愛污传媒

Lifestyle

    • Once illegal, this Japanese alcohol is making a comeback

    A Japanese attendant pours sake into a cup for visitors at the Koami Shinto shrine. (Behrouz Mehri / AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource) A Japanese attendant pours sake into a cup for visitors at the Koami Shinto shrine. (Behrouz Mehri / AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
    Share
    Tokyo -

    Japanese-produced whisky, nihonshu (sake), and beer are popular around the world.

    But one bar in Tokyo has been trying to reintroduce to locals and visitors alike a taste of doburoku, one of the oldest and most controversial drinks in Japanese history.

    Heiwa Doburoku Kabutocho Brewery is in the Nihombashi neighbourhood in eastern Tokyo. During the Edo period (1603 - 1868), this area flourished with activity due to boats carrying shipments of sake.

    With that in mind, Heiwa Shuzou (Brewery), which since 1928 had been producing sake in Wakayama prefecture, chose to open this rare doburoku specialty bar in one of the city’s upscale neighborhoods.

    Before venturing into the bar to try a glass, here’s what to know about this historic, controversial tipple.

    What exactly is doburoku?

    The history of doburoku is as murky as the drink itself.

    Often considered to be the ancestor of today’s sake; it is no coincidence that the characters comprising the word, 濁酒, signify “cloudy,” or unrefined, liquor. To distinguish this type of turbid Japanese alcohol from that of the ubiquitous and transparent sake, there are two distinct if slightly misleading categories: seishu (清酒), or clear sake, and doburoku (濁酒).

    Consequently, sake and doburoku have one key difference in their respective productions.

    Typical sake calls for a yeast starter, called shubo, and adding three main ingredients –steamed rice, kouji (moldy rice fungus) and water – over a period of days.

    However, when making doburoku, they are all simultaneously placed in with the yeast starter, causing the resulting mixture to be comparatively overflowing with sugars. The sugars then start to break down the yeast, which halts fermentation much earlier on. Ultimately, what remains is a sweeter liquid with a much lower alcohol content, formally known as doburoku.

    Japanese-produced whisky, nihonshu (sake), and beer are popular around the world. But one bar in Tokyo has been trying to reintroduce to locals and visitors alike a taste of doburoku, one of the oldest and most controversial drinks in Japanese history. (KPS / iStockphoto/ Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

    Why has doburoku been considered controversial?

    For nearly as long as rice has been cultivated in Japan, doburoku has existed. It was the brew of choice for farmers and Shinto priests alike. With a relatively simple recipe – i.e. throwing everything into the proverbial crucible at once – doburoku was a common sight throughout the countryside.

    The open practice of homebrewing continued unabated for centuries.

    According to Utsunomiya Hitoshi, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS), in 1855 there were 459 doburoku producers in Edo (present-day Tokyo) alone.

    Yet, as a result of the end of the Edo period (1603 CE - 1868 CE), all feudal lords were forced to abandon their regional domains in the name of the centralized Meiji government, based out of the new capital Tokyo. Borne out of the 180-degree shift in governance came highly structured institutions, including an empowered and regimented tax collecting body.

    Realizing that licensed breweries and distilleries were a vital source of income for the new government, measures to limit homebrewing began to take effect.

    Utsunomiya says that 1880 is when the quantity of homebrewed liquor started to be restricted, while in 1882 a licensing system was introduced. Then, in 1896, a liquor tax was imposed on all homebrewing, culminating in the complete prohibition of homebrewed liquors in 1899.

    In essence, all doburoku made from then on came to be called mitsuzoushu (密造酒), “secretly produced alcohol,” or moonshine.

    However, even during that prohibition, doburoku could still be found in Japan. Tellingly, Shinto shrines were able to carry on using the beverage for rituals. After World War II, due to a shortage of sake, the Korean beverage , an unfiltered cousin of doburoku made of rice, wheat, malt and water, was a popular alternative.

    In spite of the fact that homebrewing is still illegal, the Japanese government allowed for inns and restaurants in , primarily in regions where economic growth had stagnated, to commercially sell doburoku in 2003.

    As of 2021, there are 193 establishments around the country authorized to sell doburoku.

    The state of doburoku today

    Opened in 2015, Tokyo’s Sake Hotaru was the first legal spot to offer doburoku in Japan’s capital. But bar owners only started selling it to the public in late 2016.

    Since then, more options have appeared. Most prominently, in June 2022, the previously mentioned Heiwa Doburoku Kabutocho Brewery opened a bar near Nihombashi.

    Norimasa Yamamoto, President of Heiwa Shuzo, estimates that half the bar’s visitors are from overseas.

    “We often receive questions about the difference between sake and doburoku, how many days it takes to make it, and how it’s produced,” he says of the bar patrons.

    In addition to doburoku, the brewery’s own sake and beer labels are available. However, keep in mind that if you want to order anything, the brewery does not accept cash.

    The flavor is intense, with samplers comparing it to both cheddar cheese and noni, a unique-tasting Polynesian fruit.

    And travellers unable to make it to Japan can sample doboruku closer to home. In Brooklyn, Kato Sake Works sells small amounts of the drink.

    However, owner Shinobu Kato says “the context doesn’t exist here,” as Americans are less likely to have heard of doboruku.

    “Apart from a few sake shops that are very familiar with and interested in our doburoku,” Kato says, “most of the sales are at the taproom for both bottle to go and drink by the glass.”

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A major amusement park is part of Ontario's grand vision to turn the Niagara region into Las Vegas north, but Marineland may not fit the bill, the provincial tourism minister says.

    Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults

    Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York's Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.

    Canada

    • A major amusement park is part of Ontario's grand vision to turn the Niagara region into Las Vegas north, but Marineland may not fit the bill, the provincial tourism minister says.

    • Toronto police say a suspect vehicle involved in a downtown shooting Sunday night that left one person seriously injured crashed into an Etobicoke school and caught fire.

    • Monday is the first full day of campaigning in the Nova Scotia provincial election.

    • Last year, seven-year-old Jack was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia type four (SPG4), a disease that affects less than 0.01 per cent of the population.

    • A massive mudslide closed the freeway south of the Canada-U.S. border in Bellingham, Wash. Sunday.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    The Westfield & District Recreation Association hosted its first Witches and Warlocks on the Water event Saturday, with costumed paddlers in pointed hats launching from Westfield Beach.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    • The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.'s nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party's chances of clinching a third term.

    • Two of the three recounts in B.C.’s 2024 provincial election have been completed, with no change to the standings in either riding.

    • A person is in hospital with life-threatening injuries following a two-vehicle collision in Surrey Sunday afternoon.

    • Toronto police say a suspect vehicle involved in a downtown shooting Sunday night that left one person seriously injured crashed into an Etobicoke school and caught fire.

    • A major amusement park is part of Ontario's grand vision to turn the Niagara region into Las Vegas north, but Marineland may not fit the bill, the provincial tourism minister says.

    • A Calgary MP is collecting names on a petition in hopes of saving the Olympic Plaza bricks.

    • Tracey Rice's son Dylan Sparks is the reason she has spent the better part of a decade building para powerlifting to becoming a more common sport within the para athlete community.

    • One person is in hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after a crash between a motorized scooter and a vehicle.

    • OC Transpo is pausing running on the new north-south light rail transit line over the next three days for “minor construction activities,” after the Trillium Line pulled into the station to complete the 21-day trial running period.

    • Ottawa implemented the new three-item limit on all households that receive curbside waste pickup on September 30, with the goal of extending the life of the Trail Road Waste Facility until 2024.

    • Ministry of Transportation traffic cameras showed a vehicle on fire on the shoulder of the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 417 near Moodie Drive at 6:40 a.m.

    • As synthetic drugs grow stronger, experts warn that overdoses pose an even greater threat, particularly to young people. Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician at Sainte-Justine Hospital, is sounding the alarm about the rising dangers of these substances.

    • Montreal police is investigating after shots were fired in Kirkland on the West Island.

    • Leon Draisaitl scored his second goal of the game 18 seconds into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Sunday night.

    • A pedestrian is dead after she was hit by a vehicle early Sunday morning in north-central Edmonton.

    • Monday is the first full day of campaigning in the Nova Scotia provincial election.

    • A snowfall warning is in effect in the Cape Breton Highlands with 'significant snowfall' in the forecast Monday.

    • Queen’s District RCMP in Nova Scotia is investigating a single-vehicle fatal collision that occurred Saturday on Highway 103 in Port Mouton, N.S.

    • Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after they say a man was attacked by someone with a machete early Friday morning.

    • Winnipeg police have arrested and charged a man believed to be connected with an assault at a University of Manitoba dorm room.

    • Candidates across Saskatchewan are making their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 election campaign is quickly approaching its end.

    • Election day has arrived in Saskatchewan. With it, the last wave of voters prepare to cast their ballots and decide who will form government in the province.

    • The Regina Thunder fell to the Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) semi-finals – as it attempted to secure a chance at the national title.

    • A team of researchers at the University of Waterloo are introducing a technology capable of delivering an entire course of antibiotics in one tiny dose.

    • Emergency services were called just before 6:30 p.m. Friday to respond to a collision involving a Mazda and a pedestrian in the area of Highland Road and Lawrence Avenue.

    • Ontario is moving to extend a 5.7-cent cut to the provincial gas tax until next summer.

    • Candidates across Saskatchewan are making their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 election campaign is quickly approaching its end.

    • Election day has arrived in Saskatchewan. With it, the last wave of voters prepare to cast their ballots and decide who will form government in the province.

    • It's been a long month of policy announcements, campaigning, new promises, and speculation leading up to today. Polls are set to close Monday evening, and the outcome will shape the next four years of Saskatchewan's government.

    • Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.

    • Trillium Care in Norwich, Ont. has announced they will be closing their facilities, citing “an emergency lack of financial resources necessary to sustain daily operations.”

    • Two new interchanges have opened in St. Thomas, Ont. but one main artery is set to close Monday for construction.

    • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

    • Bracebridge OPP are searching for two suspects who allegedly broke into a Gravenhurst jewelry store early Saturday morning.

    • A man was charged after allegedly crashing into a parked OPP cruiser in Tay Township early Sunday morning.

    • HAPPENING NOW

      HAPPENING NOW

      According to AM800 News, the fire broke out at the home next to an apartment building around 3 a.m.

    • Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie has been acclaimed as the Ontario Progressive Conservative party’s representative for the riding in the next provincial election.

    • One suspect has been arrested after an armed robbery took place in Windsor.

    • The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.'s nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party's chances of clinching a third term.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion’s share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by “assured loading” passengers – leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • A tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Lethbridge and more than 900 employees belonging to CUPE Local 70.

    • The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.

    • About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge’s post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.

    • A female athlete from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., achieved two big goals at the 2024 World Triathlon championships in Spain last weekend.

    • Creditors have moved to take ownership of most of the properties in northern Ontario owned by a group of 11 insolvent companies.

    • Ontario Provincial Police have been cleared in the case of a woman who crashed her vehicle intentionally while she was high on drugs and fled into the woods earlier this year.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.?Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒