Brewing sake.

Yesterday we went on our first MWR tour.  For those not in the military world, which I imagine is most of you, MWR stands for Morale, Welfare, and Recreation.  Typically, MWR provides opportunities for military families to participate in various forms of recreation at discounted prices (ie. cheaper tickets to Disneyland).  Here in Japan they conduct multiple tours throughout the month.  The tours usually include transportation, a guide, tickets, and lodging (if needed).  As you can imagine they are incredibly popular and fill up quickly.   

The tour that we signed up for included a sake brewery tour, washi paper making, and a visit to Kawagoe.  We came so close to skipping out (after Tokyo Disney and an air festival, we were beyond exhausted), but the appeal of sake and the non-refundable tickets won out. 

Our first stop was the sake brewery where we learned about the history of sake and the process of brewing it.  Here is a little hodgepodge recap (from memory and my handout):

• Sake is made from fermented rice and is usually brewed in the winter, because it needs to be done in a cold brewery.  Craftsmen come from the northern part of Japan to brew for the season (typically 5 months).
• Unlike wine that gets it sweetness from the grape, the sweeter flavors for sake have to be added during the brewing process.  It is called “multiple parallel fermentation” where the liquefaction of the mash and the conversions of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occur simultaneously (clearly, that part is from memory not my handout;))  Leslie, does this bring back memories of Sam Adams?!
• We tried Seiun sake and learned that the different types of seiun have to do with the rice polishing process.   By polishing the rice, the outer part of the rice is removed, leaving only the best parts.  The more removed, the better the sake. 
• “Sake is the best medicine” is an old Japanese saying and one that I have found they take to heart!
• You must shout Kampai before drinking sake (not really, but we have found that it adds to the experience)!

And because I am sure that you stopped reading around the “multiple parallel fermentation” part, here are some pictures of the brewery.