A Flowery Song

Background: I’m a bit confused about this beer. The front label claims it was matured in sake casks, but the back label says the oak casks were used for “shocyu”, then goes on to say “shocyu is distilled sake”. On balance, I’m going with the assumption that the casks were from komejōchū (rice shōchū), which is a distilled drink with an initial fermentation very similar to sake. Careful on opening the bottle; I was incautious and ended up having to clean some carpet and my photography setup when it immediately foamed up.

Nose: Floral oranges, accompanied by plums, almonds, and water chestnut, with some very Belgian spicy phenols.

Taste: Silky fermented rice and woody oak flavours from the cask aging, sweet caramel malt, some funky leather notes (maybe a hint of Brettanomyces). Dry, slightly tannic finish.

Overall: Very unique, very tasty. Lots of complex flavours in a very drinkable package.

Background: This lightly sparkling beverage is produced in Sausolito, California by “blending premium imported junmai sake with exotic, all-natural Asian flavors.” Wait, no, I tell a lie. California’s the address on their web site, but the bottle says Cold Spring, Minnesota. When I saw this product on the shelves of my local trendy food store, I was immediately intrigued, then immediately put off by the price (something like $14/4 pack, and the bottles are only 6.3 fluid ounces). Fortunately for me, it appears that they didn’t sell well and the last few packs were broken out into single bottles at $4 apiece.

Nose: Green tea. Hints of lemongrass and melon.

Taste: Gah, that’s sweet. A bit of grassy green bitterness from the tea, more lemongrass. The very slightest sake influence of yeast and pear struggles to get out from under the overwhelming honeyed sweetness.

Overall: Decidedly not worth the price. There are cheaper options if you absolutely must get drunk on something sickly sweet, and the flavour isn’t anything to write home about.

Background: Produced in Oregon, probably by SakéOne. An off-dry sake sold in 375ml bottles.

Appearance: Extremely light yellow with a green tinge.

Nose: Tropical fruit.

Taste: Smooth and crisp, a hint of alcohol and lots of estery fruit.

Overall: Eh, it's okay, I guess. And inexpensive. To be served cold.

Background: This mixed-up result of forensic research into ancient beverages doesn't quite know what it is. Since the base is malted barley and gelatinised rice, let's call it a beer, even though a portion of the fermentable sugars are from grapes and honey. The rice and malt are mashed as for a normal beer, but for the boil honey, Muscat grapes, Hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers are added. The resulting wort is fermented using sake yeast. All of this is an attempt to recreate a beverage from ancient China, remains of which were found in pottery jars in 賈湖.

Appearance: Rich amber coloured body under a thin foamy head.

Smell: Immediate hit of honey, with some typical Muscat perfume-like presence. Hints of funkiness and an enticing herbal presence.

Taste: Most interesting. The flavour progression can be mapped to the individual components, with the front being like a mead, quickly drifting into a more grape-centered place, then in the middle some earthy malt presence starts to show through, and the finish is quite reminiscent of an off-dry sake. Lots of complexity here: strawberry, rose, musky grapes, mild hints of bread, a tea-like tannic presence, apricot, and grapefruit pith in the front. The back shows melon, pear, and floral influences on a solid background of malt with a bit of the funkiness from the nose, ending on a lingering finish that showcases the floral elements.

Mouthfeel: Thick and luscious, but not sticky. The perfect amount of carbonation, too; it would have been easy to over-carbonate and make it feel like a soda, or under-carbonate and make it lie heavy on the tongue.

Drinkability: I often feel in danger of seeming as though I'll drink anything, but then I reconsider and decide that enjoying most things I drink merely shows what a discerning buyer I am. I had my doubts going in as to whether this beer would even manage average drinkability, and my fears were soon put to rest. While I wouldn't necessarily drink this every day, this is a solidly enjoyable beer-like beverage that manages to integrate the disparate ingredients exceedingly well. It's also a perfect crossover beverage, with aspects that appeal to both the wine aficionado and the beer geek (as well as your weird friend who loves all things Asian and wishes that he were a giant robot with breasts–you know the one I'm talking about).

Background: From SakéOne, the producers of Momokawa. Their website states “G answers the call for an ultra-premium, super-sexy saké tailored to and bottled for the American palate.” Possibly G is intended to be a new line, but currently it only consists of Joy, an off-dry junmai genshu which is aged for ten months.

Presentation: Striking short, broad-shouldered black bottle with a large yellow “g” on the front. Pours a very light yellow. 18% ABV.

Nose: Sweet and fruity, floral and melon overtones with an overall impression of red liquorice.

Taste: Creamy body, lots of lighter fruit like pear and mango on a lightly earthy background with hints of minerality.

Overall: Nice, lots of complexity. I'd actually prefer this to be a wee bit drier, but on the whole it stands as a decent premium sake. Not what I would drink everyday; this is more something to be pulled out for special occasions.

Background: Trader Joe's “exclusive” bottling, imported by Banzai Beverage Corporation, Torrance, CA. Produced by Ume no Yado, a small brewery in Nara prefecture. Originally called Tsuki Usagi (Moon Rabbit), this is a sparkling junmai sake, with 40% of the rice polished away.

Presentation: 330ml blue bottle, with an intriguing ring-pull top. Pours a cloudy, pale straw. Nucleation sites produce streams of small bubbles. 7% ABV

Nose: Very fruity, mainly pears and citrus.

Taste: Sweet and fruity, with a lightly sour acidic bite. Short, somewhat floral finish.

Overall: I'm not sure what to make of this. It's definitely a cut above Trader Joe's still sake, which is produced by a different brewery. Fairly easy to drink. I'll tentatively recommend it; if you like sake or champagne, give this a try.

Background: Takara Sake USA is a subsidiary of Takara Group, a Japanese company that has produced sake for more than 150 years. They produce various styles of sake at their facility in Berkeley, California; this one is ginjo-shu, which means that the rice used to produce this sake is milled to around 50% its original weight. 15% ABV

Presentation: 300 ml, clear glass screwtop bottle, lightly frosted. Very pretty. Pours clear.

Nose: Fruity aroma, mainly apple.

Taste: Dry, very balanced taste. Apples and melon in the palate, short sweetish finish.

Overall: Very nice accompaniment to many foods; I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.