Sake, well known as a Japanese wine, is actually a beer.
It’s finding a home — and many fans - in America

By Paul Franson
Special to the Reno Gazette-Journal

It’s somewhat ironic that the first beverage producer located on the way up Highway 29 from Reno, Napa Valley’s wine road, is a sake producer.

Hakusan Sake, just like its grape-based cousins up valley, has a tasting room adjacent to its production facilities and welcomes visitors warmly. But sake is made from rice, not grapes, and according to federal law, that makes sake beer, not wine.

Whatever the classification, sakes made by Hakusan and six other U.S.-based producers and their Japanese parents are becoming increasingly popular among Western consumers. Though traditionally drunk warm by Americans before meals, it’s also refreshing served cool with Asian and fusion food. Sakes also don’t contain preservatives and sulfites, an added attraction to many of today’s consumers.

Sake originated in Japan, of course. It traveled to America first for Japanese and Japanese-American buyers, and was such a symbol of Japanese culture that its production was banned during earlier xenophobic times as a way to discourage Japanese immigration.

In these more enlightened times, Japanese sake makers have targeted the United States not only because of its rising populations with Asian roots but because California is a great place to grow rice. Japan’s government makes it expensive to grow rice at home, but rice grows well and inexpensively in California’s giant central valley.

How sake is made

The process used to make sake is similar to that used for beer or wine. Special short-grain rice containing a starchy center is milled to remove the outer shell, boiled and cooled, then koji mold (aspergillus oryzae) and yeast are added. These convert the starch to sugar (glucose), then the sugar to alcohol, producing the young sake.

Depending on the variety, this sake is filtered for clarity, aged, pasteurized and bottled. It also can be served unpasteurized on draft, though that’s very rare in the United States.

The brewing process produces a beverage with 8 to 20 percent alcohol, which is diluted for some products. The most popular have the same alcohol level as wine, about 13 percent, though some Japanese imports have a higher alcohol content.

Interestingly, American sakes are generally pure sakes (junmaishu), produced only from rice, koji mold and water. In Japan, much sake is made with added glucose and alcohol, a cheaper process, but connoisseurs tend to prefer the simpler brew.

Many American sake producers also make plum wines and plum-favored sake, more popular with U.S. consumers than with Japanese.

How to enjoy sake

Americans often think sake should be served warm, but that’s not the way Japanese consumers do it. They think better sakes should be served cool. The temperature depends on the time of year and food it accompanies: If served warm (about 112 degrees) it’s called kan and is popular during the winter. Chilled sake is called hiya and is especially fresh and fruity. It is more popular in warm months. Served cool, sake is a fine accompaniment for seafood and other light food.

Sake is customarily served in small porcelain cups (sakazukis) or in wooden cups called masu that lend a slightly woody taste. It’s most popular here served hot in a small porcelain decanter (tokkuri).

Sake should be drunk young, certainly within a year. If a bottle is opened, it can be refrigerated for a short while, like milk or wine.

The sakes made in America are mostly delicate in flavor, having only subtle suggestions of fruit, nuts and flowers, almost more like a low-alcohol vodka than wine. Some of the imported versions are more assertive. American-made sakes are quite reasonable in price, typically $5 to $8, and are available at most liquor stores. In Reno, sakes can be found at Ben’s Discount Liquor and Trader Joe’s, among others.

As with wine, a sake tasting makes an interesting inexpensive party. Even the best sake available here is much cheaper than fine wine, but in addition to serving a variety of U.S.-made sakes, be sure to offer Japanese imports.

Cooking with sake

Sake is commonly used in Japanese and other Asian cooking, but it also can be used in other recipes. Most is mild, so it contributes only subtle flavors. It’s especially suitable for marinades, where it won’t overpower delicate fish or poultry. Try it instead of wine or even vinegar, especially in seafood dishes.

Sake mixed drinks

Sake Martini (Saketini)

2/3 premium sake
1/3 vodka served with a speared olive

Sake Sunrise (‘Rising Sun’)

Pour ½ ounce of sake in a tall glass. Add ½ oz. grenadine and ice cubes. Fill with orange juice.

Sake Bloody Mary (‘Bloody Maru’)

Pour 2 ounces sake in a tall glass. Add 3 ounces tomato juice, dash of Tabasco sauce, dash of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Add ice cubes and stir with celery stalk.

Sake Margarita
1 ½ ounces sake
¾ ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec)
2 ounces diluted limeade

Sake Screwdriver
Pour 1½ ounces sake over ice in a glass. Fill with orange juice.

Source: Sake Association of America and Northern California SakeMakers

Where to visit

The three sake makers in Northern California welcome visitors.

Gekkeikan Sake(U.S.A.), Inc.

1136 Sibley St.
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 985.3111
www.gekkeikan-sake.com
Tasting room open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Kohnan lnc./Hakusan Sake

One Executive Way Napa, CA 94558
(707) 258-6160
www.hakusan.com
Tasting room and Japanese gardens open 10 am. to 5 p.m. except Wednesday.

Takara Sake Inc.

708 Addison St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 540-8250 Ext.20
Features a tasting room and Sake Museum.

On the Web

The web site of the Sake Association of America contains a wide information on sake and useful links: http://www.sakeusa.com/

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