History of Sake
Sake or o-sake, is the Japanese word for an alcoholic drink, and is specifically referred to as nihonshu (Japanese alcohol), or seishu (clear sake). The process of fermenting rice into an alcoholic drink was first developed in ancient China around 1000BCE, and it wasn’t until the Yayoi period (300BCE to 250CE) that the practice of wet rice cultivation started in Japan. The first written reference to sake is from a 3rd century Chinese text called Book of Wei, which describes the Japanese pastime of drinking and dancing. Steeped in religion, sake holds a sacred place in Shintoism, often consumed in Shinto rituals and ceremonies, symbolizing a connection between physical and spiritual worlds.
Early evidence suggests that the most primitive methods of sake production involved farmers chewing rice and spitting it in to a communal pot where airborne yeasts and enzymes from saliva initiated the fermentation process. The process of sake making went through significant refinements over the centuries, particularly in the 8th century with the addition of koji, a mold that breaks down starches into sugars.
In 689, the imperial court created a special division that governed sake production, brewing sake exclusively for imperial court officials and religious leaders. By the turn of the 12th century, as Japan transitioned from the imperial court to the shogunate, the Office of Sake Brewing lost its exclusive right to brew. Sake production moved to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, where increased production made sake available to the general public.
In 1420, sake production shifted to the private sector, as military rulers made it illegal for Buddhist monks to drink and prohibited sake to be produced or sold in Shinto shrines. By the early 16th century, the modern process for sake making was well-established, including the use of heat-based disinfection a few hundred years prior to the discovery of pasteurization.
Is Sake a Wine or Beer?
Sake is often referred to as Japanese rice wine, due to having a flavour and appearance akin to wine. In terms of brewing process, sake is most similar to beer, where starch is converted to sugar, as opposed to wine where alcohol is produced by fermenting naturally-occurring sugars in fruit.
To make sake, the outer layers of rice, known as bran, are “polished” or ground away leaving behind the starchy inner core of rice. Much of a rice grain’s oils and proteins are contained in the bran, an undesirable quality for sake, as it imparts bitter flavours and fatty acids. The highest grades of sake are over 70% and the lowest grade below 40%, where the percentage corresponds to the amount of the grain that’s been ground away. After polishing the rice, it is steamed, broken up and then koji spores are added to convert the rice starches in to fermentable sugars leaving behind a rubbery, sweet rice. The sweet rice is then transferred to a small fermenter with water, yeast and a small amount of lactic acid. After several days, the grain is transferred to a larger fermenter where water and yeast are again added to the mixture.
In brewing beer, hot water is added to malted grains, converting starches into sugars, the grain is then separated out prior to fermentation. Sake, by contrast, undergoes a unique type of fermentation called parallel fermentation, where saccharification and fermentation take place at the same time in the same tank. The koji yeast remains active, converting the starches into sugars, while simultaneously fermenting the sugars to create alcohol. In sake brewing, the separation of grain and liquid occurs after fermentation. Neither a wine or beer, sake is unique in terms of production, style and flavour.
Sake rice is meant to be relatively neutral in flavour, so regional difference in sake have more to do with regional water profiles and choice of cultivated yeast strains, as well as naturally-occurring airborne yeasts. It may be dry or sweet, floral and aromatic, light and fruity, robust and earthy, and can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature, or hot. Head to a sake brewery or sake bar to find your perfect glass of this delicate and delicious brew. Kanpai!
(Leah is a Toronto based freelance writer as well as the Beer Boss and a server at C’est What)