Aura + Sake Pairings
Tonight at the Speedway, our friends at Super Bien are hosting Bright Future Photography for a Spells and Spirits event you should not miss. I take aura photos when I have a moment in my life I want to remember. For example, the last photo in this carousel is from my 40th birthday. I took some time today to write detailed sake pairings for each aura color (aura meanings have been abbreviated). The pairings are tied to the actual color or the meaning behind them matching the colors I associate with the flavor notes or with the spirit of the brewery. Please do not take me too seriously, but I had so much fun doing this. If you have an aura photo at home, bring it in to the club. These descriptions will live on our blog for forever… I will probably edit them over time as you give me suggestions. I love to hear from you. I will get my photo taken tonight because this week is a moment I’d like to remember. A time where we decided to double down on community and supporting one another. Sending you lots of love today <3 Alyssa
Red.
Red is a time to experience life to its maximum potential. It's a time of stimulating activity, picking up circulation, traveling & being on the move. Your future is full of energy, hard work & accomplishment. The world sees you as alive, outgoing, & powerful.
Rihaku ‘Origin of Purity’ Namazake
For a limited time we have the liveliest namazake from Shimane prefecture. Namazake usually comes to us in the Spring and is the epitome of maximum potential of sake – borderline effervescent, dialed up flavors and electric acidity.
Orange.
Active creativity is upon you. Orange is a mix of vivacious red & intellectual yellow, making a very creative combination. Activity, wakefulness & originality are all unfolding. The world sees you as happy, upbeat, & willing to work with others.
Tenbi Junmai Ginjo
As zippy and bright as your active creativity paired with it’s sleek branding and female brewer (she’s the coolest) this sake matches your aura’s vibe and give flavor notes of muscat grape, electric kiwi and pop rocks.
Tan.
A tan aura can be found in individuals who are very logical and analytical. They choose to methodically process every step of every task. They have a strategic, linear way of thinking.
Kuheji ‘Eau du Desir’ Junmai Daiginjo
This sake is as linear as it gets. This changes annually because these folks farm their own rice, which can change from year to year. They are the only brewery that puts a vintage on the bottle. With flavor notes of golden delicious apples, ocean breeze and slate, it’s a lesson on clear flavor notes and precision – rightfully so as the producer has their hands in every step from seed to bottle.
Yellow.
Yellow is thought-provoking. Like the rising sun, yellow brings warmth. Yellow is representative of the intellect. Your energy shines from you like the brilliance of the sun, giving happiness and joy to all who stand in the radiance of your smile, and you do smile a lot.
Miyakobijin Shuzō Yoigokochi Yuzu Yamahai
At first, this sake gives expected unique citrus and vibrant sunshine but as you continue to sip, the sake veers into the woods sharing cedar notes, hints of vetiver and juicier versions of it’s distant cousins like tangerine and bitter lime. As it comes closer to room temperature it becomes more herbaceous like elderflower, lemon balm and hyssop. Thought provoking to say the least, the sake it ACTUALLY YELLOW but fits the vibe perfectly.
Green.
Green is a growth color. This color marks a period of growth or change, & a time for renewal. You are bringing in healing energy to your life. Green is perseverance and tenacity. When putting out this vibration, you are willing to work hard to follow your heart's passion.
Kawatsuru “Olive” Junmai Ginjo
There is nothing that speaks louder to following your heart's passion than cultivating rare yeast (from olives!) and creating a sake that is unique to a sense of place. Kawatsuru is the first sake brewery to brewer sake using olive yeast – creative but required tenacity to produce. It’s difficult to be the first to do something. This sake drinks green too - think castelvetrano olives and early season olive oil (when harvested early, there is more chlorophyll and the olives are greener).
Pink.
A lighter pink is indicative of a gentle and loving energy. These beings are deeply considerate & operate with great sensitivity to embrace the ideals of love and kindness. Like green, the color pink corresponds to the heart chakra. They are natural healers and they remind us to be gentle with ourselves, each other and all forms of life.
Wildflowers JunmaiWildflowers Sake from Niigata embodies the essence of this gentle pink aura through its delicate, harmonious flavor profile. Like the soft pink energy of the heart chakra, it has a soft plush texture evident with each sip. This sake, crafted with sensitivity and attention to detail, mirrors the qualities of kindness, healing, and love. It encourages a moment of mindfulness, reminding us to be gentle with ourselves and others, much like the soft touch of nature’s wildflowers.
Turquoise.
Turquoise is a wonderful connection between head and heart centers. Turquoise are excellent leaders and unifiers especially when advocating for a greater cause. They see the larger picture and speak from the heart, and work hard to maintain what is best for the community as a whole.
Izumibashi “Black Dragonfly” Kimoto Junmai
The president of Izumibashi shows leadership through his community. He started a consortium of rice farmers in his region who all share notes and their product to be sure that bad weather and climate change does not affect their livelihood.
Blue.
Blue is the color of communication. You are an attentive listener, and this sharpens your intuition. You are being stimulated to learn about something which is important to your evolution and to share this wisdom with others. You bring tranquility into the world, contemplation with a pacifying effect, unification, and a sense of belonging.
Brooklyn Kura #14
No one does community and communication better than these Brooklyn based sake brewers. Their new brewery (a shiny expanded version of the old one) has an education center dedicated to the craft. A community center for domestic brewing, New York’s sake enthusiasts and finest experts
Indigo.
Indigo blue is the color associated with the third eye chakra, relating to intuition and inner knowing. Indigos are extremely sensitive to others' energy and are very much in tune by following their trust of living in the moment. Their sight serves to help others understand their connection to the vast beauty of the universe.
Fukucho ‘Seaside’ Sparkling
A master of her craft, Miho Imada’s values and mission are brewed in every detail of this bottle. A postcard to Hiroshima, this bottle uses white koji to give it citrus notes to match the citrus growing wild in her region. A love letter to where it’s brewed, this sake also has soft bubbles from secondary fermentation and is an example of the toji’s intuition bottled up for you to enjoy.
Violet.
Violet is a mix of blue, knowledge through communication and red, stimulation through activity, therefore a heightened spiritual awareness through experience is present in your aura. Violet brings unlimited knowledge. It is one of the highest vibrational frequencies. Mystical and unifying would best describe you.
Ama No To Heaven’s Door Junmai
“Amaterasu” is the gold icon on the label - it represents the Shinto sun goddess who cultivated Japan’s first rice fields. The violet aura, with its blend of blue’s knowledge and red’s vitality, aligns beautifully with Ama No To sake. This sake embodies a mystical connection to higher spiritual awareness. Drinking this sake is a reverent experience, honoring the sun’s fleeting beauty and its goddess, while awakening your own heightened awareness and wisdom.
Fucshia.
Those with a fuchsia or magenta hue are true originals. These free spirits are completely authentic and driven by their magnetic creativity. Innovative and perhaps even a bit eccentric, you're capable of grasping lofty ideals and strive to fully manifest them. This color is also associated with heart-healing, elation, and celebration.
Ine Mankai
The most eccentric sake on the menu and the most eccentric sake brewers I have met today. Her warm and unique laugh rings through the little town of Ine, where her vertically constructed brewery can be found on a tiny road where big mountains meet crystal blue water. And this is hardly the most unique quality of the sake! It is brewed using red rice (so rare) and the flavor notes from guests range from cranberries to salami.
White.
White is a combination of all the colors at once. When the entire spectrum of color is activated, the experience can be elevating, enlightening and also potentially quite overwhelming. It can mark a period of transcendental and spiritual growth with a sustained flash of a greater cosmic understanding.
Yuho ‘Rhythm of the Centuries”
This 4-year-aged kimoto from Yuho is a bold exploration of the boundaries of sake brewing, much like the vast expanse of white light that encompasses all colors. With its wild, gamey characteristics, pronounced acidity, and remarkable texture, it offers an experience that is both elevating and intense—a dynamic journey for the senses. Just as the color white can evoke a sense of spiritual growth and cosmic understanding, this sake challenges conventional expectations, pushing the drinker toward new realms of flavor and perception. The name Yuho, meaning "happy rice" and referencing the city's UFO sightings, adds a touch of mystery, inviting an exploration of the unknown. Like a flash of transcendental insight, this sake opens up new dimensions of experience, encouraging personal evolution and a deeper understanding of the sake world.