Natsuzake: a Summer wave of Seasonal Sake
Natsuzake, the compounded form of natsu (summer) sake, is a growing category of seasonally-themed sake appropriate for Summer enjoyment. Natsuzake is a modern invention dating from only ~2007, when it was introduced as a marketing initiative to improve lagging sake sales in Summer. Hundreds of years ago natsuzake was a part of the shiki-jozo 四季醸造 four-season brewing tradition, and techniques like mizumoto were developed to quick-brew in Summer heat, but the modern interpretation of this bears little resemblance to its ancient history.
Most seasonal sake arises from kanzukuri, the ~400 year old tradition of Winter brewing. In the 1600's, techniques like kimoto were developed to brew successfully in cold temperatures and climates, and in 1792 a government edict was issued mandating that sake brewing take place only between October and May. While this edict is no longer in force, kanzukuri remains standard practice and gives rise to super-fresh unpasteurized sake in Winter-Spring, lightly aged sake in Fall, and further aged sake in Winter. Historically, Summer was the time when the shelves were refreshed with standard products, pasteurized sake available year-round, but that doesn't really inspire sales the way highballs, fruity chu-hai's and ice cold beers do in Summer.
Within the new category of natsuzake breweries get to creatively interpret the feelings and flavors of Summer, giving their own take on the theme. As a result, the styles can be quite varied and personal: juicy, fruity and sweet to evoke Summer fruits, light in alcohol to ease the impact on hot, humid days, sparkling and astringent to be served ice-cold as an aperitif, or broad, deep, and a little nutty to stimulate digestion and pair with grilled foods. Equally, service is up to interpretation. While most are served straight (in glass or celadon porcelain perhaps), some are designed to be served on the rocks, with lemon in a highball, or even gently warmed as natsukan to accompany campfire tales or stimulate digestion. You'll notice a strong (practically exclusive!) bent toward blue labels featuring polar bears and penguins, snow-capped mountains or dreamy watery patterns, suggesting the cool, icey, refreshing beverage inside.
Although they aren't exactly formal categories, there are a couple of other terms associated with Summer sake that you might see in the wild. Hatsunomikiri is the industry practice of tasting the tanks of maturing sake mid-season, usually early July. The toji travels back to the brewery to taste with the owner (kuramoto)-- usually ALL of the tanks of sake, or sometimes just all of the batches, using a traditional large katakuchi designed for this purpose. Hoshimizake, star-viewing sake, is the practice of viewing the starry night sky in Summer while enjoying sake, and was memorialized in a nostalgic ballad by Yoshimi Tendo. While there's no official term for this (yet...) sake is often enjoyed during the tanabata and obon holidays, and gifted to during ochugen (July-August gifting season) to teachers, superiors, and others to whom one is indebted. Finally, Summer is also the turnover of the BY (Brewing Year) calendar, which runs from 7/1-6/31 every year. If you see a BY# on a bottle, this is the period of time it refers to, with the numbers corresponding to the imperial year in which the BY ends.
In this rapidly evolving category, we curate a range of styles each year to come and go between June and September. The first wave is released in Japan early May and arrives stateside in June. These earliest releases are usually nama-nama: fully unpasteurized, juicy and fruity, an extension of Spring styles. By late July the variety is ramping up and we're seeing a mix of nama and hiire (pasteurized) versions. Vegetables have entered peak garden abundance and lightly bitter, sparkling, light nigori styles of natsuzake abound to play off these peak-season ingredients. Pasteurized natsuzake becomes more common in late Summer as brewers seek to preserve the light, delicate quality of freshly-pressed sake. Nama becomes sweeter and rounder as it matures (even over the course of 2-3 months) so the only way to ensure it's light and crisp is pasteurization.
Where trends are concerned, we've noticed the rising prevalence of spritz in modern natsuzake (if you prefer still-- I sometimes do-- let it go flat!) This can be found in the explicitly bright and bubbly Clammbon usunigori or the dry and minerally Daisekkei usugori. A light spritz (Koshinohomare Blue 90, Kinoene Chokarakuchi, and Gokyo Blue) lends a welcome edge of acidity and bitterness. Mirroring sake trends in general we're seeing more kimoto, low polishing, and house/proprietary yeast. Big juicy nama (Denshin Junmai Daiginjo Shizuku, for example) feels a little less common, while low-ABV (12-14%) tutti-fruity picnic sake is on the rise, including Harushika Natsushika, Akabu Hisui, KID Natsu no Shippou and Ohmine. With respect to our own tastes at Sunflower, we're veering away from the really pricey styles ($60+) and doubling down on nomiyasui (easy drinking) in the $35-45 range. We're always looking for options $30-35, but it's tough to get this pricing outside of port states like California. If we're picking up 2-4 cases in the <$45 range, we're only getting ~1-2 cases in the >$45 range. So if you see something you like, act quickly and drink deeply. It's not going to last! Half the beauty of seasonal sake is its ephemerality. Enjoy enough that you're tired of it until the following year.
Even for pasteurized styles, if you're not in town and able to pick up we always recommend 2-day with ice and insulation during peak Summer heat. Shipping nama in heatwaves isn't going to make it unsafe to drink, but it'll probably expedite the maturation and push the flavor profile a little richer, plus it might mute the aromas or add a little bitterness (not a huge change, perhaps a 10% loss in quality). Muted aroma/flavor can recover with 2-3 weeks resting in the fridge, so patience will be rewarded if you find that the sake is a little underwhelming on arrival. 2-Day shipping with ice might seem pricey at $50, but we actually subsidize it pretty heavily, taking a margin (on shipped sake) closer to 28% in Summer rather than ~30% in cooler months. A 2-day iced case to DC, for example, costs us ~$115 even with deeply discounted UPS rates. Of course, we also don't have sales tax here in Oregon, and the biggest loss would be a case of sake you're not thrilled with. So all things considered, $50 is a good deal!
By the end of September, most of the natsuzake will be sold out and we'll be preparing for Autumn hiyaoroshi/akiagari. The cycle will begin again as World Sake Day, Nihonshu no Hi, kicks off the customary start of the kanzukuri brewing season.
If you'd like to learn more about seasonal sake and experience it yourself, consider signing up for our seasonal sake club! Available nationwide (except where alcohol laws prohibit), you'll receive our favorite selections quarterly along with detailed writeups, original illustrations, tasting notes and pairing ideas. You can also seek out local restaurants and retailers through the Support Sake natsuzake site, or participate in their social media campaign, which will reward one participant with a guided trip through Japanese sake breweries.
However you choose to imbibe...Kanpai! Ittadakimasu!
