Why is it hung in a bag? There's a reason for that.

"Why such an inefficient method?" is a question I'm often asked.

When I talk about our method of pressing sake, I'm almost always asked: "Doesn't the 'fukuro-tsuri' method (hanging sake bags) cut into your profits?"
Honestly, it does.
Yet, we still choose the fukuro-tsuri method.
There's a reason for it.
Let me explain it to you without reservation.

First, what is "pressing"?

At the final stage of sake brewing, there's the process of pressing sake from the moromi (sake mash).
The most common method is "pressing."
The moromi is put into sake bags, stacked in a machine, and strong pressure is applied from above.
It's pressed gradually until it's completely flat.
Eventually, the sake bags become as thin as boards, taking on the shape of "itakasu" (pressed sake lees boards) often seen in spring.
As a child, my mother would grill itakasu on a kerosene stove and sprinkle it with a generous amount of sugar for me to eat.
The word "sake" made me feel like I was becoming an adult, which made me happy.
The advantages of pressing are clear.
Aside from the deliciousness of grilled itakasu (laughs).
First, it's efficient.
It's machine-operated, requiring less labor and time.
Next, it has a high yield.
About 80% of the moromi becomes sake, and the remaining 20% becomes sake lees.
By pressing out as much as possible, the maximum amount of sake is obtained from a single batch.
It's suitable for mass production and allows for stable quality control.
It's a highly rational decision for large breweries to adopt pressing.

So, what is "fukuro-tsuri"?

The fukuro-tsuri method is a completely different approach.
Moromi is placed in sake bags and hung, allowing only what naturally drips down due to gravity to be collected as sake.
No pressure is applied whatsoever. It's simply hung, and we wait. That wait is about 24 hours.
As a result, the amount of sake obtained is only about 50% of the total moromi.
The remaining 50% is sake lees.
Compared to pressing, the yield is almost half.
While it doesn't require large machinery, it does take time and effort.
From a purely business perspective, there is no pressing method that is more "unprofitable."
In fact, many sake breweries that use the fukuro-tsuri method do so only for entries in competitions or for special limited-edition products, and do not use it for their regular commercial sake.

Still, the one and only reason we choose fukuro-tsuri

Because it tastes overwhelmingly better.
That's all there is to it.
In the moromi stage, not all of the rice starch has completely converted to alcohol.
Some parts are completely dissolved, some are half-dissolved, and some still retain their original shape.
In other words, "components that couldn't quite become sake" coexist.
When pressing with strong force, not only the true sake but also these "unconverted components" are squeezed out together.
This is the source of off-flavors.
Pressing isn't inherently bad.
However, the more force applied, the more non-sake components get mixed in.
Fukuro-tsuri relies solely on gravity.
Only what naturally drips down is collected.
Therefore, only the parts that truly wanted to become sake gently drip down.
As a result, there's no room for off-flavors, creating a mellow and well-defined taste that is truly sake.

What large breweries can do and small breweries cannot, and vice versa.

Large sake breweries produce a year's worth of sake during the winter.
Moromi brewed in multiple tanks is eventually blended to balance the flavors.
This is a strength of large breweries and also a skilled craft.
However, the sake made by a Toji (master brewer) is mixed by a blender, which can, on the other hand, eliminate the unique originality.
Yet, through blending, some off-flavors from pressing are neutralized as complex flavors when mixed with components from other tanks.
When a skilled blender adjusts it, off-flavors cease to be off-flavors.
However, in small breweries like ours, a single batch is at most a few hundred liters.
We don't even have the scale to have multiple tanks for blending.
We lack the quantity and diversity to transform off-flavors into complex aromas.
If that's the case, there's only one answer.
Don't produce off-flavors in the first place.
Being small-scale is not a limitation but an option.
Precisely because we cannot mass-produce, the time-consuming and labor-intensive fukuro-tsuri method can become a realistic choice.
It's a method that large breweries absolutely cannot implement across all their products, but a small brewery can.
This is our unconventional approach.

The meaning of choosing it despite knowing the disadvantages

A yield of 50%.
Half the amount compared to pressing.
It takes time.
Profit margins decrease.
Still, choosing fukuro-tsuri is not about profit and loss.
It's simply about delivering truly delicious sake to those who drink it.
The first time I tasted sake pressed with fukuro-tsuri, I felt, "This is what sake is supposed to taste like."
Nothing extraneous.
Without off-flavors, the sweetness and umami of the rice come straight through.
Mellow, yet with a distinct character.
Once I experienced that taste, there was no going back.
It's not profitable, but I can't stop.
That's the kind of sake it is.
Please try our fukuro-tsuri sake at least once.