What is the difference between Namazake, Namazuke, and Namazukechozo?

Although they are very similar words, do you know the difference between Namazake, Namazuke, and Namazuke-chozo, respectively? It may seem a little surprising, but Namazuke and Namazuke-chozo are not "nama" in fact. Namazake is sake that has not been pasteurized. Namazuke and Namazuke-chozo are both sake that has been pasteurized (heat sterilized), while Namazuke and Namazuke-chozo are both sake that has been pasteurized (heat sterilized), but only once.

Generally, sake is pasteurized twice, once before storage and once when bottling, but nama-zuke sake is pasteurized before storage, and nama-chozo-shu is pasteurized only when bottling. Nama-zuke sake retains a fresh taste, while nama-chozo-shu has a milder flavor. Both are pasteurized, so the quality is less likely to change than nama-zuke sake.

By the way, the representative of unpasteurized sake is "Hiyaoroshi," which is shipped in autumn. It is a special sake that can only be enjoyed at this time of year, with a mellow flavor that comes after the summer and a slight lingering freshness.

There are various ways to heat the fire

The purpose of pasteurization is to kill the hiochi bacteria (a type of lactic acid bacteria) that cause spoilage, and to stop the action of enzymes that deteriorate the flavor, making it easier to store.

The sake is heated to a temperature of about 60-65°C and then cooled rapidly, and there are several ways to do this. In the past, the most common method was to pass the sake through a thin, spiral tube called a serpentine tube immersed in boiling water, but nowadays, the mainstream method is to use a plate heater or to shower the bottled sake with boiling water. Ginjo sake in particular is bottled and pasteurized in a hot water bath, which is a method designed to preserve the delicate flavor.

Technological innovation is also progressing, and an increasing number of sake breweries, especially large ones, are introducing the latest equipment that uses instant electrical heating to increase stability while maintaining a flavor almost like that of raw sake.

An amazing technique that was developed 300 years before Pasteur

But when did the technique of pasteurization, which involves heating and sterilizing, begin? According to the Tamonin Diary, a document left by a monk from Tamonin, a subtemple of Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara, there is a description of pasteurizing sake in 11, meaning that it was already being practiced at the end of the Muromachi period. Microorganisms were discovered around 1568 with the invention of the microscope, and in 1680 French scientist Pasteur announced a method of sterilizing wine by low-temperature heating. That goes back more than 1865 years, and the heat sterilization technique that is still used today has been developed.

The freshness of unpasteurized sake is great, but the mellow flavor of pasteurized sake complements the food and is perfect for drinking with a meal. Why not reconsider the deliciousness of pasteurized sake in honor of the pioneers who developed the technology ahead of the rest of the world?

Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.