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SAKE QUIZ · 日本酒クイズ

Six small decks, from the names of sake temperatures to the words on a back label. Pick one, play ten questions, and every answer comes with a short note.

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Every question, with answers

The whole deck, written out — for studying or for searching.

温度Temperature13

Sake served at about 5°C is called…: Yuki-bie (雪冷え)　“Snow chill.” Very cold — aromas stay mostly closed.
Sake served at about 10°C is called…: Hana-bie (花冷え)　“Flower chill,” like a cool spring day.
Sake served at about 15°C is called…: Suzu-bie (涼冷え)　“Cool chill” — just out of a cool cellar.
Sake served at about 30°C is called…: Hinata-kan (日向燗)　“Sunshine warm” — barely above room temperature.
Sake served at about 35°C is called…: Hitohada-kan (人肌燗)　“Skin warm” — about body temperature.
Sake served at about 40°C is called…: Nuru-kan (ぬる燗)　“Lukewarm” — gently warm; a classic for many sakes.
Sake served at about 45°C is called…: Jo-kan (上燗)　“Fine warm” — warm, with a little steam when poured.
Sake served at about 50°C is called…: Atsu-kan (熱燗)　“Hot” — the classic hot sake.
Sake served at 55°C and up is called…: Tobikiri-kan (飛び切り燗)　“Extra hot” — beyond hot.
In traditional usage, “hiya” (冷や) means sake served…: At room temperature　Before refrigerators, “hiya” simply meant unheated. Today “jōon” (常温) is the clearer word.
Nami’s rule of thumb for aromatic, ginjo-style sake is…: 10–15°C (hana-bie to suzu-bie)　“Serve cold” is too vague — too cold and the aroma shuts down.
A menu offers the same junmai two ways: “hiya” or “nuru-kan.” Order hiya and it arrives…: At room temperature　Old-school menus still use hiya for unheated. If you want it chilled, ask for reishu (冷酒).
A cold night, and you want your warm sake gentle, not sharp. Aim for…: About 40°C — nuru-kan　Around 40°C softens the edges. Go much hotter and the alcohol pushes forward.

生酒と季節Nama & seasons11

Sake that is never pasteurized at all is…: Namazake (生酒)　Also called nama-nama. Keep it refrigerated.
Nama-chozo (生貯蔵酒) is pasteurized…: Once, at bottling — it is stored raw　“Stored nama”: raw in the tank, pasteurized on the way into the bottle.
Nama-zume (生詰め酒) is pasteurized…: Once, before storage — not at bottling　“Bottled nama”: pasteurized going into the tank, bottled raw. Hiyaoroshi is usually this style.
Most standard sake is pasteurized…: Twice — before storage and at bottling　Pasteurizing (hi-ire, 火入れ) stabilizes the sake for shipping and shelf life.
Hiyaoroshi (ひやおろし) is…: An autumn release, rested over summer　Rested through summer and released in autumn, typically pasteurized only once.
Shiboritate (しぼりたて) means…: Freshly pressed new sake　Released soon after pressing, usually in winter to early spring — fresh and lively.
Traditional sake brewing mainly happens in…: Winter (kanzukuri, 寒造り)　Cold weather keeps unwanted microbes down. Some modern kura brew year-round (shiki-jōzō).
The sake brewing year (“BY”, 酒造年度) starts on…: July 1　It runs July 1 to June 30. “R6BY” means brewing year Reiwa 6.
A fresh green sugidama (杉玉) hanging at a brewery means…: New sake is ready　The cedar ball turns brown over the months — a calendar of the sake’s maturity.
You buy a bottle marked 生酒 and leave it in a warm car all afternoon. The main worry?: It can go off — it was never pasteurized　Nama is still alive with enzymes. Keep it cold from shop to glass.
The back label says R5BY. That tells you…: The brewing year it was made　Reiwa 5 brewing year: July 2023 to June 2024.

酒米Rice11

Rice used to grow koji is called…: Kōji-mai (麹米)　A label may list a different rice for kōji-mai and kake-mai.
Steamed rice added straight to the mash (not made into koji) is…: Kake-mai (掛米)　Most of the rice in a batch is kake-mai.
Which sake rice is nicknamed “the king of sake rice”?: Yamada Nishiki (山田錦)　Hyogo Prefecture is its biggest producer. Koshihikari is table rice, not sake rice.
Gohyakumangoku (五百万石) is closely tied to…: Niigata　A major Niigata rice, linked to the light, clean tanrei style.
Omachi (雄町) is most associated with…: Okayama　One of the oldest sake rice lines. Fans call themselves “Omachists.”
Koshitanrei (越淡麗) is a cross of…: Yamada Nishiki × Gohyakumangoku　Developed in Niigata for daiginjo-grade sake.
Miyama Nishiki (美山錦) is known for…: Growing well in cold regions like Nagano　Widely grown in Nagano and the Tohoku region.
The opaque, starchy center of a sake rice grain is…: Shinpaku (心白)　A large shinpaku helps koji mold grow into the grain.
A polishing ratio (精米歩合) of 60% means…: 60% of each grain remains　40% was polished off. A lower number changes the style — it is a direction, not a rank.
The back label lists 麹米：山田錦 / 掛米：五百万石. What does that tell you?: The koji was made from Yamada Nishiki; the rest of the rice is Gohyakumangoku　Many brewers put their best rice into the koji, where it shapes the flavor most.
One bottle says 精米歩合 70%, another 40%. Which is true?: The 40% bottle had more of each grain polished away　More polishing tends toward lighter, more aromatic sake — a different direction, not a higher rank.

麹と酵母Koji & yeast12

The koji mold used for most sake is…: Yellow koji (黄麹, A. oryzae)　Aspergillus oryzae — Japan’s “national mold.”
Black koji (黒麹) is traditionally used for…: Awamori　Its citric acid protects the mash in Okinawa’s warm climate.
White koji (白麹) is most common in…: Shochu　Some brewers now use it in sake for a bright, citrusy acidity.
Tsuki-haze (突き破精) koji…: Penetrates deep in spots — prized for clean, ginjo-style sake　The opposite is so-haze, which covers the whole surface.
So-haze (総破精) koji tends to give…: Richer, fuller sake　More enzymes, more sugar and amino acids — a rounder flavor.
Tane-koji (種麹) is…: Koji spores used to start koji　Made by specialist houses called moyashi-ya.
Kyōkai No. 7 yeast (協会7号) came from…: Miyasaka Brewing (Masumi), Nagano　Isolated in 1946 and still one of the most widely used yeasts.
Kyōkai No. 9 yeast (協会9号), known for ginjo aroma, came from…: Kumamoto Prefecture　Often called “Kumamoto yeast.”
Kyōkai No. 6 (協会6号), the oldest Kyōkai yeast still in common use, came from…: Aramasa, Akita　Found in the 1930s; known for a calm, gentle aroma.
Kyōkai 1801 yeast (協会1801号) is known for…: A strong apple-like aroma　It produces a lot of ethyl caproate — a favorite for competition daiginjo.
Kura-tsuki kōbo (蔵付き酵母) means…: Yeast that lives in the brewery itself　Flower yeast (花酵母) is a different idea — isolated from flowers.
A label says 白麹仕込み — made with white koji. You’d expect…: Bright, citrusy acidity　White koji makes citric acid — that tart, lemony lift.

ラベルの言葉Labels & grades11

Junmai (純米) on a label means…: No added distilled alcohol　Just rice, koji and water. There is no polishing minimum for junmai.
Ginjo (吟醸) requires a polishing ratio of…: 60% or lower　Plus slow, cool fermentation (ginjo-zukuri). Add “junmai” and no alcohol is added.
Daiginjo (大吟醸) requires a polishing ratio of…: 50% or lower　A rule about the method — not a guarantee that you’ll like it more.
Honjozo (本醸造) allows…: A small amount of added brewer’s alcohol　Polishing ratio 70% or lower; the alcohol is added to shape aroma and flavor.
Futsūshu (普通酒) is…: Sake outside the special-designation grades　Often called “table sake” — and some are excellent.
Genshu (原酒) means…: Undiluted — no water added after pressing　Usually higher in alcohol, often 17–20%.
Muroka (無濾過) means…: Not charcoal-filtered　Often a touch of color and a fuller flavor. Muroka nama genshu combines all three ideas.
Nigori (にごり) sake is…: Coarsely pressed, so it is cloudy　Some rice solids pass through. Styles range from dry to sweet.
Nihonshu-do (日本酒度, SMV) is…: A specific-gravity reading; higher (+) tends to read drier　A rough guide only — acidity and temperature change how sweet sake tastes.
The label reads 無濾過生原酒. Which is true?: Not charcoal-filtered, unpasteurized and undiluted　Three words in one. Usually bold and full — and keep it cold.
The back label shows 日本酒度 +8 and 酸度 1.2. Your best guess?: On the drier side　High SMV with modest acidity usually reads dry. Your tongue gets the final say.

造りHow it's made11

Sake’s fermentation is called…: Multiple parallel fermentation (並行複発酵)　Starch turns to sugar and sugar to alcohol in the same tank at the same time.
Shubo / moto (酒母・酛) is…: The yeast starter　A small, strong culture of yeast that seeds the main mash.
Kimoto (生酛) is…: The traditional starter, using natural lactic acid and pole-ramming　Slow and labor-heavy; often gives deep, savory sake.
Yamahai (山廃) is short for…: Yama-oroshi haishi — kimoto without the pole-ramming　Brewers found the ramming step could be skipped. Still natural lactic acid.
Sokujō (速醸) starters…: Add lactic acid directly — today’s standard　Faster and more stable than kimoto or yamahai.
Sandan-jikomi (三段仕込み) means…: Adding rice, koji and water in three stages over four days　Hatsuzoe, a rest day (odori), nakazoe, tomezoe — so the yeast keeps up.
A tōji (杜氏) is…: The master brewer　Echigo tōji from Niigata are one of the best-known guilds.
Shizuku (雫) sake is…: Drip-pressed from hanging bags, with no pressure　Gentle and costly — often reserved for competition sake.
Sake kasu (酒粕) is…: The lees left after pressing　Great in marinades, soups and amazake.
The menu says 山廃. What should you lean toward expecting?: Often deeper and more savory, with lively acidity　Natural lactic fermentation often brings depth and tang — though every kura does it its own way.
A friend calls sake “rice wine.” Your best one-line answer?: Its starch turns to sugar and ferments at the same time, in one tank　Neither wine nor beer — a unique parallel fermentation.

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