Sake springs eternal at Yumegokoro Shuzo

After I go to Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, in March, a thick layer of snow blankets the rooftops, however the sunny and heat afternoon alerts the beginning of spring and the approaching of a singular, seasonal delight: the primary sip of freshly pressed sake.

At Yumegokoro Shuzo, Nobuo Shoji walks me by means of his brewing facility to a room occupied by an automated filter press that resembles a large accordion. He lifts the lid on a tank of just-pressed Naraman Junmai sake, and the perfume of melon fills the air. The brew has traces of carbonation for a slight fizz and a faint yellow-green hue, which is able to fade because the sake matures. Notes of ripe melon and candied inexperienced apple unfurl throughout the palate, adopted by a jolt of acidity and astringency earlier than the dry end.

Savoring such recent sake on the supply is a particular expertise that Shoji, the sixth-generation president of Yumegokoro Shuzo, hopes to share with many extra company within the close to future.

“If the scenario continues to enhance, we’d prefer to resume taking visits by appointment subsequent yr,” he says, noting that the brewery has been closed to the general public because the early days of the pandemic. “We undoubtedly need folks to come back again to the area.”

Shoji sees sake as a draw for tourism for Kitakata, a small however beautiful city identified for its greater than 4,000 conventional kura warehouses and thriving ramen scene. Hailed as one of many high ramen locations in Japan, the town is house to greater than 100 noodle retailers, some tucked into kura transformed into shops, bars and eating places. There are 10 sake breweries in Kitakata, and a few provide on-site tastings.

Based in 1877, Yumegokoro Shuzo produces the award-winning model Naraman. Since 1996, the brewery has been working with regionally grown sake rice. Greater than 80% now comes from farms in Fukushima Prefecture’s Aizu area. The brewery primarily makes use of gohyakumangoku rice, together with the sakemirai and aiyama varieties and utsukushima-yume yeast — a pressure developed by the prefecture’s brewing affiliation.

The mission, Shoji says, is to create “a really native sake that may solely be made in Kitakata.” A way of regional id informs the brewery’s philosophy of “evolving little by little” whereas sustaining a robust hyperlink to the previous.

“The pattern is towards fragrant and candy, fruity sake, however our model has at all times been extra umami-driven and targeted on the rice,” Shoji says. “We’ve included some trendy concepts however proceed to make sake that has a delicate aroma and a clear end.”

Yumegokoro Shuzo’s dedication to custom ends in sake that shines with the native delicacies. From the brewery we head to Inakaya, a restaurant specializing in horse meat, a regional delicacy. Dinner is a selection of early spring dishes — wobbly shirako cod milt in citrus-infused ponzu sauce, grilled bamboo shoots with miso and a platter of deep-fried mountain greens alongside basashi (horse meat sashimi).

The small plates pair with Naraman Junmai Origarami Nama, a frivolously cloudy brew with beneficiant flavors of berry and melon, a clean texture and a crisp end. Subsequent, Naraman Junmai Ginjo Nakadare Nama shows juicy acidity and apple-melon notes with a touch of kiwi.

With the primary course of effervescent nabe hotpot full of horse meat and mushrooms in a soy milk-infused broth, we sip Naraman Junmai warmed to round 45 levels Celsius. Shoji instructs me to match it to the identical sake at room temperature. The mild warmth brings out a ricey sweetness that harmonizes with each the nabe and the ultimate course of Kitakata-style ramen, the distinctively large and chewy noodles floating in clear soup.

Serving ramen on the finish of the meal, Shoji says, is a part of the native meals tradition.

“In Kitakata, folks even have it for breakfast,” he explains with amusing.

We toast to breakfast ramen, and I make a plan to return subsequent spring. If every part goes Shoji’s manner, I received’t be the one one making the journey.

“We’ve been doing on-line tasting occasions for the previous couple of years, however nothing beats consuming collectively in individual,” he says.

For extra data on Fukushima sake, go to yumegokoro.com or sake-fukushima.jp (each Japanese solely).

Consistent with COVID-19 tips, the federal government is strongly requesting that residents and guests train warning in the event that they select to go to bars, eating places, music venues and different public areas.