Fukuoka's 'Biden sake' is becoming popular

[Buntaro]

"TACHIARAI, Fukuoka Prefecture--When demand suddenly started pouring in for a sake mostly popular with connoisseurs, Tadatsugu Inoue at the Mii no Kotobuki brewery here was baffled.

"But the chief sake brewer soon realized why: the alcoholic beverage is called “Hojo Biden.”

“We have always had good fortune,” Inoue said of the coincidental, but timely association with President-elect Joe Biden."

Fukuoka brewer busy quenching thirst for ‘Hojo Biden’ sake : The Asahi Shimbun

 

[thomas]

Looks like an honest, reasonable, down-to-earth kind of sake with a hopefully great. Can't wait to try it.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Is that the one with the dangerous snake in the bottle? Asking for a friend.

 

[thomas]

Haha, now that wouldn't be sake, to be precise, but habushu, Okinawan awamori brandy. That stuff can cause all sorts of delusions.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

"Hojo Biden." is ranked 15th in Fukuoka Prefecture's sake ranking.
That is, there are still many sakes that are better than this one.

福岡の日本酒ランキング2021

実際に日本酒を飲んだレビュワーの皆さんによって投稿された10万件以上の日本酒レビュー・評価をもとに集計した、福岡の日本酒ランキングです。様々な福岡の日本酒から本当に美味しい日本酒ランキングTOP50を発表！あなたが今日飲みたい福岡の日本酒がきっと見つかります。福岡の豊かな自然環境の恩恵を受けながら、福岡の酒蔵独自の特徴・創意工夫や杜氏の伝統技術により様々な日本酒が生み出され続けています。素晴らしい日本酒の世界を楽しみましょう。

www.saketime.jp

The top ranking of sake in Fukuoka Prefecture is "Wakanami".
Kanegae, Okawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Wakanami Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.

若波酒造合名会社

若波酒造 公式HP／〒831-0008 福岡県大川市鐘ヶ江752 TEL：0944-88-1225 FAX：0944-88-1226／定休日：日祝日 不定休：土曜／「若波」「蜻蛉」「あまおう-苺のお酒-」「Qdamon」醸造元

wakanami.jimdofree.com

And the most delicious sake in Japan is in Yamagata prefecture.

 

[Uncle Frank]

In the early 70's , it seemed every bar in Fukuoka had the whiskey with the snake in it. The bottle always had a ton of skin and scale flakes floating around in it and appeared so gross that I never tried it. For military drinkers , absinthe was the dare devil drink. It was served in tiny glasses and just 3 drinks often pet the drinker in a sleep coma for 12 hours or more. After seeing my shipmates so drunk , you couldn't wake them up , I never dared to try it. The rumor was it contained cocaine but it seemed to be the "wormwood" in it that affected the drinker.

 

[thomas]

"Hojo Biden." is ranked 15th in Fukuoka Prefecture's sake ranking.
That is, there are still many sakes that are better than this one.

We were just joking around, Nagashima-san! Although I am sure that the brewery will see an increase in sales.

I remember the town of Obama also tried to cash in on their more famous namesake.

Since you seem to into sake, too, I hope you will join @bentenmusume-san and me in expanding our new sake review section:

Sake

Reviews of sake (Japanese rice wine) products.

jref.com

In the early 70's , it seemed every bar in Fukuoka had the whiskey with the snake in it. The bottle always had a ton of skin and scale flakes floating around in it and appeared so gross that I never tried it. For military drinkers , absinthe was the dare devil drink. It was served in tiny glasses and just 3 drinks often pet the drinker in a sleep coma for 12 hours or more. After seeing my shipmates so drunk , you couldn't wake them up , I never dared to try it. The rumor was it contained cocaine but it seemed to be the "wormwood" in it that affected the drinker.

Isn't absinthe basically herbal brandy? I know it used to be banned in many European countries but it seems to have seen a revival in recent years.

 

[Buntaro]

Asking for a friend.

Sounds like the guy who goes to a doctor and says, "I have a friend and he has this symptom..."

 

[bentenmusume]

"Hojo Biden." is ranked 15th in Fukuoka Prefecture's sake ranking.
That is, there are still many sakes that are better than this one.

The top ranking of sake in Fukuoka Prefecture is "Wakanami".
Kanegae, Okawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Wakanami Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.

I don't mean to disagree with Nagashima-san, but I've enjoyed both 美田/Biden (note that despite the identical spelling, this would be pronounced in Japanese as びでん/bee-den and not ばいでん/bai-den like the president-elect) and the brewery's other offerings like 三井の寿/Mii-no-Kotobuki and they're both quite excellent.

I've enjoyed 若波/Wakanami on many occasions as well, but I don't particularly agree with holding up the results of one site (or even multiple aggregate sites) and declaring that particular brands of sake are "better" than others.

One of the wonderful things about sake is that there are so many breweries across Japan, each offering so many unique varieties, so there really is a sake for all tastes and preferences.

And the most delicious sake in Japan is in Yamagata prefecture.

I suspect you're referring to 十四代/Juyondai here. I will also go on the record as saying that it is indeed an absolutely sublime sake, but (personally speaking) I try to refrain from using words like "best" or "most delicious", as that implies that other sake types are somehow objectively superior or inferior to others, whereas some people might have perfectly valid reasons for preferring different brews.

お酒はやはり趣向品ですから、好みは十人十色で、また気分やシチュエーション、季節によって飲みたいお酒が変わってくることもあるかと思います。
たしかに様々なコンテストやランキングがあって、もちろん参考にしてもいいのですが、飲み手がそのとき、その場面で一番飲みたい銘柄こそが、「一番美味しい」日本酒ではないでしょうか？

 

[mdchachi]

note that despite the identical spelling, this would be pronounced in Japanese as びでん/bee-den and not ばいでん/bai-den like the president-elect

Shhhhh! Are you trying to disrupt this brewery's sales?

 

[bentenmusume]

Hahaha. Touché!

Trust me, considering the rough shape breweries and liquor shops/distributors are in these days (by extension given the SoE and its effects on restaurants/izakayas), the last thing I would want to do is disrupt any sales in the sake industry. As far as I'm concerned, they can print Joe Biden's face on the label and declare it the unofficial sake of the 2021 presidential inauguration if it'll help them move a few more bottles.

I'll do my part by adding that if anyone out there is looking for another similarly timely sake to enjoy, Houou Biden/鳳凰美田 from Kobayashi Shuzo in Tochigi (just north of Tokyo) is also excellent.

鳳凰美田(ほうおうびでん) | 日本酒 評価・通販 SAKETIME

日本酒「鳳凰美田」（小林酒造 / 栃木）のことならSAKETIME。レビュー・通販情報・銘柄一覧・酒蔵情報など、日本酒「鳳凰美田」の情報が満載。美しい田園のなかにある小さな蔵ながら栃木を代表する銘柄を輩出。最近は需要に対し供給が追い付かず、入手困難な酒になりつつある。昔ながらの和釜で米を蒸し、佐瀬式の酒槽でやさしく絞り、丁寧に醸す。すっきりとフルーティな香りと吟醸香が前面に押し出され、強い甘味と複雑な旨みが口に広がる。限定品の「鳳凰美田　純米大吟醸　Gold　Phoenix」は...

www.saketime.jp

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

I also live in Fukuoka so I'm drinking.

By the way, for 焼酎(shochu),
"百年の孤独(100 years of loneliness)" is recommended.
It's expensive and hard to get.
The brewer is Kuroki Honten Co., Ltd. in Miyazaki Prefecture.

黒木本店 公式ウェブサイト

創業明治十八年 芋麦米焼酎一筋 「黒木本店」。麦焼酎「百年の孤独」、麦焼酎「中々」、芋焼酎「㐂六」など。

www.kurokihonten.co.jp

 

[bentenmusume]

I'm more of a sake drinker, but one of my friends who is into shochu let me try Hyakunen-no-kodoku one time, and I can agree with Nagashima-san that it is sublime.

Fukuoka is a wonderful city and great place to go drinking with all of the 屋台 (street stalls) and tucked-away restaurants, so I envy you.
I'm looking forward to going back someday when the pandemic is mercifully over.