In autumn, two seasons of sake can cross paths. Farmers are bringing in the rice for the coming brew. At the same time, a sake shop may be opening cases of hiyaoroshi made the previous winter. One crop is just beginning its journey. The other has spent the summer in the brewery and is finally ready to pour. To make sense of the shelf, it helps to follow both the farming calendar and the release calendar.
Spring planting and summer growth
For many growers, the new rice crop starts with spring planting. The rice grows through the summer and is harvested in autumn, with timing that varies by region and variety. At Terada Honke in Chiba, the brewery’s own rice paddy gives that cycle a very human scale. The brewery invites people to join in planting, summer weeding and harvesting. By winter, the rice is ready to go into the brewery.
Meanwhile, the summer bottle on the table may belong to the previous crop. A label that says natsuzake simply points you toward a summer release. A brewer might choose a light, crisp sake, a fresh unpasteurized bottling or a lower-alcohol style. Toko in Yamagata, for example, offers a 14% summer junmai genshu. Try a chilled summer sake with cold soba or salted edamame and see what a cool pour brings to a hot evening.
Autumn’s rested sake
A traditional hiyaoroshi starts with sake made the previous winter. The brewer pasteurizes it once, lets it rest through summer, then releases it in autumn without a second round of pasteurization. Those months can give the sake a rounder feel, especially beside the briskness of a freshly pressed winter release. You may also see akiagari on a label. It describes sake that has developed well over summer and comes into its own in autumn. The two terms overlap on shelves, so look at the brewer’s description if the production details interest you.
Try an autumn bottle with grilled mushrooms, roast chestnuts or salt-grilled Pacific saury. Pour a little cool first, then let it come closer to room temperature. With a fuller bottle, see what a gently warmed pour does alongside the mushrooms.
Winter’s first pressings
The cool months have traditionally been the main brewing season. Modern temperature control allows some breweries to brew throughout the year, but winter is still a good time to look for new releases. Shiboritate means freshly pressed, and shinshu means new sake. Some winter bottles are also namazake, which means they haven’t been pasteurized. Those words tell you different things. Toko’s winter Junmai Nama Genshu is an example of a freshly pressed, unpasteurized sake. If you bring home a namazake, follow the brewery’s storage directions and keep it refrigerated.
Spring’s new releases and open doors
Sake brewed in the cold months keeps reaching drinkers as the weather warms. You may see haruzake, or spring sake, on the shelf, including bottles meant for hanami, the custom of enjoying the cherry blossoms. It’s a seasonal cue, and the style depends on the brewery. A fresh winter-pressed release and a softer spring bottle can sit side by side. Try one with spring vegetable tempura and see whether the sake’s fruit or acidity balances the vegetables’ slight bitterness.
Spring is also a good time to look for kurabiraki, when a brewery opens its doors to visitors. In Higashihiroshima, local breweries hold spring open houses where visitors can try freshly pressed sake. For a larger gathering, Niigata Sake no Jin is a March fair where producers from across the prefecture pour under one roof. At an open house or fair, ask the brewer when the sake was pressed and what happened between pressing and release. The answer can take you right back to the autumn harvest, even with the cherry trees just coming into bloom.