Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

Yumegokoro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd

Crafted in Fukushima Prefecture’s Kitakata City at Yumegokoro Sake Brewery, NARAMAN ranked among the top sakes in last year’s Chopsticks NY Blind Tasting Contest, proving it is not only recognized just in Japan but NY as well. Since 1877, their motto has been to strive “To contribute to society by brewing a sake that can be enjoyed anytime, for those seeking a sake to relax and feel at ease.” They brew sake with locally grown sake rice, local mountain stream water and Fukushima Prefecture developed “Utsukushima Yume” kobo yeast, aiming for a true Kitakata local sake.

Because Kitakata is located in the western part of Fukushima Prefecture, in the Aizu Basin, the summers are hot and the winters are snowy, great for producing high quality sake rice.  For their junmai class sake, the brewery uses “Gohyakumangoku” rice from local contract farmers, cultivated using low pesticides. The Gohyakumangoku rice tends to produce sake that has a moderate aroma with a distinctive umami flavor of the rice, which is enjoyed at any temperature from chilled to hot.

Two kinds of Yumegokoro sake are available in NY, NARAMAN Junmai Muroka Bin Hiire and NARAMAN Junmai Namazake Origarami. The former is full-bodied with umami flavor and a sharp aftertaste, and it has a taste profile that makes you want to drink one after another.  On the other hand, the latter has a light sparkling, like champagne, it can be enjoyed as an aperitif. It’s a seasonal, fresh sake shipped in March and December.

Last year Fukushima Prefecture was the area of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster but Kitakata city is located inland, so it didn’t receive much damage. To boost morale of all of Fukushima’s companies and the whole of Fukushima, the brewery staff members make an effort in explaining Fukushima’s true condition today through sake events. In NY, they will hold a pairing event at Wasan (108 E. 4th St., NYC) on June 1. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy NARAMAN.

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Yumegokoro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd
2932 Kita-Machi, Kitakata,
Fukushima, JAPAN 966-0072
TEL: +81-241-22-1266
www.yumegokoro.com

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3 things you should know about Yumegokoro Sake Brewery

NARAMAN in Maldives
Since 2009 NARAMAN has been exported to the Republic of Maldives. Maldives is a country that prohibits alcohol, so direct dealings are done with luxury ranked resort hotel, “One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives.” The staff in charge of this hotel was looking for premium sake and NARAMAN was chosen from a number of brands.  Now on the southern island, three NARAMAN sakes are appreciated by the world’s celebrities.

State-of-the-Art Facilities
In order to provide the same quality of sake constantly, Yumegokoro Sake Brewery partially employs mechanization so that humans do not have to do all the work. Things such as temperature control at night, carrying steamed rice, rinsing rice, and stirring rice are done through mechanization. In this way, brewers can essentially focus more in areas where their experiences come into play. The result has led to continuous prize winning in various competitions.

Yumegokoro’s Quality Sake
The brewery uses Kitakata’s Gohyakumangoku rice to brew sake, aiming to craft true local sake.  Normally in sake appraisal contests, the sakes using Yamadanishiki rice are highly prized, but Yumegokoro Brewery’s daiginjo using Gohyakukmangoku rice won a gold award in the national new sake appraisal contest for three consecutive years.