Sweet sake lees drink

Sake lees are the by-product of sake making. Sake is made from rice, and after fermentation, the liquid becomes sake and the paste that remains is called "lees". 酒粕

Most sake lees are a fine paste pressed into cakes. ("cake" means a block shape, not cake for afternoon tea!)

Tsukuba is famous for delicious rice, and also for some good quality sake. I don't drink sake, but I do like sweet sake lees drink. 甘酒

There is a very small but very good sake brewery that is run by a woman, at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The name is Inaba Shuzo. Their lees are not pressed at all - the sake drips out and is not squeezed. This means the lees are like a paste of rice grains, and when you make the drink, it will be more like rice porridge :)

The next different thing is that I make my amazake drink with 30% water and 70% milk! Yes, MILK amazake! I thought it would be like a hot liqueur drink similar to Irish coffee. I was right!

Most people think I'm crazy and that the drink must be disgusting, but you should try it before you make up your mind. The people I've told who have made it, said it was really nice :)  But I think it is important to have the very good quality lees like I use. The fragrance is wonderful.

Next time you go to Mt. Tsukuba, be sure to go to Inaba Shuzo. Or if you visit the shrine, some souvenir shops have it. This time I bought mine from the shop closest to the shrine on the right side, just down from the steps. The owner of the shop makes REALLY nice pickles :)  You cannot buy these sake lees downtown in the city anywhere.