Thorough attention to rice, koji, and quality control ── Shinozaki (Fukuoka Prefecture) | Amazake specialty store Ren MURO Muro [official mail order]

Good evening. This is Ren MURO , a store specializing in rice koji amazake.

Today, under the name of "Amazake Craft Story", we will introduce a popular amazake brewer at Ren MURO .
We would like to introduce Mr. Shinozaki, who earnestly works on amazake making every day in order to realize the taste of "sweet and umami-rich sweet sake that is clear and has no off-flavours."

Mr. Shinozaki is located in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Fruits are also famous, and grapes, strawberries, and peaches are grown here. The Chikugo River, which originates from Mt. Since the brewery has been in the brewing business since the Edo period, it seems that clean water is very important.

Commitment to rice

The rice used to make Amazake is not the rice for processing, but the food rice that we usually eat. Amazake is a drink that directly reflects the quality of the rice that is the raw material, so we do not compromise on the quality of the rice.

In addition, the color sorting, which is carried out to keep the quality of the rice constant, is repeated over and over again to select only high-quality rice. Only the selected rice is used to make amazake.
The rice shop that supplies the rice half-disgustedly said, "There is no manufacturer who is so particular about the rice for amazake." For Shinozaki, it seems to be the best compliment.

■ Commitment to koji making

In order to achieve "sweet and umami sweet sake that is clear and has no unpleasant taste", we are also particular about making koji. If you can't make a solid koji and bring in extra bacteria, it will cause a miscellaneous taste and smell. That's when I arrived at making "clean koji".
For that reason, it was decided to borrow the power of machines first. In the old days, koji for amazake was handmade by craftsmen. However, humans can inevitably introduce bacteria into the manufacturing process. We borrowed the power of machines and started by improving the sanitary environment.

However, it is not enough to just install machines. Based on the knowledge and experience of Amazake manufacturing that has been accumulated so far, the manufacturer with expertise in brewing works together with the machine to manufacture Amazake.

Finally, Mr. Shinozaki has acquired HACCP (global standard hygiene management certification) in both amazake production and filling departments.
"We make no excuses for the quality," we constantly strive to improve the quality of amazake by raising the standards of our factories and the awareness of our employees to a higher level.

■ Thorough quality control

Every morning, before packing the finished amazake, we check whether it meets our company standards for items such as pH, acidity, amino acids, and sucrose content. Anything that does not meet this standard will not be bottled.
In addition, even after bottling, the product is not shipped for several days, during which time the number of general viable bacteria is examined, and depending on the results, shipment may be stopped. In order to meet the expectations of our customers for "quality Kuni Kiku Amazake", we carry out such quality control thoroughly.

Here are some of Shinozaki's amazakes, which are made with such meticulous manufacturing and thorough quality control.

▲ Shinozaki “National Chrysanthemum Amazake”
Shinozaki's signature amazake, it is truly a "clear sweet sake with no off-flavours".

▲ Shinozaki “Kokugiku Organic Rice Amazake 550ML”
This organic rice amazake uses only carefully selected "Koshihikari" produced by organic farming from Akita Prefecture.

▲ Shinozaki “Kunikiku Black Rice Amazake 985ML”

"Black rice" is produced in Iwate Prefecture, which is a major grain country, and is of unmistakable quality that has been certified by Hanamaki Agricultural Cooperative. It's like a "drinkable Japanese confection", but it's not too sweet, and the presence of black rice is firmly expressed in the taste.

In Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is surrounded by nature and is blessed with water, a sake brewer that has been around since the Edo period has spent about 40 years of trial and error making amazake. Mr. Shinozaki's "Kokugiku series" has been loved for a long time and is very popular as a gift. Please enjoy the unforgettable rice malt amazake once you drink it.

Click here for a list of Shinozaki's amazake

https://koujiamasake.jp/collections/Shinozaki

Thank you for reading to the end today.

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Noren MURO Kagurazaka

Address: 1-12-6 Kagurazaka , Shinjuku -ku, Tokyo 162-0825

Phone number: 03-5579-2910

HP/EC site: https://koujiamasake.jp/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/noren_muro/