Sake Season – Fall Drafts are Starting to Fall In!
As the leaves begin to fall and we enter the Fall it’s time to wax a little poetic over a bottle of Hiyaoroshi or Fall Draft seasonal sake. The first two of perhaps seven Hiyaoroshi are now on the shelves, and the rest are soon to come.
Herewith are a few poems to remind you that time continues to change and that all things pass – the seasons – and even pandemics.
W.B Yeats
The Falling of Leaves
Autumn is over the long leaves that love us,
And over the mice in the barley sheaves;
Yellow the leaves of the rowan above us,
And yellow the wet wild-strawberry leaves.
The hour of the waning of love has beset us,
And weary and worn are our sad souls now;
Let us part, ere the season of passion forget us,
With a kiss and a tear on thy drooping brow.
Emily Brontë
Fall Leaves Fall
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum’d by that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Robert Frost
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
What is Hiyaoroshi sake? In a word it is sake that is specifically brewed to be released in the Fall to pair with autumn cuisines that are more full, fatty, and rich. Typically a sake brewery in late winter will ferment a batch of sake, will pasteurize it once, and then let it rest for 6 months to fill out and relax. This single-pasteurized “seasonal sake” has become quite the staple in Japan and now in the states.
Welcome to autumn in one of the worst years on record! Let Hiyaoroshi sake take your mind off of things. And you can start with KID and Shichida!
From Wakayama Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo Namazume. SMV: +1.5 Acidity: 1.7
The nose on this Fall Draft sake called Hiyaoroshi (only pasteurized once) is a cool collection of apricot, nectarine, steamed rice, banana, and rice pudding aromas. This is the first time that we have offered Kid Hiyaoroshi (Take that 2020!) to our Fall Draft collection and we are really glad it's here. What a sake! Round, soft, and with a gentle richness this sake is smooth and has mature fruit tones and lots of umami. Look for rich fruit, ripe apple, apple pie, apricot, blueberry, grape, banana, and rice pudding flavors. Using the Gohyakumangoku rice varietal brings out a richness and complexity that is delicious and the elevated acidity is great for pairing with Autumn food flavors. This is a fruity brewery's version of a Hiyaoroshi sake, which translates to a rich fruit brew that is very fun to warm as a unique banana quality emerges. Very happy for this Kid! WORD: Gentle Rich WINE: Pinot Noir/Fruity Whites BEER: Belgian Ales FOODS: Fall flavors, fatty fish, game, fowl, complex dishes, creamy pasta $36/720ml
Shichida Aiyma 75 Hiyaoroshi 2020
From Saga Prefecture. Junmai Namazume. SMV: 1 Acidity: 1.6
The nose on this Fall Draft seasonally released brew is filled with plum, raisin, apple, pear, blackberry, and apricot aromas. Typically Hiyaoroshi sake that is made in the winter and released in Autumn has rich, full-bodied, and often savory qualities, but not this brew that is made with the rice varietal called Aiyama milled to 75%. Look for deep Fall fruit tones including cooked pear, fleshy plum, blueberry, raspberry, raisin, and grape flavors. It's almost like drinking a holiday berry pie that has loads of fruit basket flavors on a rich, round, and lively flow. As the fluid warms it becomes softer and lusher, which makes the vastness of this brew all the more special. WORD: Berry Pie WINE: Deep Reds/Fruity Whites BEER: Fruity Ales FOODS: Rich and full-bodied Autumn cuisines, fatty fish, rich meats, game, pastas, and Thanksgiving turkey. $44/720ml