Why Sake Is a Wine and a Beer  by Hiroshi Kawabata (6/ 2002)

What makes sake different from all other liquors in the world? The main component of Japanese sake is rice.  According to Japanese liquor tax law, sake is defined as being “made from fermented and filtered rice, malted rice malt, and water.”  In the U.S., sake is considered a type of beer under Federal law and a wine under California State law. The reason for this distinction comes from the vestiges of Prohibition law earlier this century.

Here are the ingredients and processes behind making sake and other liquors.

Brewing uses yeast or enzymes to ferment sugar into alcohol.  Conversely, distilling purifies alcohol by heating it.  There is a simple distillation process and a series distillation process. The former indicates a one-time distillation, and the latter means multiple distillations over time. Sake is brewed by what is called multiple parallel fermentation.

An alcoholic beverage is, in brief, a drink made by the fermentation of sugar into alcohol by enzymes.  For example, if you add enzymes to grapes, the grapes convert into alcohol and become wine.  This process is called a single fermentation.

Conversely, grains, such as barley and rice, do not possess sugar for the enzymes to convert into alcohol.  Thus, the starch contained in grain is converted into sugar first, and then this sugar is converted into alcohol. This process is called multiple fermentation.

How about beer? During germination, malted barley creates its own sugar. Enzymes are then added to it, converting sugar into alcohol.  Since it undergoes these two processes of fermentation, it is also a type of multiple fermentation.

Sake uses both forms of multiple fermentation concurrently.  Koji yeast, which converts starch into sugar, and Sake yeast, which converts sugar into alcohol, is fermented simultaneously (in parallel).  Thus, this process is called parallel multiple fermentation.  By this process, sake can contain a higher alcohol density than brewed alcohol.

One of the distinctive features of sake is that it can be consumed hot or cold.  Since I talked about temperature in our April issue of Sushi and Tofu, people have told me, “I must have sake hot”, “Sake is best warm or at body temperature”, or “Sake experts knows the cold sake is the best.”  In other words, sake can be enjoyed in every season, with any food, or with any feeling.  These are significant factors to consider while enjoying sake.  Sake creates various flavors and aromas based on its temperature.  It is fun to discover for yourself the temperature that you prefer your favorite sake.

Another benefit of sake is that it neutralizes the smell of fish. When speaking of hors d’oeuvres for sake, it is most likely seafood.  Sashimi is especially good with sake compared to other drinks, because sake neutralizes the fishy smell.  For example, wine has become popular to drink with tuna, possibly enhancing the smell of fish.  Remember, seafood is best eaten with sake.

Sake is good to drink straight. It is probably better to drink any alcohol straight.  But, because distilled liquors are high in alcohol, it is often mixed with water or juice.  On the other hand, sake, which is a brewed alcohol, is never mixed. Lately, there has been a lot of hype surrounding sake cocktails, yet sake is basically designed to be taken straight. Beer and wine, which are also brewed, are taken straight.  However, while beer has 5% alcohol, wine has 12-13% alcohol, sake possesses 16-17% alcohol. Even whiskey, which has more than 40% alcohol, is often taken as whiskey-and-water which is diluted with 3-5 times the amount of water.  So sake might be considered the strongest alcohol we drink in our daily life.