Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery
Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery is a sake brewery located in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture.
It's easily accessible from Niigata Station, and it's a popular spot for sightseeing as it offers sake brewery tours, shops, tastings, and more.
This time, “Niigata sake campI participated in a sake event called ``Japanese sake'' and went on a sake brewery tour to further increase my interest in sake.
Access
It takes about 15 minutes on foot from Niigata Station.
The route bus takes about 10 minutes, which is about the same time as walking, so we recommend walking if the weather is not bad.
There is a free parking lot, so you can access by car, but you will not be able to enjoy the tasting, so I think it would be better to walk, take a bus, or take a taxi.
Reservation/Reception
Reservations must be made in advance.
If there is space on the day, it may be possible to register on the same day.
For reservations,Official Website'', so don't forget to do it once you have a plan for your trip.
There is no charge.
For guidance in English, it costs 400 yen.
Please arrive before the start of your tour and tell the cashier at the attached shop the name you used when making your reservation.
Sake brewery tour
The 9th generation will give an explanation.
Most sake breweries in Niigata begin producing sake in October, when new rice is harvested, and typically finish brewing in April or May.
Asahi Sake Brewery, famous for Kubota, which produces the most sake in Niigata Prefecture, is said to be producing sake until around July.
Also, since around 2004, Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery has only been making Junmai sake without using brewed alcohol.
By the way, when exporting to the United States, Junmai sake has an advantage due to the Liquor Tax Law.
pasteurization
I was able to see the pasteurization pot for the first time.
The hot water is at 65 degrees Celsius, and the alcohol is pasteurized by passing through the pipes.
In the past, cooking was done using coal, so there is soot on the ceiling.
rice
Speaking of sake rice, it is Yamada Nishiki.
Yamada Nishiki is a rice that was born in Hyogo Prefecture, and Niigata Prefecture, which is famous for its rice, is aiming to create a sake rice that will replace Yamada Nishiki.
That is Koshinotanrei.
It is said that it is only used by sake breweries in Niigata, and that it is all grown by contracted farmers.
fermentation
Next, you can see the fermentation tanks.
During fermentation, fermentation heat is released, so in order to cool it down, it is cooled in a thermal tank, which is a tank equipped with a cooling device.
The temperature varies from tank to tank, because the temperature varies depending on the sake being made.
The liters in each tank are slightly different, and it's not a sharp number like 6000L.
Although there is a number at the design stage for how many liters the tank can hold, there is inevitably a millimeter error in the iron plate.
After filling it with water and measuring it, it is said that due to the error, the liters may be slightly different from the design, and the numbers may not be accurate.
It's strictly related to the Liquor Tax Law.
Upper tank
This is the process of squeezing moromi.
What is squeezed out here becomes sake lees.
tasting
The tour itself lasts about 30 minutes, and then moves on to the tasting.
You can taste 3 types for free.
There is also a paid tasting where you can drink more than 10 types for 1,000 yen, so this is definitely recommended.
You can drink Nishikigoi, which is famous for Imayo Tsukasa, which costs about 6,000 yen per bottle.
There is a limit of one cup per type, but you can adjust the amount by yourself as it pours as long as you press the button.
In other words, you can put a lot more in it, so it's a great deal.
The tasting itself is available for tasting only, without the need for a tour.
shop
There is a shop attached, so not only sake, but also sweets and snacks are sold.
This is also similar to tasting, and can be used only at the shop without a tour.
We also sell soft serve ice cream and pudding in limited quantities.
There was also a gacha where you could win rare sake.
I purchased the sake I liked during the tasting.
IMA Sake for oysters
With oysters on the label, this is the perfect drink to pair with oysters.
It was a delicious cup that felt quite rich.
Savor the time Vintage 2011
This old sake is sold in limited quantities at sake breweries.
Personally, I really like old sake.
I was planning to drink it hot, but spring has arrived and it's getting warmer, so I lost the opportunity to drink it. .
I think I'll try drinking it again when it gets colder. .
By the way. .
I'm really happy that it's available not only in 4-go bottles, but also in 300ml bottles.
Sake, especially Junmai sake, should be drunk as soon as possible after opening the bottle.
The 4-go bottle is 720ml, so it's quite difficult to empty it in one day.
I think 300ml is the perfect size because you can easily empty it in one day and you will never run out of water.
I hope that the lineup of smaller sizes will increase in the future.
Impressions
I believe this is the only sake brewery near Niigata Station where you can tour the brewery.
The tour itself was not like following the sake manufacturing process from scratch, and the tour was only 30 minutes long, so I think they skipped some of the steps.
The 9th generation person who guides us around is what you might call a grandfather, and his stories are quite interesting.
However, it's a very Niigata dialect. .
I'm from Niigata, so I used to listen to it nostalgically as it reminded me of my grandfather and grandmother, but I wonder if people outside the prefecture really understand it. . ? There were things I thought about.
I think it's a valuable place where you can see a sake brewery up close, so I recommend a visit not only for Japanese sake lovers, but also for those who think of Niigata as sake.
