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[Matlock]

http://www.nissei-kensetsu.co.jp/fhuta.htm

Damned if I know what this has to do with FHUTA, but it's kind of scary. Maybe this is a bar you need to build if you want to FHUTA?

 

[Wolfy]

Good detective work, Matlock

 

[RevenantKioku]

second set of kanji, fuu and ta. Why they'd spell it fhu, I don't know.

 

[AirBrian]

Your answer is right here...

 

[wandering goat]

I'm totally hijacking the thread, but I've just bought some Gekkeikan sake and it tastes like crap chilled. It's alright at room temperature, but not what I expected sake to be. Can someone tell me, without being completely elitist, if this is a decent example of sake or just bad? It doesn't have a "best before" date on it, which kind of bugs me. The only other kind of sake I can get is Hakutsuru Draft Sake. Is this better (I'm thinking it is) and if so, how much better?

 

[BugCatcher]

Gekkeikan is the largest brewer of sake in the world, and although I can't say from experience, it should be a safe bet. If it doesn't meet your taste when chilled, drinking it warm (or hot) will help to mask the roughness somewhat. You seem to have figured this out already, however. This is actually the reason sake is traditionally served warm; in the past, it was not very refined, and this helped smooth out the taste. However, sake is much more refined today, and generally should not need to be served warm (unless you are buying the cheap stuff). Also, sake is not aged, and what I have read says that it is generally consumed within a year of brewing, which may be why there is no "best before" date on the label. I'm not sure what happens if it is allowed to sit. Finally, don't let sake sit too long after you have opened it, because it does not use preservatives and will go bad.

If someone can vouch for Gekkeikan's quality (I am no connoisseur when it comes to sake), it may just be that you just don't like the stuff. Nothing wrong with that, though.

 

[XS+]

In my experience sake tastes better at room temp. than chilled.. all the izakayas I've gone to serve them warm or room temp.

 

[wandering goat]

Thanks for the advice. I think it's a case of it being an acquired taste. I asked the question about the "best before" date because I read somewhere that much of the sake sold in the US is stale.