of japanese sake. Each generation inherits the knowledge and adds their own twist. Since the founding of hakutsuru in 1743, the company has gone to great lengths to carry forward the wisdom of traditional sake brewing practices while incorporating new technologies. As this unique, special sake is thick, sweet, and overladen with acidity and umami, nanbu bijin all koji can be enjoyed on the rocks, diluted with water, and mixed with fruits sangria style.
Nanbu bijin sake brewery is located in ninohe city in iwate prefecture. Nanbu bijin brewery, located in ninohe city, iwate prefecture, japan, has produced internationally recognized sake since 1902 and bears the english name, southern beauty where to buy wholesale sake sales in the u. Nanbu bijin daiginjo mtc sake japanese beverage distributor. Watanabe sake brewing co ltd horai kaden tedukuri junmai. Happy birthday tim you are sooo sake samurai kagami biraki of nanbu bijin and huge birthday cake with hakkaisan junmai ginjo picture. The japanese sake industry has a long traditional history.
Buy online from our selection of awardwinning sake, or signup to a subscriptions for a handpicked bottle each month great deals on top brands including dassai 45, urakasumi and mio sparkling sake. Today, the name nanbu bijin is a fixture on the menus of japanese restaurant menus and sake bars across the globe. Todays brewing methods preserve the best timehonored practices and replace primitive methods with highly efficient, scalable ones. We are proud to partner with some of the most prestigious breweries in japan and the leading uk sake brewery. Brewing laboratory association, founded in 1904, had selected yeast from famous sake breweries in japan.
Each one has a unique history but all take great pride in the quality of their ingredients and brewing heritage and between them theyve produced bags of awardwinning sake. Sake is a japanese fermented rice wine originating in japan. Brewing process how to japan sake and shochu makers. Sake s hidden stories will give you a view to what goes on in the sake industry behind the brew we all love so much. Hiroshi kuji, the 4th generation owner of nanbu bijin brewery in ninohe, iwate prefecture.
Nanbu bijin brewery is located in northern japans ninohe city, an area long referred to as nanbu no kuni. They achieve this by observing the performance of the rice, the climate and the condition of the sake. Supporting traditional methods of japanese sake brewing. Nanbu bijin sake brewery iwate, japan our breweries. Sake brewery craftsmen i am in charge of sake making in general to supervise the entire brewery building management, the book keeping, sake brewery craftsmen management, etc. Here is the official facebook page of nanbubijin sake brewery from ninohecity, iwate, japan. Supporting traditional methods of japanese sake brewing with. The competition had 9 categories, and the champion sake was selected among the 9 best sake from each category. Kosuke kuji was born in 1972 as the oldest son of mr. The book goes into stories much deeper than the information we most commonly encounter.
Sake benefits from a period of storage after fermentation, usually from 9 to 12 months. Sake brewing is driven by unique personalities behind it. From our sake brewing philosophy to news of our new products and events, we introduce everything about nanbubijin sake. Welcome to the world of one of tochigis top jizake brewers, hokkan sake. In a predominantly malerun field, women are brewing standout sakes. We dont do it often, but this month were having two sake tastings, and on back to back weekends no less. Together with the kurabito they produce about 360,000 liters of sake a year. Theres no pronounced umami to be found, so id recommend enjoying it slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Nanbu bijin sake brewery sake international association. Our sake, nanbu bijin produced by nanbu toji, one of the top tree group of chief sake makers in japan. In this workshop, a traditional method of sake brewing will be introduced, and the pivotal role of microorganisms in the fermentation process will be highlighted. Michisakari is now considered the best brand in the dry sake field and it is the current presidents wish for people to enjoy the clean, refreshing flavour of michisakari with friends and family. Sakes hidden stories the personalities, philosophies. Stories behind sake is what fascinates me, and i hope that my readers will these stories interesting, too. Brewers publications is the leading publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing. Nanbu bijin brand premium sake by nanbu bijin brewery of iwate, japan. The third sake of the night was the nanbu bijin competition trickle sake alc 17. We have to put it in mind that we are just a freshmen in brewing sake every year, even we had lots of experience.
May 19, 2019 japanese sake is an alcoholic drink made of fermented rice, koji and water. With a rich history of brewing quality sake in the noto peninsula, sogen sake brewery is closely connected to the local area. We were established in 1902, but at first were only a sake retailer. Japanese sake is an alcoholic drink made of fermented rice, koji and water. I am in charge of sake making in general to supervise the entire brewery building management, the book keeping, sake brewery craftsmen management, etc. Aug 03, 2017 sake bar masafuku close to tokyo tower, is a lovely recently opened little bar with refreshing sake and scrumptious food. There are various kinds of yeast is now in use, such yeast as improved by each prefecture, or yeast has been used for long time in house made. This sake is made strictly for competition and isnt available for sale anywhere in the world.
It made my heart warm to feel the care and affection i once did from him through the experience of sake brewing. This is a sake made with rice polished to daiginjo levels but for the price of a junmai. He has also written a book about his experiences, entitled natsuta fuyuzo, filled with anecdotes and warm stories about life in a sakagura sake brewery. We are just a freshmen in brewing sake every year, even we had lots of experience. In 1902, nanbu bijin brewery was first established as only a sake retailer. Sake in this category has had no extra distilled alcohol added during its brewing, and is known for its rich, full flavor. Nanbu bijin 10 years aged daiginjo mtc sake japanese.
Sake is an alcoholic beverage brewed primarily from rice and water. Dec 27, 2017 for its first approach named aisake, ima will support traditional methods of japanese sake brewing with artificial intelligence, collaborating with nambu bijin, a japanese sake brewer. Having inherited the experience and tradition of sake brewing, only the kurabito can keep brewing sake maintaining the same taste. The sake feels a bit heavierweight than a ginjo, and while its semidry, a healthy dose of acidity provides lift. The iwate area used to be called nanbu south, and is a place rich with nature, abundant water and fertile soil. We have to keep the good sake making technology lasted from old ages, on the other hand, we also have to challenge to create new things. Kosuke kuji was born in 1972, the eldest son of hiroshi kuji, the 4th generation owner of nanbu bijin brewery. The competition had 9 categories, and the champion sake was selected among the 9 best sake. Books on sake sake brewers association of north america. Horai kaden tedukuri junmai ginjo sake rating was calculated by to be 92 points out of 100 on 772016. Yokoyama had a chance for a blind sake tasting, and it was sumikawas sake that he thought this is it.
Sake is in the same category of fermented liquor as wine and beer. This week he journeys to the coast of chiba to sample a local sake brewerys brew. Elegant, stunning and well crafted as a sake can be. But finding a certified vegan sake might be more difficult. Nanbu bijin shinpaku junmai daiginjo mtc sake japanese. Nanbu bijin is heavily involved in their rice management and utilize mostly local and organic rice strains. Koubo, shubo yeast, fermentation starter nanbubijin. This rice used in this variety of sake has been polished until at least 50 percent of the grain has been removed, offer full and complex flavors. In january 2019, nanbu bijin from iwate prefecture was the first brewery to become certified vegan, both in japan through npo vege project and by the vegan society in the uk. They have won many industry awards and are the flagbearer of the nanbu brewing style.
Tozai living jewel junmai 300ml flavors and aromas of white grape, anise and a hint of sweet rice. The future of nanbu bijin lies with our present chief of production, young and energetic kosuke kuji. The most important characteristic of the true mirror sake, is the original development of the yeast. Formally known as kuji shuzo, they were founded over 100 years ago in 1902 as a sake retailer, and then began brewing sake in 1915. This is the first nonjapanese book entirely on brewing sake. Mar 30, 2016 sake gekkeikan served hot or cold crisp and silky with a sweet finish. Kazuma sake brewery was established in 1869, and prior to producing sake, it had been brewing soy sauce from the edo era 16031868 the brewery sits on a quiet street between rising green hills and the blue waters of the coastline. From our sake brewing philosophy to news of our new products and. Where to buy nanbu bijin sake brewery southern beauty.
The sake brewery nanbu bijin in ninohe, iwate, exporting to 38 countries and regions around the world, acquired the worlds first vegan sake certificate on january 25th, 2019. This year, 1,245 brands from 390 breweries around the world entered the iwc sake competition. Bijin, meaning roughly beautiful women is emblematic of the pursuit of clean, beautiful sake the brewers were constantly seeking to attain. In 1915 we acquired the necessary licenses and began to brew.
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