Sake And The City - S1E1: Story of 3 Basic Types of Japanese Sake (Tasting)

SUMMARY
Sake And The City S1:E1 - The Story of the 3 Types of Premium Japanese Sake

'Sake and the City' will help you gain practical, yet deep Sake knowledge and we'll throw in some fun Sake trivia while parnering with qualified Sake sommeliers and Japanese culture-preneurs.

S1:E1 Features learning and tasting of 3 types of Japanese premium Sake: Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo. We will also explore the effects of various serving temperatures on Sake's flavor, aroma, and texture at hot, cold, and room temperature.

Come join us for this 1st episode and become part of the story! We will have 2 sessions, each around 2 hours. Participants are limited to less than 50 people/session to create a more intimate and interactive experience.

Our two Sakaguras (Sake breweries) featured in Episode1 are Koshi Tsukano Shuzo, makers of the "Hirai" brand from Niigata prefecture & Goto Shuzo, makers of the "Benten" Sake brand from Yamagata prefecture.

Koshi Tsukano Shuzo is located in Agano City in Niigata prefecture. It is known for Lake Hyoko, a migratory spot for swans, and Gozu Onsen, where many cultural figures, including Yumeji Takehisa, stayed. It is a town rich in nature and where agriculture is the main industry. It is located in the lower reaches of the Agano River, almost in the center of the Echigo Plain. Tsukano Shuzo was founded here in the early Tenmei era (around 1781), when Tsukano Jozaemon Yoshiteru, the first head of the Tsukano family, began brewing sake under the name "Kawachiya". In a sense, the brewery was born from the fusion of the 'Tsukano' brewery with 200 years of tradition that then merged with the 'Koshi' brewery known for their excellent technical skills. The combination of these two DNAs led to the remarkable achievement of winning a gold medal at the 85th National New Sake Tasting Competition.

Goto Shuzo was founded in 1788 in Taklahata City, in southeast Yamagata, one of the snowiest parts of Japan. It is currently run byb the 8th generation of the Gotoh family, with the 9th generation is currently working as Kurabito (brewery worker). The Gotoh family works and lives in the brewery and focus on producing only Junmai Sakes, with a focus on Junmai Ginjo and Daiginjo. Behind the brewery there is a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of music and one of the 'Seven Gods of Good Fortune.' It is said that the founder, the first Goto Uzaemon, named the sake after her when he started the sake brewing business on the current brewery site.

BASIC 3
Junmai: translates to "purely from rice", which indicates rice is the only source of the alcohol. It is quite flavorful and tastes great at all tempratures. Wine analogy can be full-bodied, old-world red.

Ginjo: translates to "selected brewing;" uses grains of rice polished to 60% of its origainl weight and is considered super premium. Wine comparisons are crisp whites, such as Sancerre & Chablis.

Daiginjo: translates to "Big Ginjo" uses even more highly milled rice and is considered ultra premium. Wine comparisons are to complex and rare wines like Champagne (though certainly not carbonated),Grand Cru white Burgundy, or the finest GG German Rieslings.

YOUR GUIDES
Chris Melton has worked in the Sake industry for over 14 years, both in restaurants and distribution. His passion is educating consumers and industry professionals on the process of Sake making, its cultural relevance, its complex categories, and ways to creatively enhance a dining experience by incorporating Sake. Chris is a "Certified Sake Sommelier/Educator" by the Sake Sommelier Association, "Advanced Sake Professional" by Sake World Inc, and certified "WSET Level 3: Sake" by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust."
Yo Shimizu, Houston-and-Tokyo-based oilman & culture-preneur, is an initiator of Sake And The City. After running oil projects for 25+ years (and counting) in Texas and some other parts of the planet, Yo followed his other passion and started TOKYO STORY in late 2023 as a launchpad of cool, weird, and kawaii stuff from Japan.

As a hard-core Sake lover, Yo co-hosted Houston’s first Japanese Sake & Food Festival in Oct 2024 with18 breweries & distributors from Japan, the US, and even Mexico. The event's success inspired Yo to go deeper, and SATC was born.
Nicholas Ton is the Oyakata (leader) of Shōgeki Sumo Dojo, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about Japanese culture, with a strong emphasis on Sumo Wrestling and its significance as Japan’s national sport.

Beyond cultural promotion, Nicholas is also a health advocate, championing the benefits of mushrooms through his business, Rich Mushrooms, which produces mushroom jerky—a plant-based, nutritious alternative to traditional beef jerky.

FOOD
In respect of Sake tasting culture in Japan, we only serve very light snacks, such as rice crackers (senbei), cheese, and roasted salt. Salt, because a small pinch of well-selected roasted salt is considered good company for many core Sake drinkers in Japan as it does not interfere with the rich aroma of the Sake.

VENUE
Bad Astronaut Brewing is Houston's iconic beer brewery, bar, hgangout spot, and of course one of the hottest event space in the area. If you need a few more drinks after our Sake session, you won't have to walk a block!
https://badastronautbeer.com/

Info: Both session 1 & 2 consists of knowledge sharing on Sake culture & history in Japan, an introduction to the Sakagura (brewery) we are tasting, a lecture on the most basic 3 types (Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo), and the tasting them in 3 different temperatures: hot and room temperature for Junmai, cold and room temperature for Ginjo and Daiginjo!

Info: Both session 1 & 2 consists of knowledge sharing on Sake culture & history in Japan, an introduction to the Sakagura (brewery) we are tasting, a lecture on the most basic 3 types (Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo), and the tasting them in 3 different temperatures: hot and room temperature for Junmai, cold and room temperature for Ginjo and Daiginjo!

Host or Publisher TOKYO STORY & Friends