Have you ever tried sake produced with the hard water? Matsuoka Jozo is located in Saitama prefecture, North of Tokyo and brews sake with one of the hardest waters in Japan. It’s said that sake produced with the hard water tends to be full-bodied and drier, however, this label is unusual, very soft and gentle. This interview reveals the mysterious Matsuoka bozo’s brewing with using the hard water.
Q. How is Hiyaoroshi in this year?
Because the very hot period was short in this summer, the condition of “Hiyaoroshi” is very nice. The texture became very smooth and mellow and the taste got the particular softened umami.
Q. To Matsuoka zojo, what’s the meaning of Hiyaoroshi?
I believe “Hiyaoroshi” represents the Autumn season of my brewery and its a peak of deliciousness in a year. Pairing with Autumn seasonal foods, especially smoked foods should be fabulous.
Q. It’s said that hard water is very difficult to control the fermentation due to full of nutrients. Are there any special techniques?
Controlling temperature is the key to successfully brew with hard water. By letting the yeast ferment in low temperature, we can bring out the particular aroma and umami from the hard water. To make this happen, we precisely control the tank’s temperature with computer technology.
Q. It’s said that sake produced with the hard water tends to be full-bodied and drier, however, this label is unusual, very soft and gentle. Where does this specialty come from?
Sake produced with hard water is commonly called the “man of sake” and tends to be full-bodied and drier. However, our hard water doesn’t contain any iron which can cause an off-taste. Instead, calcium and potassium are very rich in our water. These components become nutrients for the sake yeast.
Besides, it’s not scientifically proven, but our water is very easy to drink even though its hardness is very high. Probably, this mildness and clearness form the particular texture of our sake.
Q. As with brewing, we think that the maturing process should mostly rely on nature. Do you have an unforgettable experience?
Normally, sake tends to develop peculiar off-taste and aroma with aging. However, our sake is good for aging because of the characteristic of hard water.
I had a chance to open a forgotten 10-year-matured sake. Usually, it’s likely to be Shaoxing wine; however, it was totally different, and its aroma was like a very aged whiskey.
This experience opened my eyes and I started studying the aging of sake.
Q. Hiyaoroshi is a limited sake for the Autumn season. Could you tell us your recommendations on how to enjoy it?
It’s great to enjoy with Autumn seasonal foods. Hot sake at 45℃ is the best way to enjoy this label. Please enjoy!!
