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Here is a collection of information that may be useful to some newsletter readers
Sake Homebrewing
Books on Sake
Archives of this newsletter
Information on this publication
Calling All Active Sake Homebrewers: I know you are out there!
?nd I want to put you together. From time to time I get requests from those interested in
home-brewing sake, and/or those actually doing it that are looking for others with which to share notes and ideas. The sake home brewing mailing list I used to mention on this site seems no longer active, but I
would still like to help put together those trying their hand at making sake themselves so as to help you share info on koji mold suppliers, yeast, tricks 'o da trade, and whatever else.
So, if you have
emailed me in the past about sake home-brewing, or are interested in this, and want to be put in touch with others doing the same, please email me and I will do what I can to put you all in touch with each other. It
can only lead to good things, methinks.
Also:
Do you work for a company in Japan? John Gauntner is available for
corporate sake seminars. A wide variety of formats are possible: in
house, at a sake pub, with food, without, with lectures on a variety of
sake-related topics. Please contact John by email for more information
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Sake Pub Book Available Directly From This Site
My most recent book, the "Tokyo Sake Pub Guide," is now available directly from this site.
NIHONSHU NO UMAI OTONA NO IZAKAYA" (Sake Pubs with Good Sake for Grown-ups), or the "Tokyo Sake Pub Guide,
" Written by myself (the English bits) and Akihiro Yorimitsu (the Japanese parts), introduces in depth 40 sake pubs all over Tokyo. All 40 pubs were selected by myself based on various parameters, including
food, reasonable prices, the sake list (of course), and that all-important ambiance. Convenience of access was also taken into consideration. The selection runs the gamut from old and traditional to modern and
funky, but with a bit of a lean toward the former. If you visit Tokyo even once in a while and enjoy sake, this little handbook will prove indispensable. Most of the text is in Japanese, as the book is geared
toward Japanese people wanting to take overseas customers and guests out drinking sake. However, there is enough English in it to ensure those that do not read Japanese can find and enjoy all 40 pubs. The book is
chock-full of revealing photos that speak a thousand words each, showing the nature and feel of each place introduced. It also includes an English chapter on what is what in Japanese sake pubs, in terms of both food
and sake. If you regularly visit Tokyo or plan to, and have an interest in sake, this is the guide for you. A picture of the cover et al can be seen here:
To order, send a check or money order for US $15.00 or JPY1000 to
John Gauntner
1 - 4 - 4 Jomyoji, Kamakura-shi
Japan 248-0003
Include your name and address, and it will ship directly to you,
from me, with an author's signature and date. Make your next trip to Tokyo that much better.
Other sake-related books:
THE SAKE HANDBOOK, published by Charles Tuttle.
This second edition of my first book, with more sake, more sake pubs in the Tokyo area, and updated information, is the most detailed on the brewing process.
THE SAKE COMPANION, published by Running Press
This book approaches the sake world from a bit more of a romantic, cultural side, and less of a technical touch, and covers material like sake history and the
differences in sake styles and flavor profiles from the major sake-producing regions of Japan.
Sake production is also explained, although not in as much detail as in The Sake Handbook. Almost 140 sake are introduced with an indication of the region from which each hails. Large, full-color photographs of the labels makes them easier to remember.
Also included is a listing of where to buy and drink sake in the US. As this book is geared mostly to a market other than Japan, where to buy and drink sake in Japan is not covered, as it is in The Sake
Handbook.
The Sake Companion is available at bookstores such as Borders for $24.95, as well as at Amazon for a bit less. If you are in Japan, Amazon.co.jp is highly recommended, as the price in Japanese
bookstores is quite high (4490 yen).
NIHONJIN MO SHIRANAI NIHONSHU NO HANASHI, published by Shogakkan
This anecdotal read describes aspects of the sake world from a foreigner's point of view, including
the personalities, events, and techniques that make the sake world so unique and special, things that may be lost on those that are too close to the subject. Written in Japanese.
Also worth searching for:
-SAKE: PURE AND SIMPLE (John Gauntner, Griffith Frost): A light, pure and simple guide to sake.
-Sake, An Insider's Guide (Phillip Harper): A pocket sized, well-written book by an insider; Harper brews sake
at a Daimon Shuzo, a sake brewery in Osaka. He is the only non-Japanese certified master brewer in the history of the world. How's that for qualifications?
The Book of Sake: A Connoisseur's Guide (Philip Harper)
A bigger, more detailed, more attractive book from the inimitable Mr. Harper. Highly recommended.
Sake: A Modern Guide (Beau Timken) A modern guide, as the title suggests, written by the pioneer or sake stores
in the US, Beau Timken.
-Sake: A Drinker's Guide (Hiroshi Kondo): The original book on sake in English, nice historic notes and good peripheral information.
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In the archives...
At the risk of shameless self promotion, I want to encourage readers to scour the archives of this newsletter at http://www.sake-world.com/html/sw-archives.html for a wide range of topics that have been covered over
the past seven years in this newsletter.
The archives go back to August 1999. Within them are covered just about anything related to sake, from what it actually is (8/99, 6/03) to how it is made (9/99, 4/00,
7/04) to what makes for good ingredients (water: 2/01, 6/03, rice: 11/02, 3/03, and yeast: 10/99, 12/02). The topic of sake and region is covered, with articles on the sake of Niigata, Shimane, Fukui, Yamagata,
Nara, Fukuoka, Ishikawa and Hyogo Prefectures. There are many more regions to be covered, but these are certainly worth knowing.
More focused, less general topics like un-pasteurized sake (11/99, 5/00, 7/03
and 12/04) and nigori-zake (10/03) are there, as are culturally supplanting topics like history (11/00, 7/02) and official government sponsored tasting contests (June or July of each year). Detailed (overly so?)
discussions of processes like the yeast starter (8/00, 10/00) and its more interesting manifestations like yamahai (3/04) and kimoto (12/04) and pressing sake from the dregs after fermentation (4/01) along with
discussions on aging sake (8/03) and warming sake (11/99, 10/03). And much more.
And while shameless self promotion is not usually my bag, being useful and informative is. I simply want readers to know the
information is out there. Please check it all out at your leisure.
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Publication Information
Sake World is distributed free via email only with the intent of disseminating useful information about sake and the culture and world that surrounds it. Information on sake, sake production, sake shops and sake
pubs, sake events and sake culture are included, targeting audiences both in and out of Japan.
NOTE: Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to anyone even remotely interested in sake. It may be
printed and distributed, or forwarded in electronic form, provided it is sent in its entirety, including this message and the copyright notice below.
Most of the past issues of this newsletter have been
posted in their entirety on the Sake World website. Just go to www.sake-world.com, click on the Sake Newsletter tab, click on Archived Email Versions, and select the issues you want to read from the chart. For those
that have only recently signed up, all the past issues can be downloaded and perused at your leisure. A mirror archive can also be found at www.esake.com.
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