”Kanpai!” - Mannanova learns about saké in Japan
Note: this blog post was written by Sébastien in December 2014
Saké’s been on my mind for while now. A long time ago, back when I was in university and avidly fermenting in my mum’s abode I gave Saké a first shot. The basement was mine.
For weeks, in the fridge, which inherently was mine following my claim to the basement, there was a 20L jug of a cheesy-vanilla smelling bubbly rice drink, which was fermenting at the customary 4 to 8℃ for Saké. The end product was not bad, not great.
Saké making skills took me over. I love saké and I love a good challenge. “This time’’, I thought,’’ let’s get real’’. I figured that the only way to aspire to brewing real Saké, is to visit its motherland, Japan.
A warm welcome
It was in November 2014 that I arrived in Kyoto where friends Asia and Kohei greeted me as they wished to partake in my adventure. The brewing season was in full effect at that time, so booking a visit to a brewery proved to be a challenge. We did manage to visit two makers however during my stay.
In the first brewery, we were greeted by a jovial guide named Nakamura who toured us through the factory and answered our many questions. Lucky me, he also showed no hesitation to walk us through the many facets and details of their processes and their “how to’’. After a photo op, a few hand shakes and Domo Arigato-s, I left Nakamura with a bottle of Kombucha and we parted ways.
For our second brewery visit, head brewer of Kinshi Masamune Saké, and new friend, Akira had a more teacher-student approach. He started by sitting us down in a classroom and shows us a movie. A slightly more drab approach maybe, but the video had a certain ‘Epic-ness’ to it. It showed workers apparently dancing their way through the process of making Saké in perfect coordination all while reminding us of the importance of tradition in the making of the japanese spirit had an almost propaganda-ish effect on me.
My throat felt parched, I suddenly absolutely needed to have a tokkuri of Saké. Akira, then spent over an hour going through technicals with me, as a true food sciences lover would. He proudly showed us the many awards he had earned over time, the impressive equipment at his disposal, and finally the Koji room, which apparently is a sacred place where only few people may enter…. “Am I one of those few people?’’ I wondered… Apparently not. Nonetheless a very productive class and visit.