grungy-gonads 54 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Ooohhh, that sounds promising. I will give it a go. Any excuse for a Yukie pic Isn't she just delightfully lovely. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Let us know what you think. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Not a fan of sake, but then I'm pretty much only a beer drinker. I don't mind wine and I'm getting a good taste for mojito's, but generally beer is my main poison Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Same here. Tubby - mojitos? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Mojito.....rum, fresh mint, syrup water and ice...mmm Link to post Share on other sites
fukdane 2 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Sounds interesting that. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 It's dangerously delicious.......I have severe black outs of memories of Friday night Saturday morning Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Never tried that. Sounds like a lorra lorra fun. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Fukushogun, from Mito, Ibaraki: As the label says: Rice polishing level: 50% Nihonshudo: +3 Acidity: 1.2 This is an interesting one. Not very acidic, mildly dry, but with a very full flavor. Kind of syrupy (rock-candy?), which is a word I usually use in a negative way, but in this case in a good way. Not cloying, just fragrant. The flavor reminds me of a couple of other local Ibaraki sakes, which I will have to review some time. Not as extreme as ones I usually favor, but very full tasting. The hints that go up the nose are very relaxed and happy. Lavender aftertones. Let's give this one a: 7. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Koshi no Hatsu Ume Nama Chozou: From Takanoi brewery in Ojiya, Niigata. I've reviewed a genshu from this brewery before: http://www.snowjapan...post__p__489994 This is not a genshu, but is namachozou: No pasteurization at the first storage stage (though with pasteurization at the bottling stage). And I have to say, I am becoming a believer in "nama." More on that in future reviews, but for now, this sake is not as strong as the genshu version, but that is made up for in the extra subtle aftertastes that accompany it. Gentle, yet insistent, somewhat lavenderish flavors that linger in the nose. Liquid flowers. 7.5. Link to post Share on other sites
634-maru 4 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 From Ojiya, not far from me. I must try that one. Link to post Share on other sites
teikiatsulover 6 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Fukushogun, from Mito, Ibaraki: As the label says: Rice polishing level: 50% Nihonshudo: +3 Acidity: 1.2 This is an interesting one. Not very acidic, mildly dry, but with a very full flavor. Kind of syrupy (rock-candy?), which is a word I usually use in a negative way, but in this case in a good way. Not cloying, just fragrant. The flavor reminds me of a couple of other local Ibaraki sakes, which I will have to review some time. Not as extreme as ones I usually favor, but very full tasting. The hints that go up the nose are very relaxed and happy. Lavender aftertones. Let's give this one a: 7. Fukushogun? Only the assistant to the Shogun? Can't be any good now can it? I tried Kamotsuri? the other night at a nabe party and really enjoyed it, but don't remember if that's the name of it or not. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 634-maru: You definitely should try out that Koshi no Hatsu Ume Namachozou. Their genshu is good too. Teikiatsulover: Fukushogun tries harder. Where is the Kamotsuri from? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Tsumugibijin Shiboritate 純米生酒: From Joso-shi, Ibaraki. I tried their genshu before, and really liked it. This is genshu strength, 19-20% alcohol, but is completel unpasteurized: 生酒. And oohh, it combines the floral overtones of the Koshi no Hatsu Ume Namachozou with the sour pungency of the Tsumugi Bijin genshu for something that is just a bit more then either of them. Sweet and sour, in subtle balance. This one gets an 8. Link to post Share on other sites
teikiatsulover 6 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Metabo Oyaji, I don't know. I'll ask my friend. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Fukushogun Hiyaoroshi: From Mito, Ibaraki. One of the hiyaoroshi type, brewed in the winter but bottled in the fall. This one uses the Hitachi Kobo culture that Hitachi Hanagasumi uses, which I had described as "effervescent": http://www.snowjapan...post__p__473634 Note that this is a different kobo than the previous Fukushogun that I tried: http://www.snowjapan...post__p__500118 The first hit of flavor is spectacular, very floral, that lavenderish scent that stood out in Fukushogun and Koshi no Hatsu Ume Namachozou (http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/topic/22315-sake-appreciation-thread-20122013/page__view__findpost__p__500550), but even stronger. Actually, tastes kind of creamy. Like eclair filling. It comes on very complex and flavorful. And then... it just abruptly fades out. Not much follow-through when going down the esophagous. It just kind of disappears. If it lasted longer, or had more strength to it, this could get top marks. As it is, it is better than regular Fukushogun, which got a 7, but perhaps not quite as good as Koshi no Hatsu Ume Namachozou, which got a 7.5. So let's say: 7.25 Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Suehiro Yamada Nishiki: From Aizu, Fukushima. This is an interesting one. Normally, I am not a big fan of Aizu sakes, fiding them watery, but this one advertises itself as dense sake, and it is. Alcohol level 18%-19%. But more significant is the flavor. It uses the M-310 culture (酵母) from Mito, Ibaraki. (310 = Mito, get it?) And this culture happens to be one that I have found I like in other sakes, like Fukushogun (http://www.snowjapan...post__p__500118). They describe it on the label as "fruity," though to me it tastes like lavender. Or maybe it is the rice that gives it that flavor? Yamada Nishiki is a very popular rice strain for sake use. And actually, Fukushogun Hiyaorosi (http://www.snowjapan...post__p__503850) has that same basic floral taste, while using a different culture, so... maybe it is the rice after all? (Clearly more research is in order!) In any case, this one has the basic flavor of Fukushogun, at Fukushogun Hiyaoroshi strength, but without the sudden-fade-out problem that Fukushogun Hiyaoroshi has. And if I am not mistaken, there is just a slight hint of that musty Chinese-sake-like "Tochiginess" (http://www.snowjapan...post__p__494793) in there. Which may be fitting, as a straight line from Mito in Ibaraki (where the culture comes from) to Aizu in Fukushima (where the sake was brewed) passes through Nasu in the the northern tip of Tochigi. So kind of a 3-way collaboration? Anyway, verdict is: 7.5 Link to post Share on other sites
teikiatsulover 6 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 At a nabe party last night and there were several different bottles of sake. I must say that Koshinokanbai 越乃寒梅 was not as good as I remember. Has the quality dropped off? Has it become the Asahi of the Sake world? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Don't think I have tried that one. Is it from the same brewery that makes Koshi no Hatsu Ume? I have found that the same label can taste different at different times (thinking of some local labels). I would guess it is a somewhat delicate process, so differences from batch to batch should be expected, no? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Suisen Junmaishu: From Rikuzentakata (HQ) and Ofunato (brewery), Iwate. The original brewery was destroyed in the tsunami, and has been rebuilt from scratch. Advertised as being dense-flavored and dry, my favorite combination, had to give it a shot. Made from Iwate-grown rice. Dry: it certainly is. Not a hint of syrupiness or cloyingness. Good marks on that score. Dense: Hmm, not so sure. Has a hint of the floral background that Fukushogun has, but not the same depth. Just kind of stops short of delivering on the flavor that I was hoping for from the label. Hmm, wish I could go higher, given what they have been through, but will have to go with: 6.5 But I will look forward to, and try, new releases from them. Gambare, guys! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 You sound like the real expert, MO. Interesting, even though I know close to nothing on the subject Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Expert? Just a voluble drinker. Link to post Share on other sites
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