Nudge X FT
Sake & Cheese Flight
Nishide Shuzo ‘Moromi’ & Mimolette (semi-hard cow’s milk)
With over a century of history in the Kaga region in the Ishikawa Prefecture, Nishide Shuzo operates under the mantra that “sake brewing is our life.” Nishide brews handmade sake with only three employees, just as it has had for the past 5 generations. Many of their sakes are made with ambient or house-cultivated yeasts, imparting a truly localized and unique profile. At less than 100 Koku per year in annual production, Nishide is perhaps the smallest brewery in Japan that exports to the US. Moromi is named after two of the rescured brewery cats Moro and Mi. The sake is made from a "mutant" strain of Yeast 901 that produces a lot of malic acid. The result is a sake with sweetness, bright acidity and excellent depth. Can be served chilled or heated.
Rice: Local Rice (65%) ABV: 14%
Kodama Shuzo Taiheizan ‘Great Peaceful Mountain’ Nigori Honjozo & Chianti Pecorino (semi-hard sheep’s milk)
The Kodama brewery was founded in 1879 in Katagami City, Akita Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Taiheizan (Great Peaceful Mountain). Blessed with abundant high-quality sake rice & fresh clean mountain water, the generations have nurtured & developed renowned expertise in brewing sake. Kodama’s sake is known for its rich texture & complex umami taste. One of the secrets behind this is the unique creation of Moto (yeast starter) before main fermentation. Kodama has developed a modern, modified version of the traditional Kimoto method, known as the “Akita Kimoto Method,” to create a strong moto. The finished strong Moto made by this Akita Kimoto style is clean & well-suited to the cold Akita climate for slow & prolonged fermentations. These long fermentations at low temperatures create aromatic, elegant fragrance & complexity. Best Served chilled.
Rice: Akita Komachi (65%) ABV: 14%
Mutsu-Hassen ‘Red Label’ Tokubetsu Junmai & Roquefort Blue (semi-hard sheep’s milk)
Hachinohe Shuzoa based in the Aomori prefecture. Selects local rice and yeast and brews with the famous water of Kanizawa, Hachinohe. Their aim is to produce a modern sake that is delicious yet safe for the environment and personal health. They use 100% white koji in their moromi base giving their sake a fresh, straight-from-the-brewery character. The Red Label is an award-winning Tokubetsu Junmai that offers a fresh and fruity taste, with hints of apple, pear and orange.
Rice: Hanafubuki (55%) Masshigura (60%) (65%) ABV: 16%
Sake Vocab:
Junmai: Often refers to sake milled down to 70% but also refers to sake made from just four ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji. Sakes without the junmai label have brewers alcohol added to them.
Tokubestsu: At least 60% of the rice is polished or a special brewers method of production was used.
Nigori: A sake that has been ROUGHLY FILTERED to maintain cloudiness. Fun fact all sakes are filtered.
