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The Book of Sake: A Connoisseurs Guide
Once found only in sushi bars and Japanese restaurants in the U.S., sake now lines the shelves of our gourmet food shops, liquor stores, supermarkets, and restaurants of all types. And as sake increasingly becomes a part of the way we dine and entertain, Americans everywhere are looking for
guidance in sorting out the confusing and intimidating array of choices available. In The Book of Sake , brewmaster Philip Harper provides all the information anyone needs to discover the many true pleasures of Japan's national tipple. Harper, the only non-Japanese to rise to the official rank of
"master brewer," shows readers how to select a good sake and match a selection with food. He describes each type of sake, how it is produced and acquires its distinctive flavor and bouquet, and how it is best appreciated.
Next, Harper introduces a collection of sake lore, a guide to reading sake labels, a groundbreaking new tasting chart, and a selection of sakes for all palates and pocketbooks by the esteemed sake critic Haruo Matsuzaki. To round out the volume Harper offers highlights of Japan's sake regions, then
presents perhaps the most intriguing tour of the sake brewmaster's art ever to be published in English.
guidance in sorting out the confusing and intimidating array of choices available. In The Book of Sake , brewmaster Philip Harper provides all the information anyone needs to discover the many true pleasures of Japan's national tipple. Harper, the only non-Japanese to rise to the official rank of
"master brewer," shows readers how to select a good sake and match a selection with food. He describes each type of sake, how it is produced and acquires its distinctive flavor and bouquet, and how it is best appreciated.
Next, Harper introduces a collection of sake lore, a guide to reading sake labels, a groundbreaking new tasting chart, and a selection of sakes for all palates and pocketbooks by the esteemed sake critic Haruo Matsuzaki. To round out the volume Harper offers highlights of Japan's sake regions, then
presents perhaps the most intriguing tour of the sake brewmaster's art ever to be published in English.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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August 7, 2011I've read a bit on 日本酒in the past, but I think this is a good introduction. In particular I enjoyed the recommendations for pairing sake with food other than Japanese food. After reading this you will need something a little more detailed and of course just drinking is always the best way to learn!
July 21, 2021
This book on Sake' presented the information differently than the others that I have read. I found it very informative and I thought that the photographs used to illustrate the book added to my understanding. I had originally borrowed a copy from the library but decided to get a copy for my own library so I can refer back to it.
February 22, 2022
One of the best books on sake in English is Philip Harper's The Book of Sake: A Connoisseurs Guide. Beautifully edited by Kodansha, with lavish illustrations, this book contains all you have to know about sake and is a pleasure to read, also thanks to Harper's lively style. And that all in less than 100 pages.
Philip Harper is one of the very few non-Japanese toji or master brewers working for a Japanese sake brewery, so he knows what he is speaking about. Harper has managed that impossible task, to write a book that is useful for novices and still interesting for those who are on their way to becoming connoisseurs. After all, sake has a huge vocabulary of specialist terms, which can be off-putting for novices.
Wisely, Harper does not start out with an avalanche of jargon but first suggests us to open a few bottles and start tasting. In Making the Most of Sake, he discusses the ideal temperature for drinking sake; which sake to combine with which food; describes the official sake tasting process; and gives information on "drinker's paraphernalia", cups, bottles, flasks and other equipment.
We learn that certain types of sake can also be enjoyed "on the rocks;" and that drinking sake warm is no sin (as long as it is not a Daiginjo) but that you never should overheat it - Harper discusses various ways to gently heat sake. The interesting thing about sake is, that it can be drunk at many different temperatures and changes character and taste accordingly. It is fun to discover the best temperature for your favorite sake.
Next Harper sings the praise of the combination of a Ginjo sake with your sashimi or sushi, while a full-bodied Junmai fits better with sukiyaki or yakitori.
As regards Western foods, a Kimoto or Yamahai with its yogurty nuances is the perfect companion to a cheese plate, as well as Chinese foods cooked in oil. Harper provides a "taste chart" and suggest alternatives to the omnipresent thimble-sized sake cup, the o-choko, in the form of glasses and other, larger ceramic cups - especially Ginjo and Daiginjo sake needs room to breath in a wider glass.
In the second chapter, Sake for all Seasons: Types and Styles, we get a little bit more technical as Harper explains the differences between the delicious Junmai, Honjozo, (Junmai) Ginjo and (Junmai) Daiginjo, all premium or super-premium sakes.
He teaches us about Namazake (unpasteurized sake, a novelty of the last 20 years or so), the traditional Kimoto method of making the yeast in a natural, but time-consuming and labor-intensive way; about Shiboritate or "Sake Nouveau;" and Koshu or Aged sake. He also gives some space to minor genres as sparkling sake (also a modern invention) and Taru-zake, the sake aged in a cask of fragrant cedar wood.
The going would be heavy if this were only a dry enumeration, but Harper "wets" his story by introducing the actual bottles and brands of the types he is discussing.
Chapter Three, On the Road: Breweries and Regions, informs us about regional styles and about brewer's guilds, but dedicates most of its space to introducing famous sake brands for each prefecture. As elsewhere in the book, the taste descriptions are the work of sake journalist and master-taster Matsuzaki Haruo.
In The Brewer's Craft, we are introduced to the mysterious process of sake brewing, from the raw materials of sake-rice and water, to the koji (the mold grown on steamed rice to change the starch of the rice grains into fermentable sugars), the yeast starter and the actual fermentation process (moromi; sake is characteristically brewed by the "multiple parallel fermentation" method, meaning that production of sugars by the koji enzymes takes place in the same vat and at the same time that the yeast converts those sugars into alcohol - this is also what makes brewing sake so difficult: the two elements must be perfectly balanced).
This is of course where Harper is talking about his own craft, which makes it particularly interesting. His explanation of the often difficult to understand brewing process is the most lucid I know. Harper is so much in his element that he runs out of space here and a very important discussion of yeast and yeast types had to be put at the inside backcover of the book - but this has been done very tastefully by the publisher, with silver letters on black paper.
Of course, not everything is covered in this book of only 100 pages, think for example about the history of sake - and I would have liked to hear more about Harper's personal experiences, but that is perhaps something for another book.
What Harper shows in this volume is that today sake is more delicious and variegated than ever in its long history. He also shows that brewing a good sake is a difficult craft, just like making washi paper, lacquerwork, ceramics, textiles, and all those other, great Japanese handmade crafts.
To brew a good handmade sake is not a process in a computer-controlled factory, but still the work of dedicated, even fanatical people who are obsessed with quality. It is good that "handcrafted" sake finally also is becoming popular on dining tables around the world.
Philip Harper is one of the very few non-Japanese toji or master brewers working for a Japanese sake brewery, so he knows what he is speaking about. Harper has managed that impossible task, to write a book that is useful for novices and still interesting for those who are on their way to becoming connoisseurs. After all, sake has a huge vocabulary of specialist terms, which can be off-putting for novices.
Wisely, Harper does not start out with an avalanche of jargon but first suggests us to open a few bottles and start tasting. In Making the Most of Sake, he discusses the ideal temperature for drinking sake; which sake to combine with which food; describes the official sake tasting process; and gives information on "drinker's paraphernalia", cups, bottles, flasks and other equipment.
We learn that certain types of sake can also be enjoyed "on the rocks;" and that drinking sake warm is no sin (as long as it is not a Daiginjo) but that you never should overheat it - Harper discusses various ways to gently heat sake. The interesting thing about sake is, that it can be drunk at many different temperatures and changes character and taste accordingly. It is fun to discover the best temperature for your favorite sake.
Next Harper sings the praise of the combination of a Ginjo sake with your sashimi or sushi, while a full-bodied Junmai fits better with sukiyaki or yakitori.
As regards Western foods, a Kimoto or Yamahai with its yogurty nuances is the perfect companion to a cheese plate, as well as Chinese foods cooked in oil. Harper provides a "taste chart" and suggest alternatives to the omnipresent thimble-sized sake cup, the o-choko, in the form of glasses and other, larger ceramic cups - especially Ginjo and Daiginjo sake needs room to breath in a wider glass.
In the second chapter, Sake for all Seasons: Types and Styles, we get a little bit more technical as Harper explains the differences between the delicious Junmai, Honjozo, (Junmai) Ginjo and (Junmai) Daiginjo, all premium or super-premium sakes.
He teaches us about Namazake (unpasteurized sake, a novelty of the last 20 years or so), the traditional Kimoto method of making the yeast in a natural, but time-consuming and labor-intensive way; about Shiboritate or "Sake Nouveau;" and Koshu or Aged sake. He also gives some space to minor genres as sparkling sake (also a modern invention) and Taru-zake, the sake aged in a cask of fragrant cedar wood.
The going would be heavy if this were only a dry enumeration, but Harper "wets" his story by introducing the actual bottles and brands of the types he is discussing.
Chapter Three, On the Road: Breweries and Regions, informs us about regional styles and about brewer's guilds, but dedicates most of its space to introducing famous sake brands for each prefecture. As elsewhere in the book, the taste descriptions are the work of sake journalist and master-taster Matsuzaki Haruo.
In The Brewer's Craft, we are introduced to the mysterious process of sake brewing, from the raw materials of sake-rice and water, to the koji (the mold grown on steamed rice to change the starch of the rice grains into fermentable sugars), the yeast starter and the actual fermentation process (moromi; sake is characteristically brewed by the "multiple parallel fermentation" method, meaning that production of sugars by the koji enzymes takes place in the same vat and at the same time that the yeast converts those sugars into alcohol - this is also what makes brewing sake so difficult: the two elements must be perfectly balanced).
This is of course where Harper is talking about his own craft, which makes it particularly interesting. His explanation of the often difficult to understand brewing process is the most lucid I know. Harper is so much in his element that he runs out of space here and a very important discussion of yeast and yeast types had to be put at the inside backcover of the book - but this has been done very tastefully by the publisher, with silver letters on black paper.
Of course, not everything is covered in this book of only 100 pages, think for example about the history of sake - and I would have liked to hear more about Harper's personal experiences, but that is perhaps something for another book.
What Harper shows in this volume is that today sake is more delicious and variegated than ever in its long history. He also shows that brewing a good sake is a difficult craft, just like making washi paper, lacquerwork, ceramics, textiles, and all those other, great Japanese handmade crafts.
To brew a good handmade sake is not a process in a computer-controlled factory, but still the work of dedicated, even fanatical people who are obsessed with quality. It is good that "handcrafted" sake finally also is becoming popular on dining tables around the world.
February 4, 2023
Good shit
October 12, 2008
A very thorough and beautiful book, and a passionate exposition on sake. The author(s) is very clearly qualified to write on this subject, but I think he rushes through a few chapter subjects. For example, I found his explanations of the different styles somewhat lacking. He's quick to describe the flavors and tastes of each style, but does little to describe the manufacturing, history or economy of those same styles. On the plus side, the book contains a sizeable chunk of reviews for different sake brewing regions and their breweries. I'd hesitate to recommend this book to the complete beginner, but if you already have a little sake experience and knowledge, this would make an excellent second volume. Also, the back of the book contains a very, very thorough run-down of sake manufacture (though again, not specific to any style, really). The author himself is a toji, or brewmaster, and clearly knows the ins and outs of the process. A fun read.
March 31, 2013
A very concise and well-organized guide for sake connoisseurs. Topics cover brewing methods, sake countries, and taste notes. I will keep the book at hand for references.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews