Welcome to Issue #128 of SIN.
The New Year celebrations are over and it’s time to get busy and look to the year ahead. For the brewers this means the period of the season where the kinks have been ironed out and the brewing hits full swing as many turn to their ginjō and daiginjō products as the weather slides into peak winter, the colder months of course being a little more stable and thus conducive to controlling mirco-bacterial activity.
So far this winter has been a bit of a mixed bag, with a lack of snow and mild levels of cold in some areas, while other regions up north are experiencing snow at troubling levels. This kind of weather inconsistency yet again highlights the climate change issue that will continue to challenge the future of sake brewing.
For some regions, a school of thought exists which suggests that if the climate becomes less suitable for long-term, low temperature fermentation ginjō-style brewing, a countermeasure could be a move toward high temperature fermentation sake with bolder, rich, acidic character such as kimoto and yamahai styles. However, given the amount of effort many successful breweries have put into the image of refined, daiginjō sake as the pinnacle of the industry, it is extremely unlikely that these light, aromatic styles will be usurped any time soon - and most likely, never completely. Either way, it’s always interesting to speculate on how outside influences could possibly affect the direction and trends of the sake industry.
Speaking of outside influences…as the dust settles on the announcement of UNESCO’s recognition of “traditional brewing methods using kōji”, it remains to be seen how this achievement will manifest itself in the furthering of the sake industry. It will most likely simply be a matter of time, but if you’re a little skeptical, cast your mind back to 2021. Remember when no less than 24 countries campaigned for the recognition of Falconry? You don’t?
Hmm, neither do we, but don’t worry, we’re sure sake will fare better.
And now for the news…
Craft Sake In The South
Fukuoka- As reported in SIN#124, a new, at the time unnamed, craft sake brewery (are we still using that term?) is set to open in Fukokua, Kyushu this May.
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