Sake brewery tours are also popular! Aomori Prefecture, where brewers with an average age in their 30s carry on 240 years of history 【Hachinohe Sake Brewery
The seventh edition of our Sake Special features the Hachinohe Sake Brewery in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. The brewery has seven brewers, including the toji (master brewer), and produces more than 20 different brands of sake. In this interview, we will introduce the appeal of the Hachinohe Sake Brewery, which takes on the daily challenge of brewing sake in the hope of introducing Japanese sake from Hachinohe to the world.
Interview with Mr. Shusuke Komai, Executive Director of Hachinohe Sake Brewery!
Q.What is the Hachinohe Sake Brewery...
A. The brewery was founded in the Genbun era (1736-1740) when Shozaburo Komai, the founder of the brewery, left the country of Omi with great ambitions and started brewing sake in the Mutsu region of Japan. The brewery began brewing sake in 1775, and since then, the brewery has continued to produce sake from generation to generation.
Currently, Shozaburo VIII insists on using rice and yeast produced in the prefecture as Aomori's local sake, and uses famous water from the Hachinohe and Kanizawa areas for the brewing water. The brewery is striving to create safe and delicious sake that is environmentally friendly and healthy.
Q. What is your passion for sake brewing?
The brewery employs seven brewers, including the toji (master brewer). The average age of the brewers is 30 years old. The quality of sake we aim for is fresh, fruity, clear, and clean. Hygiene control is important for this, and we have strict hygiene management to prevent bacteria from entering the brewery.
We are grateful for our 240-year history and the support we have received from the local community, and we will continue to strive for "sake brewing rooted in the local community" every day. Work scenery Work scenery
Q.Please tell us about Hachinohe Sake Brewery's brands.
Mutsu Hachisen Special Junmai (Hi-iri) Mutsu Otokoyama Super Spicy Junmai A. Our founding brand is "Mutsu Otokoyama," a crisp, dry sake that comes in two flavors: classic and super-hot junmai. The main brand is "Mutsu Hachisen" launched in 1998. This is a mellow umami-guchi type with a gorgeous aroma and characterized by the delicious taste of rice. It is fresh, fruity, and has an overall clean sake quality.
The lineup includes more than 20 brands, including standard, seasonal, sparkling, and new genre types such as kijoshu and beer yeast, as well as premium brands. The recommended drinking style varies depending on the type of sake, but the basic idea is to drink it cold in a white wine glass while enjoying the aroma, and also to enjoy the change in flavor from cold to room temperature.
Q.What sake do you recommend for the upcoming season?
Mutsu Hachisen Green Label Special Junmai Mutsu Hassen Orange Label Junmai Ginjo Hiyoroshi A. We recommend "Mutsu Hassen Green Label Special Junmai Hiyaoroshi" and "Mutsu Hassen Orange Label Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi" as seasonal products to be enjoyed in the fall. Enjoy it cold at first, then at room temperature, or even warmed up. It is best enjoyed with seasonal foods such as autumn swordfish and chestnut rice.
November's seasonal product "Nouveau
Mutsu Otokoyama Classic Nouveau Nama-zake
It is fruity and has a sharp taste with the youthfulness of new sake. It is a seasonal product, so the flavor changes every year. We recommend drinking it cold.
Mutsu Hachisen Nouveau Special Junmai Orikagarami Nama-zake
You can directly feel the flavor of the rice in this bottle. The combination with the ori (ori) gives it a mellow and refreshing taste even though it is still a draft sake.
Mutsu Hachisen Nouveau Special Junmai Naokumi Nama-nihanzake
This bottle is made by directly bottling the squeezed sake. It is a limited edition sake with a freshness and flavor unique to new sake, as well as a gorgeous aroma typical of Hachisen that bursts in the mouth with a crisp gaseous sensation.
Message for those who purchase
(Left) Mr. Hidesuke, the managing director and elder brother. (Right) Shinsuke Nobuyuki, Managing Director and younger brother. The sake from this brewery consists of a wide variety of products, from fresh, fruity sake with a gorgeous aroma, to deep-flavored sake, sparkling sake, and a liqueur blended with drinkable yogurt and sake. Sake lovers from the left, wine lovers and those who are not so fond of sake, as well as women and young people who want to enjoy sake in the future, will surely find something to their liking. We also offer brewery tours, so please come visit us in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture!
Sake brewery tours are now available!
Mr. Komai was surprised to learn that local people thought sake breweries were too expensive to visit. We offer brewery tours in the hope that local people will feel closer to the brewery and visit Hachinohe after getting to know the brewery. This year, they are gradually resuming events such as concerts at the brewery.
Information on brewery tours
Period: All year round, Monday-Friday (open Saturdays during winter)
Tour hours: 10:00-16:00 (takes about 1 hour)
Tour fee: 500 yen (includes tasting)
For reservations, please call♪ tel.0178-33-1171
You will find your favorite bottle!
Hachinohe Sake Brewery has won numerous awards. The brewery uses Aomori Prefecture's original yeast as its main ingredient and Kanizawa Meisui (famous water in Kanizawa), which is suitable for sake brewing. In addition to sake brewing, the company also collaborates with local people to revitalize the local community by making sweets using sake lees. Even those who are not fond of sake will find an opportunity to drink sake, such as sparkling sake made with the champagne method, sake made with wine yeast, and low-alcohol, easy-to-drink fruit sake. Hachinohe Sake Brewery Co.
Location
9 Honmachi, Minatomachi, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture
Access
5 min. walk from JR Mutsu Minato Sta.
*The contents and services in this article are subject to change.
This is the final installment of our Sake Special!
This is the last installment of our series on sake breweries in the six prefectures of the Tohoku region introduced to us by Hasegawa Sake Brewery. We hope you enjoyed it. All of the sake breweries introduced in this special feature were impressive for the passion they put into their sake making and their willingness to continue to take on challenges. Why not use this sake feature as a starting point for a trip to enjoy local sake? Hasegawa Sake Shop
