Sake Revolution: Recent Episodes
Timothy Sullivan, John Puma
America's First Sake Podcast. Power to the Sake People! Join your hosts sake otaku John Puma and sake samurai Timothy Sullivan as they explore the world of Japanese Sake. This podcast will help you know where to get started with sake. Every week, we'll teach you something new about sake in a fun and easy to understand segment, we call the "Sake Education Corner". It wouldn't be a sake podcast with out some sake tasting! We'll profile and taste some of our favorite sakes. Check out the show notes if you'd like to get the sakes for yourself and taste along with us. We want to make sake accessible, fun and easy to understand. We hope you'll join us! Kanpai
Episode 181. Sake Day, celebrated every year on October 1st, will be here before you know it, and Sake Revolution is here to be your guide! In this special episode, John and Timothy map out the most exciting Sake Day celebrations happening across the country in 2025, from San Francisco’s legendary 20th anniversary Sake Day to exciting events in Boston, Denver, D.C., San Diego, and New York. For devoted sake fans, Sake Day feels like all our favorite holidays rolled up into one, and we can't wait to celebrate it. Wherever you are on your sake journey, let us help you plan the perfect place to have your own Kanpai on Sake Day! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 180. In this episode, we again shine a light on the role of Sake Yeast in our series known as the Kobo Chronicles. “Irradiation” and “mutant” are not typical words you’d find in sake marketing, but Tokushima Prefecture makes it work in promoting their “LED YUME” sake yeast. By exposing yeast to blue LED lights, they’ve created new strains of sake yeast for use specifically by Tokushima Prefecture breweries. The brewers at Narutotai have taken this yeast and made a sake that give us sweet flavors – we’re talking jammy notes of pineapple and mango. A noticeably high acidity balances out the sweetness and rounds out the palate. If you’d like to see the major role that a mutant yeast variety can play in a sake, join us and listen in! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 179. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Hououbiden from Kobayashi Shuzo in Tochigi Prefecture. How does a brewery go from the edge of bankruptcy to become a coveted cult sake? To quote Huey Lewis, that's the power of love! This brewery is managed by the rare combination of a husband who is the brewery president and a wife who is the Master Brewer/Toji. The sake they make is etherial and elegant. Today's tasting - the Hououbiden "Asahi Mai" Junmai Daiginjo - left Timothy speechless... and John was thrilled - with the sake! Join us as we explore the flavors and compelling story of Hououbiden together! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 178. In this episode join John and Timothy as they interview Keith Norum. Keith is a well known figure in the sake industry and he has represented the Masumi brand of sake since 2005. Keith tells us his story of getting to Japan and finding his way to the world of sake. What's it like working at a traditional Japanese sake brewery? Keith gives us a peek behind the noren! Together we all taste one of the most popular Masumi sakes in the market outside Japan - Masumi Shiro Junmai Ginjo - a light and breezy delight! Join us and listen in as we chat with our good buddy in Nagano! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 177. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind. But if we scratch the surface and investigate a bit more the way that sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to one of our series we are calling "Funky Packaging"... think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle. Cups, bags, paks, and today's packaging - the Joto One Cup - a special paper cup that makes sake accessible on the go. Listen in as we explore another variation of funky packaging with a graffiti twist. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 176. With 2024 over and done, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was. Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. Tim and John both let us know their favorite episodes from the past year and we also take a guess at the most downloaded episode from 2024. It's also the moment of truth to review our "Sake Revolution Resolutions" - Did we achieve our goals? Whatever the outcome, we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais. Wishing you good sake in 2025! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 175. Join us this week for another wide-ranging sake interview. We are welcoming Lucas Smolic, the founder of the Sake Brewers Guild, to the podcast. Lucas started in engineering but found his way to sake which evolved into a deep passion for sake brewing. This inspired the development of the Sake Brewers Guild with its mission to make learning the skills of sake brewing accessible to all. Among other things, we discovered that the Guild is supporting and connecting sake brewers on ALL SEVEN continents (yes, including Antarctica!). As we chat, we taste a savory Tokubetsu Honjozo from Takeda Shuzo - a brewery in Niigata, Japan that welcomed Lucas for an internship. If you've ever considered giving sake brewing a go yourself, this episode is not to be missed! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 174. This week we welcome a sake personality from Quebec, Canada to the studio – Mr. Benoit Champagne. With a name like Mr. Champagne, you might well think Benoit was destined for a life involved with sparkling wine, but luckily for the sake lovers of Quebec, he found his way first to Japan and discovered a love of sake, which he now guides breweries to exporting in Canada. Benoit also worked for years as a non-Japanese brewer and export manager at a Japanese sake brewery, which we also discuss in this episode. Listen in as we sip on and explore the je ne sais quoi of a delicious sake recommended by Benoit, Zaku Ho no Tomo Junmai. Join us! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 173. World Sake Day comes once a year on Oct 1st. For sake fans across the globe, this is our big holiday... think Christmas-4th of July-Halloween all rolled into one! What better way for us to mark the day then with a live recording of Sake Revolution in front of a studio audience and featuring an interview and tasting with our two New York City Tojis: Brandon Doughan of Brooklyn Kura and Shinobu Kato of Kato Sake Works. Our friends and sake fans who attended this live recording at the Brooklyn Kura Taproom on Oct 1st, 2024, got to taste along with us as we explored the sake and the stories of these two outstanding brewers. We also welcomed audience questions for a fun-filled roundtable of sake exploration and learning - with lots of laughs along the way. Listen in as we celebrate Sake Day 2024 live and in person! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 172. "Say Cheese"! If you identify as a curd nerd, join us to explore an exciting new way of pairing with sake! We are joined this week by extra special guest host Myshell who lends her crazy-style palate to our exploration of these pairing possibilities. Listen in as we taste three sakes, each of which has been paired with a show-stopping cheese - each a different style from a different country, no less. Have wine and cheese pairings finally met their match? #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 171. This week we go back to school...again! Timothy's new role as the Director of Education at the Sake Studies Center at Brooklyn Kura is the focus of today's episode. The Sake Studies Center is the new sake school on the block, offering education, tastings and brewery tours for professionals and sake-curious consumers alike at our state-of-the-art facility at Industry City in Brooklyn. It's also a sake community center where other sake educators can bring their classes and special events. As the only sake school in the U.S. attached to a working sake brewery, it really is the best place to "learn about sake where sake is made!" We hope you'll join us for a seminar or tasting soon. Listen in for all the details! #SakeRevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 170. We were so happy to sit down to chat and sip sake with our friend Ryan Mellinger, the General Manager of the Joto Sake imports portfolio at Kobrand. Ryan explains to us, in an easy to understand way, the intricacies of the complex "three tier system" of alcohol distribution that we have in the States and all that goes into getting fresh and delicious sake all the way from Japan to local stores and restaurants for us to enjoy. Speaking of delicious sake, we also taste an intriguing selection from Joto's portfolio - the Chikurin Fukamari Junmai, which is a sake blended with previous year's batches to give it added depth and dimension. Listen in as we explore all things Joto Sake with Ryan! #SakeRevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 169. This week, we are returning to our series on sake vessels, but this time looking at sake serviceware in particular. We're focusing in on the Tokkuri, the workhorse carafe used for sake service across the world. Tokkuri carafes can be used to serve sake chilled, room temperature, and to warm it up as well. The materials used to make tokkuri run the gamut from metal to glass to wood, with the most popular being ceramic. However utilitarian, use of the tokkuri comes with some etiquette rules, too. Have you broken any of the Tokkuri rules? Listen in and let's find out! #sakerevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 168. We are off to explore the sake scene in another region of Japan! This time it is beautiful Oita Prefecture! As we don't know much about Oita, despite there being 33 sake breweries there, we needed to phone-a-friend. Luckily for us, our buddy Chris Johnson (aka The Sake Ninja) lived for 3 years in rural Oita on the Jet program. Chris gets us up to speed on the charms of Oita as well as the local customs and food culture. We also hear tales of Onsen that are so hot, they are known as the Seven Hells as well has compulsory sumo wresting and a drinking game or two thrown in for good measure. We also taste Wakabotan sake, a newly exported Oita brew. Let's explore together what Oita has to offer! #SakeRevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 167. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind. But if we scratch the surface and investigate a bit more the way that sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to our latest series we are calling "Funky Packaging"... think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle. Cups, bags, paks, and today's packaging - the Kikusui Funaguchi "Smart Pouch". It's kinda like a Capri Sun and a boxed wine had a baby. This is definitely not your old school glass sake bottle. The spout allows for quick and easy dispensing with no oxygen exposure and the pouch itself stands up on it's own without a box. Listen in as we explore another variation of funky packaging. #SakeRevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 166. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind. But if we scratch the surface of exploring how sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to our latest series we are calling "Funky Packaging" - think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle. Cups, bags, pouches, and today's inaugural packaging - the Tetra Pak Juice Box. Could this form factor we know from our school lunchbox be a good one for sake? In this episode, John and Tim think INSIDE the box to explore what is going on with sake in juice box packaging. Is the sake worth the squeeze? Let's find out together!
#SakeRevolution
Support the Show.
Episode 165. If you hear the term "CEL-24" and the first thing you think of is prison, and not a sake yeast, I don't think anyone would blame you. But today we're here to spread the word on CEL-24 sake yeast and it's role in bringing us some of the most fruit-driven sake aromas on the planet. Developed in Kochi prefecture in the 90's, CEL-24 was a response to the market demands for more aromatic and fruity sake styles. And after tasting a CEL-24 sake for ourselves, we can say that the apple, pineapple and other fruit aromas are strong and powerful as promised. Yeast can have a big impact on a sake's aromatics and CEL-24 yeast really shows this to be true. Join us as we explore the world of sake yeast and perhaps push the boundary of how fruity a sake can be! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 164. On New Year's Day, 2024, the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture was the epicenter of a major earthquake measuring a 7.6 on the Richter scale. The affected areas are especially well known for sake brewing and in Ishikawa in particular, 24 out of 33 Ishikawa Sake Brewery Association member breweries suffered damage, with 8 suffering complete destruction. While the news of the earthquake and the recovery efforts have fallen out of the headlines, we wanted to offer our support and good wishes to the affected breweries inside Ishikawa and the surrounding prefectures as well, as they continue their road to recovery and rebuilding. One thing we can all do to support the sake industry is easy - ordering more sake from the affected regions and keeping an eye out for Noto sakes when they make their return to the market. We profile one such sake in this episode - Hakuto Tokubetsu Junmai. We look forward to supporting this brand and many others whenever they are able to restart brewing in their repaired facilities. Look for updates on this in future episodes! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 163. Word on the street is that travel to Japan is surging! One of the joys of travel to Japan is returning with a suitcase full of sake! But how best to do it?! This week, John and Timothy discuss the ins and outs of bringing back sake from Japan. What's allowed and what's not! Where to buy sake and how to package it. Import duties and duty free shops! If you want the lowdown on our experience bringing sake home from travel to Japan, this episode is for you. Let's UNPACK these topics and taste some of the sake (not for sale in the U.S.) we brought back ourselves. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 162. With 2023 drawing to a close, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was. Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. Tim and John both let us know their favorite sake stories and their favorite episodes from the past year. Do you know which episode was our most downloaded from 2023? Let us know in the comments and we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais. Happy Sake New Year! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 161. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Masumi from Miyasaka Jozo in Nagano Prefecture. Most well known as the birthplace of Association Number 7 sake yeast, Masumi has a long history dating back to 1662. Located on beautiful Lake Suwa, Masumi is a brand that is well known outside of Japan. The brand name of "Masumi" means transparency or truth and traces its origin to an ancient bronze mirror, which is a treasure of the local shrine and is the proverbial "mirror of truth". Masumi also recently updated their label design and sake portfolio to tie into their legacy as the home of number 7 sake yeast - a yeast that has gone on to become the most widely used sake yeast in the industry. Let's explore the flavors and history of Masumi together! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 160. It's time to get wild again! Wild about sake rice, that is. Wild Rice is our series where we look closer at different strains of sake rice and what makes them unique. This time around, we look to a rice native to Hiroshima Prefecture - Hattannishiki. Known to not grow as tall as other sake rice, but still have a well developed shinpaku (starchy core) Hattannishiki is a fairly modern rice, as it was developed in the 1970's. Let's dive in and see what flavors Hattannishiki has in store for us! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 159. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring Guinomi. This style of sake cup is a larger sibling to the standard ochoko, holding more sake per pour and often having a more rustic texture. The "GUI" of gui-nomi is an onomatopoeia for the glug-glug-glug sound, indicating perhaps a sake cup that is well suited for gulping sake! How does this cup stack up against our standard wine glass? Tune in this week to find out! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 158. Enough playing it safe! It's time for another walk on the high wire that is our extreme sake series! This time, the guys skirt the law and explore the rough and ready style of home-brew style sake known as Doburoku. While Home brewing of doburoku has been outlawed in Japan for over a hundred years, Doburoku can be produced legally in specially designated Doburoku zones across Japan and by facilities with an appropriate doburoku production license. Doburoku festivals are also held annually at dozens of shinto shrines around Japan each year. While it has bold flavors of rice, yogurt and a tangy, higher acidity, it is really the texture that makes Doburoku extreme. This is truly an "unfiltered" brew - no pressing of the mash at all. Bring your fork as doburoku is funky and chunky! In addition, the alcohol is low due to a shorter fermentation period. Buckle up and lets dive into another extreme sake! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 157. For our final episode recorded live at this year’s American Craft Sake Festival, we are happy to bring you another U.S. sake brewer interview. This time, we visit with our pal Byron Stithem, owner and brewer at Nashville’s Proper Sake Co., and the owner at Rice Vice, the attached sake bar and restaurant. Byron has lots to celebrate… as he sat down with us, he had just stepped off the stage after receiving the Silver Medal Audience Choice Award at the American Craft Sake Festival for the second year in a row. This comes on the heels of Rice Vice being named one of the 2023 Best Bars in America by Esquire Magazine. When it comes to our tasting, we were lucky enough to sip on “The Diplomat”, Proper Sake’s flagship sake. By tasting this sake with Byron, we happily sailed way to “Yamahai Island”, where flavor, aroma and umami are hard earned, but absolutely delicious. What is that Yamahai aroma all about? Well – you’ll know it when you smell it! Kanpai, and congratulations Byron! Special thanks to SBANA, the Sake Brewers Association of North America, for organizing the festival and to North American Sake Brewery for hosting the event location. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 156. Again this week, we revisit our field trip to the American Craft Sake Festival held this year in Charlottesville VA and bring you another U.S. sake brewer interview. This time, we get a two-for-one as we interview Blake Richardson and Nick Lowry of Moto-i Sake Brewery, which is based in Minneapolis, MN. Founded by Blake in 2008, Moto-i has been creating delicious sakes that are served locally and super fresh on tap. Blake works as Toji and Nick tells us how he graduated from customer to Lead Brewer, following his passion for making great sake. It’s a fun and friendly conversation culminating in a tasting of their delicious flagship Junmai Ginjo “Another Dalliance”. Listen in and be sure to visit the Moto-i Brewery, taproom and restaurant if you are anywhere near Minneapolis – it’s not to be missed! Special thanks to SBANA, the Sake Brewers Association of North America, for organizing the festival and to North American Sake Brewery for hosting the event location. Look for other interviews from the American Craft Sake Festival in coming weeks. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 155. Our visit to the American Craft Sake Festival was awash with brewers, but one non-sake booth in particular caught our eye. Without rice, there is no sake and we had the chance to sit down with Whitney Isbell Jones of the world famous Isbell Rice Farm in England, Arkansas. Whitney grew up on the farm and tells us the story of how her family discovered Japanese rice varieties and how they eventually became global experts in growing premium sake rice varieties in particular. While us city boys think of space in terms of square feet, Whitney explains how the Isbell rice fields are expansive in size - the largest being up to 90 acres each! In addition to growing specialty sake rice strains for the U.S. market, Isbell Farms will soon have a hand in milling sake rice as well. It's exciting times for rice and sake in the States and we enjoyed our chat with Whitney about all things short, medium and long grain! Special thanks to SBANA, the Sake Brewers Association of North America, for organizing the festival and to North American Sake Brewery for hosting the event location. Look for other interviews from the American Craft Sake Festival in coming weeks!
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 154. Taking a quick detour from our American Craft Sake Festival series, we're sneaking in a seasonally appropriate episode before it's too late. "Natsu Sake" or summer sake, is a new-ish genre of brews meant to take the edge off of the sweltering summer heat, all while letting us enjoy the flavors of sake in the summer. Often presented in clear or frosted bottles with cool-toned blue-ish labels, these sakes definitely give off a chill vibe. With lower alcohol as well as clean, crisp and refreshing flavors, these sakes shine when served icy cold. As the dog days of summer are a traditionally slow time for sake sales, these cool Natsu Sakes are meant to inspire us to drink a chilled nihonshu instead of a cold brewski or that wine spritzer over ice. More and more summer sakes are hitting shelves here in the States, just as temperatures are hitting record highs. Let's take advantage and chill out with some wonderful natsu sakes.
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 153. Listen in as we continue our series of live interviews from the American Craft Sake Festival 2023! This week it's all about SAKE Y'ALL, as the T-shirt of our interviewee says. We welcome Co-founder and Head Brewer of The Void Sake Company, Justin LeVaughn. Justin runs Kentucky's only sake brewery founded in 2020. He talks to us about his road to discovering sake as well as the styles of sake that are popular at his taproom. Orange Creamsicle Nigori anyone? We also discuss how the local water impacts the fermentation and finish on his brews. If you are in Kentucky, this taproom is really worth a visit, as they often feature live music and an array of events. Special thanks to SBANA, the Sake Brewers Association of North America, for organizing the festival and to North American Sake Brewery for hosting the event location. Look for other interviews from the American Craft Sake Festival in coming weeks. Kanpai, Y'all!
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 152. This week, we take Sake Revolution on the road! John and Timothy recently attended the 3rd annual American Craft Sake Festival in Charlottesville, VA. Sake Revolution hosted a live podcast recording of a "brewers roundtable" on stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd of sake lovers at the Festival. We were lucky enough to interview Blake Richardson from Moto-i in Minneapolis MN and Todd Bellomy from Farthest Star Brewery in Boston, MA. It was our first time recording in front of an audience, so you may notice some differences in our audio along with some background noise, but it was worth it to be able to connect with many fantastic U.S. Sake Brewers and sake fans all in one place. Special thanks to SBANA, the Sake Brewers Association of North America, for organizing the festival and to North American Sake Brewery for hosting the event location. In addition to our roundtable with Todd and Blake, we recorded many other interviews at the festival, so look for them in coming weeks!
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 151. Everyone knowns that sake is made from rice, but how much of a role does rice variety really play in a sake's taste? We're lucky enough to have a Toji on speed dial! We phoned up our friend and local sake brewmaster Brandon Doughan, the Toji at New York's first sake brewery, Brooklyn Kura. We tasted two of Brandon's sakes: their well-loved flagship Blue Door Junmai made with California calrose rice and also an experimental bottling, the "Blue Door on Jupiter", which is a version of their junmai made with domestically-grown Jupiter sake rice from Arkansas. The recipes and production are very similar with the only difference being the rice strain itself. Together with Brandon, let's explore the role of sake rice and taste for ourselves what a difference just a change in rice can make.
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 150. This week we continue our series on prefecture profiles with a special focus on those prefectures that are "landlocked" with no access to the sea or ocean. Despite no ocean view, Shiga is awash in water with 20% of it's area covered by Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake! This water feeds a robust rice growing industry and there is a healthy sake industry in Shiga as well. When it comes to food, listen in as Timothy recounts a harrowing run-in with Shiga's most famous, and definitely most funky fermented food that is best suited for - shall we say - extremely adventurous eaters. Today's sake from Shiga's Mifuku Shuzo is something new imported into the States and it's always fun to try something new. Let's explore Shiga sake together!
#sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 149. This week we return to another fun and sake-rich prefecture: Gunma! This area is home to onsens, national parks, record breaking tunnels and some pretty darn good sake. After we first touched on this region in episode 8, we thought it deserved another visit and a bit more exploration of their food, culture and traditions. We'll taste a much loved sake from Ryujin Shuzo, makers of the Oze no Yukidoke brand. This sake features the much beloved Omachi sake rice and snow melt water from the oze plain that springs from a well guarded by a dragon! It's a delightful brew that will have us returning to Gunma again and again in our glass! Keep an eye out for more prefecture profiles soon! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 148. Did you know that there is a booming business in skincare products made from sake? In this episode, we dive face first into the world of sake beauty products, from the use of sake in your bath, to sake kasu used to soften skin and finally to the science behind kojic acid and how it's used in a variety of commercially available sake skincare products. We also slap on a Japanese sake face mask to the test out sake skincare for ourselves. Hopefully we'll finish up the episode moisturized and refreshed. We finish by toasting our success with a special sake featured in a previous episode - Toyo Bijin Junmai Ginjo Karakuchi, also known as Asian Beauty. So, if you're ready to learn about the fascinating connection between sake, cosmetics and skincare, you won't want to miss this episode! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 147. How do you like them apples?! When we discovered the Kinoene "ripe apple" Junmai Ginjo sake from Iinuma Honke Brewery, we knew we need to take a bite and find out what this unique sake is all about. This took us on a journey exploring yeast, acidity and some pretty extreme fruity flavors. It may very well be a case of comparing apples to oranges, but this fruity confection of a sake does share some traits with a typically bright and crisp white wine. The secret here is malic acid - often found in wine - which is given center stage in this sake. This type of acidity brings us to the delicious intersection of sweet and sour with a bright fruity flavor that will have you asking "how did they do that!?" If we can have it sake form, we'll be glad to enjoy an apple a day to keep the doctor away. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 146. Do you judge a book by it's cover? Or even more likely, perhaps you've purchased a sake based only on the label? Since we've all been there, we thought it might be fun to explore the world of sake labels and share some likes, dislikes and survival tips for navigating your way around a bottle of sake. In particular, learn our technique to read a Japanese sake label "by the numbers". Whether they are all in Japanese, all graphics or including some english, the sake bottle labels can have a major impact on sales so it is well worth learning more. So, get ready to judge sake bottles by more than just their covers in this episode, as we take you through the ins and outs of understanding whats on the label. #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 145. TippsySake.com is a well known online retailer of sake in the U.S. and when they launched their new Tippsy Sake Club in March, John and Timothy knew they had to check it out. To get started, Tippsy designed an interactive online quiz that walks you through a few questions to help identify the sakes that might be the best match for your palate. We decided to take the quiz in real time and then discuss the results with Tippsy Portfolio Manager Sachiko Miyagi. Sachiko walks us through the ideas behind the flavor profile quiz and how the whole club is set up. The fun really begins when we get to taste the results of the quiz as we all share a sake recommended by the Tippsy algorithm to both John and Timothy. Listen in to see if the sakes recommended by the Tippsy quiz garner high marks from the guys! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 144. This week, we "think pink"! Hanami is the Japanese tradition of picnicking under cherry trees in full bloom. It's a treasured seasonal tradition in Japan that is carefully tracked and timed for friends and family to enjoy blossom viewing at their peak. The cherry blossoms represent the fleeting nature of beauty and how it is worthwhile to stop and admire these natural displays as they will soon fade and flutter to the ground. Traditionally, sake is enjoyed under the trees as well, with especially lucky vibes should a blossom petal floats into your sake cup. Timothy tells of his experience in Japan when he enjoyed hanami and also about the day he knew for sure that hanami season was over. Before its too late, let's enjoy Hanami together! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 143. Lights, Camera, Action! This week we are joined by fellow podcaster, film buff and sake fanatic Ben Haslar, from the Reels of Justice podcast to talk sakes and film. We focus primarily on the famous Birth of Sake documentary from 2015, a film that explores sake making at Ishikawa prefecture's Yoshida Shuzoten, the makers of the Tedorigawa brand of sake. If you haven't seen the Birth of Sake film yet, please watch it before listening! Seriously... Spoiler Alert! To pair with our discussion, we taste the flagship Tedorigawa sake - their Yamahai Junmai. In addition to The Birth of Sake, Ben recommends his other top 3 movies that feature sake. Alright Mr. DeMille, listen in, as sake is ready for its close up! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 142. Stop the presses! Sake is back again in the news recently and we wanted to take a look at some of the latest newsworthy sake headlines hitting our shores. This week, we'll discuss the New York Times' declaration that "Sake is Booming in America" and talk about their comprehensive take on sake. We'll also look at a report out of Japan that the 1.8L Issho-bin or magnum bottle size for sake is falling out of favor. Lastly, we'll discuss the BBC's take on the global rise in sake sales outside of Japan. Listen in to get our two cents the latest sake headlines as we revisit our series on sake in the news! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 141. When you think of Washington DC, What pops to mind? Maybe the White House? or perhaps the picturesque cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin each spring? If this week's guest has her way, when you think of DC, you'll soon think of "sake"! Reiko Hirai is the founder of DC Sake Co - an online sake retailer serving the Washington DC area. She's also an event planner and a strong voice working to promote sake in our nation's capital. This year marks Reiko's first annual Spring Sake Festival in DC with an upcoming event happening on April 6th 2023 that is not to be missed. We toast with one of Reiko's favorite sakes, Fukucho Junmai Ginjo, to celebrate the coming of spring and to celebrate sake in Washington DC! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 140. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring Edo-Kiriko. This luxurious and historic hand-cut crystal glassware is most well known for its royal blue and ruby red shades. It's renowned for its elegance and sparkle and is often seen at high-end sake bars and restaurants. How does this glassware stack up against our standard wine glass? Tune in this week to find out! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 139. If you enjoy the sound of ice cubes clinking in a glass, this may be the episode for you! This week, John and Timothy crack open the topic of sake on the rocks! Pouring sake over ice may not be the norm, but it can be a treat with the right kind of sake... and the right kind of ice. We'll experiment with tasting our higher alcohol genshu-style sake both on the rocks and straight up to see what works better along with the pros and cons of sake over ice. But all that is just the tip of the iceberg, so sit back, listen in and chill with us as we sip our sake on the rocks. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 138 This week we're proud to introduce you to our friends at Umami Mart: Kayoko Akabori and Yoko Kumano. These sake pioneers took Umami Mart from a food-focused blog back in the aughts to the outstanding sake retailer, cocktail bar, online shop and Oakland CA community hub we know today. At Umami Mart, you can buy all kinds of Japanese goods, dish ware, bar ware, tabletop items, but above all else, Umami Mart is a great place to buy sake. This of course includes their eponymous Umami Mart Junmai, a delicious brew from Kita Shuzo, which we taste together in this episode. Be sure to check out their website and social media to stay on top of the many events and goings-on at Umami Mart! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 137. One of the most famous sweet treats to come out of Japan in recent years are the seasonal and sometimes funky-flavored Nestle KitKats. It seems that for every season or any reason there is an exclusive, limited edition KitKat flavor. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we thought it might be fun to pair some unusually-flavored Japanese KitKats with some absolutely unique sakes. Along the way Timothy and John discuss the different ways that Valentine’s Day is celebrated over in Japan vs. here in the States… “Obligation Chocolate” anyone? Let’s see if these KitKat pairings will break our hearts – or help us find true sake love. Join us! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 136. Sitting down with another U.S. sake brewer, this week John and Timothy interview Todd Bellomy, founder and brewer at Farthest Star Sake in Medfield Massachusetts. As New England's only sake brewery, it has become Todd's mission to introduce his customers to the adventure of discovering freshly brewed, local sake. At his sci-fi themed taproom, guests can explore his classic junmai and nigori as well as an ever changing rotation of infusions and variations of his standard brews. Talking with the busy brewmaster gave us a window into the ever expanding market of domestically brewed sake. Listen in as we discuss the life in the taproom and the sci-fi inspiration for his sake. If you're anywhere near Boston, you'll want to travel at lightspeed to visit the Farthest Star Sake Brewery and Taproom! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 135. Ready, Set, GO! This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Gokyo Five from Sakai Shuzo in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Yes, we are returning not only to Yamaguchi, but also to the town of Iwakuni for this week’s episode. The town is famous for it’s 5 arched Kintai Bridge and Gokyo “GO” FIVE (Go means 5 in Japanese) is a fun brand that explores seasonality and highlights the brewery’s dedication to “kioke” or wooden sake brewing vats. While breweries across Japan abandoned wooden vats to use for fermentation decades ago, Sakai Shuzo is bringing back this tradition coupled with a kimoto fermentation stater for good measure. The resulting sakes are educational to learn about and absolutely delicious to taste. Let’s GOOOO! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 134. This time of year, many people think about going back to school to advance their careers, but have you considered going back to SAKE school? Let's study up on all the various sake courses and certifications out there to help us learn more about our favorite drink. If you dream of a career in sake, the right class might be just the ticket to get you on the the path to sake expertise in the new year! Check out our show notes for a sake education PDF download that will be your easy-to-understand guide to all of the various sake classes, courses and certifications available right now. Time to hit the books! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 133. It's time to get wild again! Wild about sake rice, that is. Wild Rice is our series where we look closer at different strains of sake rice and what makes them unique. This time around, we take things a bit literally and look at a true heritage wild rice strain that is used to make sake. A "wild rice" episode featuring an actual wild rice? A bit too on the nose perhaps, but we couldn't resist! We are talking about "Akamai" or red rice. This ancient grain has a distinct dark color and contains tannins that help facilitate a striking rosé-blush color when it is used to make sake. Flavors can be bright, tart, and fruity - anything but boring. Let's dive in and see how wild this rice actually is! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 132. With 2022 drawing to a close, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was. Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. Tim and John both let us know their favorite sakes and their favorite episodes from the past year. What was your favorite episode? Let us know in the comments and we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais. Happy Sake New Year! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 131. The holidays are returning and along with them, the eternal question - what gift is best?! We know the answer! Sake is an amazing gift for friends, family and colleagues. This week Timothy and John have a "wrap" session dedicated to all things sake-gifting. As for tasting, we'll introduce you to a snow globe in a bottle - the Senkin "Snowman" Junmai Daiginjo Nigori. This premium seasonal sake would be a delicious gift in itself, but also represents the best of the spirit of the holidays - in sake form. Enjoy this week's episode as we explore all things holiday sake! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 130. Join us this week as John and Timothy go down the rabbit hole in search of what could be described as the most unique sake yeast out there! This takes us over 100 years back in time to the establishment of the first olive trees in Japan planted in the rural Sanuki region of Kagawa Prefecture which we learned went on to become the nation's epicenter for olive oil production. To boost slumping sake sales, the Kagawa Sake Brewer's association decided in 2016 to leverage their region's famous fruit to create a new style of sake. And thus, Sanuki Olive Yeast was born. Finding the right strain of yeast took years of research, but finally, an alcohol tolerant yeast propagated from olive leaves and fruit was established. Would you roll the dice and try a sake made from olive yeast? And does it actually taste like olives?? We promise you'll be surprised! We sure were! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 129. This week we focus our spotlight on sake and stories from another prefecture: Yamaguchi! Well known in Japan as the home to the poisonous but delicious Fugu (Japanese blowfish aka pufferfish), there are a number of outstanding breweries in the Prefecture. Located on the far western tip of Japan's main Honshu island, Yamaguchi is not close to Tokyo, but does have easy access to Hiroshima. To dip our toe into the wide world of Yamaguchi sake, we taste the stunning Gangi Mizunowa Junmai Ginjo. This expressive and fruity brew elegantly layers pineapple, mango and a whisper of floral notes to create a silky smooth and enjoyable aroma and flavor. But does it pair with Fugu? Listen in and discover a bit of what Yamaguchi sake has to offer. #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 128. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring an icon in modern design - the Sori Yanagi Sake Glass. With a solid glass foot, and a clear, minimalist bowl, the Yanagi glass is perhaps the most ubiquitous sake cup design of the post war period. How does this design stack up agains our standard wine glass? tune in this week to find out! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 127. Dreams do come true! Since its inception, the guys at Sake Revolution has been hoping to do an episode where at least one of them is reporting in “live from Japan”. With the covid restrictions finally easing, travel to Japan is allowed again and John jumped at the chance to visit our favorite destination! This week is a casual check in on the progression of his trip to the best sake bars and shops in Hiroshima and Tokyo. They guys also reminisce on their first (sideways) attempt to broadcast Sake Revolution live from Japan back in early 2020. This redemption episode finally gets us on the air as we envisioned! So let’s take a sneak peek at some sake hijinks Live from Japan! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 126. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Kamonishiki from Niigata Prefecture. This small brewery breaks the mold on what most people expect from a typical Niigata brewery – that is, classic, crisp and dry flavors along with even more classic labels. The packaging for Kamonishiki’s Nifudazake line really steals the show. The focus is squarely on small batch production at Kamonishiki. Each bottle has a hang tag instead of a traditional label and this tag not only tells us the usual sake classification and rice milling rate, but also which specific tank the sake came from. The sake itself is as beautiful and unique as the packaging with fruity notes and a lush palate. Let’s have som fun and experience this barrier-busting microbrew! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 125. Believe it or not, the holiday season is sneaking up on us again! And while you may be finalizing your halloween costume, we are thinking ahead to enjoying sake this December. What better way to do this than with the world’s only Sake Advent Calendar! Created for the second year in a row by sake retailer Namazake Paul, the calendar has been upgraded and improved by importing a number of new cup sakes and redesigning the packaging and presentation. Lucky recipients of the Sake Advent Calendar can compare their tasting notes of all the mystery sakes on a dedicated facebook group. The calendar also comes with a tasting notebook and adorable cover art featuring a sake-loving polar bear named “shiro kuma”. Without a doubt, this is the perfect gift for yourself or for the sake fan in your life! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 124. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring an industry standard sake cup - the "kikichoko". A larger relative of the standard ochoko, Kikichokos have a blue and white bullseye design inside the cup. To learn all the secrets of the kikichoko and to see how it stacks up against our trusty wine glass, listen now to this week's sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 123. Can you keep a secret? We usually can... unless it involves sake intel that's hot off the presses. This week, we have a fun interview with California sake expert and sommelier Greg Beck. Greg is the founder and owner of Sake Secret, an L.A. County sake pop up. He studied Japanese in college and found his way to sake through the festivals and matsuri while working in Hiroshima. As his passion for sake grew, he returned to the States to share the secrets of sake with everyone. While the pop up is fantastic, Greg has a dream to give sake a permanent home in Southern California and so he's launched a Kickstarter campaign to make a brick and mortar sake shop a reality in SoCal. Listen in to hear Greg's story and consider supporting his efforts to share the Sake Secret with us all! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 122. A long overdue return to the Sake Education Corner lets us explore a common question affecting everyone who brings a bottle of sake home - what's the deal with sake storage?! How long can you keep your sake before opening, after opening, at what temperature, in what location, and what to avoid. While the lawyerly answer to any of these questions is often "it depends", we get into the nitty gritty and provide concrete advice anyone can implement immediately. So crack open your fridge and let's store some sake! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 121. This week, we shine the sake spotlight on a region of Japan that is virtually unknown to most sake fans. We’re talking about Kagoshima, the volcanic, sub-tropical home base of “imo” sweet potato shochu on the southern tip of Kyushu island. Despite being a world famous mecca for distilled shochu, two of the over 100 distilleries in Kagoshima have ventured into sake production giving us a sake lifeboat in this vast ocean of shochu. Today we’ll be tasting one of them: Tenbu sake from Nishi Shuzo, a distillery founded in 1845. The remarkable point here is that they only received their sake brewing license in 2020 making this one of the youngest sake breweries around. How does sake that is made by shochu distillers actually taste? Well, let’s dive in and explore the sake from one of the most unlikely places in Japan: Kagoshima! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 120. Stop the presses! Sake has been more and more in the news recently and we wanted to take a look at some of the newsworthy headlines hitting our shores. This week, we'll discuss reports of the first ever "carbon neutral" sake coming out of Hyogo from the Kobe Shushinkan Brewery. This involves not only changes to the energy that powers the brewery but also changes to the production process itself to optimize energy expenditures and production time. Is this a sneak peek into sake's future? We also debate the somewhat controversial "Sake Viva" program put out by Japan's National Tax Agency. This program solicits marketing proposals that will encourage drinking among the younger generations. Lots to unpack here, too! Listen in to get our two cents the latest sake headlines as we uncover some sake in the news! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 119 This week we welcome sake expert Jessica Joly to the podcast to introduce us to this very special trio of sakes all from Saga Prefecture. The breweries are all different and distinct, but they have collaborated to create a set of three bottles with a unique branding and flavor story you won’t see anywhere else. First, from Koimari Brewery, we have the Tropical Junmai Daiginjo which uses the silhouette of a pineapple on the label to communicate it’s fruity aroma and flavor. Next, the Crisp Junmai Daiginjo from Mitsutake Brewery has an illustration of an octopus to signify the crisp, clean flavors and water like minerality. Last but not least, the Yano Brewery has crafted a 5-year-aged Junmai Kimoto sake that uses an outline of a mushroom to project its deep umami flavors. The packaging on the whole set is beautiful and a fun way to communicate the range you can enjoy from Saga sake. Also, Jessica gives us the lowdown on an upcoming sake sake event Happening Sept 19, 2022 at Sakagura in NYC. Listen in to hear the whole saga! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 118. This week, John and Timothy combat the boredom of late summer by exploring another extreme sake. If you've ever put a squeeze of lemon in your iced tea, you know acidity can transform a beverage. But what role does acidity play in sake? and how do we taste it? By exploring a sake that is much higher in acid, we hope to uncover this and more. Wine is well known to have more overall acidity than sake, so let's see if this high acid brew brings some wine-like qualities to the tasting. We sure hope we will never sour on tastings higher acid sakes. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 117. This week John and Timothy give a recap of their recent visit to the Joy of Sake event in New York City. This is one of the "big kahuna" sake events in the U.S. and a great kick off to what we hope will be a return to more in-person sake tasting overall. We explore some of the history and what to expect at this event. John even lets us in on his favorite sips of the night. If you'd like to join next year, we give you all the details on staying connected to get in on their next big tasting. We also enjoyed a summery nama sake from the Niwa no Uguisu brand which we tasted as a rare example of an unpasteurized usu-nigori (lightly cloudy) sake. Listen in as we all discover the "Joy of Sake" together! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 116. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring a real square in the world of sake cups - the masu. Born as a box-shaped measuring cup for rice and re-imagined as a fragrant wooden cup for drinking sake, the masu is a totally unique vessel and one that you will find in Japanese sake bars and izakaya across the world. Have you tried drinking your sake out of a square box? And how does that masu stack up against our trusty wine glass? Listen now to our third sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 115. While Sake Revolution is currently the only U.S. sake podcast, there are several other podcasters around the world working hard to spread the good word of sake. We thought it would be fun to connect with our international colleagues for a little sake pod "crosstalk" to network and share the sake love. This week we connect with Japan-based sake podcasters Giulia Maglio and Cindy Bissig, creators of "Sake Unplugged". This podcast promises to take listeners behind the sake curtain and in our interview we find out about how they connected to get their podcast off the ground as well as the challenges of running a weekly show. Join us in the crosstalk! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 114. With the recent heatwave, there was one kind of sake that kept grabbing our attention. Not just cold sake, but super-chilled "Mizore" sake. Mizore means sleet in Japanese, and this word describes perfectly the sake slushies we made ourselves for this week's episode. Sake slushies are made by freezing one cup sake or a small bottle to about 25 degrees F without letting it freeze solid. When the sake is then agitated, it transforms by magic into an icy, cool and super refreshing sake sorbet-like treat. Listen in as John and Tim get super chill and enjoy their first homemade Mizore Sake slushies. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 113. A-ha moments are not one and done. This week, John and Timothy explore a sake brand that was a sake "A-ha 2.0" for them both. Perhaps a bit less well known in Japan compared to some other so-called cult sakes, Kamikokoro is a brand from Okayama that is winning new fans around the world. Kamikokoro has harnessed the power of their renowned local fruit - Yume Hakuto White Peaches - to take their sake to the next level. The Kamikokoro Tokagen Nama sake tasted in this episode uses yeast from the peaches to express a deep and rich fruitiness that steers clear of tropical notes to focus in on stone-fruit and citrus. And if you're interested in Japanese peach folklore, you'll surely want to first sip some sake and then listen in to our retelling of Momotaro, the legend of the boy born from a peach who teams up with a monkey, dog and pheasant to defeat a bunch of Orge bullies. Lets explore the power of Kamikokoro's peachy sake. hashtag peach emoji!
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 112. When it comes to sake controversies, there is one topic that can give "hot sake vs cold sake" a run for its money - and that is "sake cocktails!" Love them or hate them, cocktails made with sake are an up and coming way for new consumers to get their first exposure to sake. Since this is a somewhat controversial topic, we found the perfect subject matter expert to walk us through the the ins and outs of sake cocktails - Mr. Kenta Goto! He is an award-winning bartender with two eponymous cocktail bars: Bar Goto in Manhattan and Bar Goto Niban in Brooklyn. Kenta gives us his take on the role of sake in cocktails and teaches us how to marry sake wth other cocktail ingredients to create a balanced drink. And even better, he guides us on how to mix our own sake cocktail live on the podcast! This experience leaves John and Timothy shaken AND stirred as they reevaluate everything they thought they knew about sake in cocktails. If you feel somewhat muddled yourself when it comes to sake cocktails, this week's episode will help you find the sake cocktail that's just right for you. #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 111. What do you get when extreme sake goes mainstream? Chances are, you're looking at a popular style known as Super Dry sake. Referred to as "cho-karakuchi" in Japanese, these boozy, ultra-dry sakes pull a full 180 to the super sweet dessert sakes we've tasted before. Prepare yourself for a sake that puts the alcohol aromas, flavors and finish front and center. The bracing texture of this sake style really wakes you up and might be just the right fit if a dry martini is your favorite cocktail. Super Dry sakes styles are popular with a fair amount of mainstream appeal but might they lack balance? This week John and Timothy explore to see what puts the super in super dry sake. #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 110. It's not every day that a new sake book hits the market, so we knew we had to sit down and talk with authors Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay about their fantastic new tome "Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth." Nancy and Michael co-authored this book that focuses on the ingredients in sake and well as the microbes and people that magically transform those ingredients into the beverage we all love. The stories that come out of their research trips across Japan to dozens of craft breweries illustrate the skill, nuance and fun that goes into crafting Japanese sake. You'll come away with a new appreciation for the history of this ancient beverage and the book also helps beginners and experienced sake drinkers alike gain new perspective on appreciating whats new in the world of sake as well. This sit down interview is part 2 of our discussion and sake tasting with Nancy and Michael - go back to episode 109 if you happened to miss part 1! Be sure to pick up your copy of "Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake" wherever fine books are sold! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 109. It's not every day that a new sake book hits the market, so we knew we had to sit down and talk with authors Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay about their fantastic new tome "Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth." Nancy and Michael co-authored this book that focuses on the ingredients in sake and well as the microbes and people that magically transform those ingredients into the beverage we all love. The stories that come out of their research trips across Japan to dozens of craft breweries illustrate the skill, nuance and fun that goes into crafting Japanese sake. You'll come away with a new appreciation for the history of this ancient beverage and the book also helps beginners and experienced sake drinkers alike gain new perspective on appreciating whats new in the world of sake as well. This sit down interview is part 1 of our discussion and sake tasting with Nancy and Michael - and join us next week for part 2! Be sure to pick up your copy of "Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake" wherever fine books are sold! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 108. What happens when you bend the rules of sake brewing? You can certainly end up with sake that some would call extreme. Case in point- there is some traditional thinking around how to treat "nama" or unpasteurized sake. The often repeated golden rule is to 'keep it chilled' and 'drink it young'! What happens if you decide to long-term age this kind of sake? Today we'll find out! Aged Nama is a new frontier in the world of sake styles. If funky, fun and umami-driven flavors speak to you, you may very well want to check out this unconventional style of sake for yourself. Let's explore the newest trend in older sake: Aged Nama! #SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 107. While Sake Revolution is currently the only U.S. sake podcast, there are several other podcasters around the world working hard to spread the good word of sake. We thought it would be fun to connect with our international colleagues for a little sake pod "crosstalk" to network and share the sake love. We start with Alex, the intrepid voice behind London's "Sugidama Podcast". He brings sake interviews, history and education and to his interesting episodes. We also take some time to taste a sake together. It's a sake with a hard-to-pronounce name that is, however, oh so easy to drink: Kokuryu "Kuzuryu" Junmai. Join us for our first crosstalk! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 106. With his family's sake brewery on the verge of closing for good in 2003, Tadayoshi Onishi, at the age of 27, retooled the type of sake they were making by launching a new brand and a new flavor profile. Their "Jikon" label soon gained recognition for its zippy and bright texture all while being approachable and easy drinking. Since then, Jikon has been very much in demand with a limited supply causing some to label this a hard-to-find "cult" sake. Luckily for us, there is some Jikon distribution in the States, so we couldn't resist looking into this brand for ourselves. Listen in and join us as we explore the world of Jikon sake!
SakeRevolution
Support the show
Episode 105. This week we interview and get to know Wes Konishi the President of the Sake Brewer’s Association of North America. Wes gives us the lowdown on the SBANA and their mission to help with establishing North American sake breweries and advocating for legislative form for the U.S. sake industry. Most of us sake lovers remember a special “A-ha” moment where we discovered the joys of premium sake for the first time, but Wes comes prepared with no less than two “a-has” that cemented his love for sake. Listen in as we discuss the path forward for sake education and sake literacy in the States. You won’t want to miss it!
Support the show
Episode 104. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring the most common and widely used sake cup: the work-a-day ochoko. Ochokos are small, standard sake cups most often made of ceramic, but also coming in metal, glass and even wooden varieties. These cups can be seen dotting izakaya tables across Japan and are an everyday staple for sake lovers around the world. But how do ochoko stack up against our trusty wine glass? Listen now to our second sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolution
Support the show
Episode 103. If you look up "extreme sake" in the dictionary and you may well find a picture of this bottle in there. We are upping the ante on our quest for extreme sakes this week by introducing a brew with a lot of character... and a lot of fans: Tamagawa Heirloom Yamahai Junmai Genshu from Kinoshita Shuzo out of Kyoto. The brainchild of UK-born Master Sake Brewer Phillip Harper, this sake is extreme in its deft use of ambient yeast to create a uniquely wild fermentation starter. Paired with very high alcohol levels and a high acidity to match, this sake pushes the envelope on multiple fronts. You'd think a sake like this might be a bit of a bull in a china shop, but the Tamagawa brewers have created an elegant, deeply flavored and eminently drinkable extreme sake. It's not to be missed! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 102. Who needs a vacation?! If you’re having visions of swaying palm trees and ocean sunsets, this episode may be just what the doctor ordered! This week, we live vicariously through John’s recent trip to Hawaii and his visit to Islander Sake Brewery, makers of Hawaii’s only local sake. John wouldn’t leave us high and dry, so we also get to taste a fruity and zippy Kitashizuku Junmai Ginjo sake from Islander, hand carried by John from Hawaii for this episode. It’s a rare treat that gets us musing about terroir in sake and exploring a bit of the fascinating and century-old history of sake in Hawaii. Join us as we explore the true spirit of aloha together! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 101. This week, we have an enlightening and fun interview. We’re joined by Marcus Consolini, a New York City native who became the first non-Japanese owner and CEO of a sake brewery in Japan. In 2017, Marcus was introduced to Osaka’s Daimon Shuzo and with his background in finance and banking, he began a partnership to help guide the 200 year old brewery into new markets and opportunities. With such a unique perspective on the sake industry, both inside Japan and abroad, we knew we’d have an interesting discussion with lots of insight. For our tasting, we get to explore Daimon’s flagship export to the U.S., the “Road to Osaka” Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori. So listen in this week as we learn all about Marcus’ fascinating journey into the world of sake! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 100. This week, we reach a very special milestone - 100 episodes of Sake Revolution! John and Timothy plan to celebrate with a quiet and heartfelt Kanpai together to reflect on the last two years, but - a few interruptions got in the way. Our phones were suddenly blowing up with previous guests of Sake Revolution checking in. You won't believe some of the breaking sake news and updates we received! Did Timothy and John ever get their quiet Kanpai together? Listen in to find out! A special thank you to all our previous guests, Patrons and listeners who have all supported us over 100 fun and sake-filled episodes! We couldn't have done it without you. Here's to the next 100 episodes! Kanpai!
sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 99. Ripening in May each year, Japanese plums have a brief window of being in season. Brewers take advantage of this delicious fruit to make an ever popular style of sake known as "Ume-shu" a.k.a. plum sake. We're not talking about sticky and cloyingly sweet chemical plum wine here but rather a lightly sweet, tart and low alcohol elixir that is made by soaking whole plums in premium sake. These styles of premium umeshu have complexity and go down smooth as silk. John and Timothy dive feet first into the world of plum sake. And beyond simply tasting, they also look at some easy cocktail recipes that use umeshu as a base. There is a lot to explore and talk about, so do join us this week as we plumb the depths of all things Umeshu! #sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 98. What’s on the menu this week? Well, Menus! Sake Menus, that is. We’ve all been there – Sitting in a restaurant, our server asking what we’d like to drink, staring at a sake menu and wondering what the heck to order. Sake menus come in all shapes and sizes and range from the helpful to the downright perplexing. The goal of any sake menu should be to help a customer easily find a sake they will love. And what makes a good sake menu? There is no one answer, but John and Timothy look at some real life examples of U.S. sake menus to see what is out there. (visit SakeRevolution.com to view them!) Some were actually fun to read and educated us along the way. Others were confusing and, let’s say “graphic design challenged”. Listen in as we explore the world of Sake À La Carte! #sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 97. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. Let's start by taking a look at one of the most traditional sake cups there is - the ceremonial Sakazuki. This wide and shallow saucer-like cup is footed and often holds just a sip or two of sake. They can be made of ceramic, metal, lacquered wood and even glass. Most commonly seen at a Japanese shinto wedding ceremony, these cups scream tradition - but how do they stack up to our wine glass in terms enjoying taste and aroma? Listen in to the first in a series of sake vessel smackdowns! #sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 96. Listen at SakeRevolution.com. What's the first thing that pops to mind when you hear the word "Miyagi"? Well, Daniel-san, if you're our age, it might be Mr. Miyagi's "wax on, wax off". But we are digging deeper to discover the real Miyagi - Miyagi Prefecture that is! And, by listener request, we'll be exploring some of the brands and sakes that are a part of this fascinating and resilient region. With only 25 breweries total, Miyagi suffered a major blow during the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Six of the 25 breweries were completely destroyed. With the support of sake lovers, government support and a lot of hard work, all of the effected breweries were rebuilt and are back in business. There is so much to love about this interesting prefecture. Our sake tasting takes us back to Katsuyama Brewery, which is well known for it's rich, fruity and luxurious styles of ultra-premium sake. This delicious brew has us looking forward to our next trip to Miyagi. #sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 95. Listen at SakeRevolution.com. Sitting down with another U.S. sake brewer, this week John and Timothy interview Steve Vuylsteke, CEO of SakeOne sake brewery in Oregon. Steve has an extensive background in Oregon wine, not only having grown up in a winery and but also having lead several wineries as CEO over the years. Fate brought Steve to SakeOne in 2009 and since then he's guided the company through the rapid growth of the craft sake movement in the U.S. What's it like to transition from promoting Oregon Pinot Noir to Oregon Junmai Ginjo? Steve shares with us a bit of his journey from grapes to rice. To explore one of SakeOne's offerings, the guys taste a special sake together - Naginata Junmai Daiginjo, the Crown Jewel of SakeOne's portfolio. It features American grown Yamadanishiki and a limited production run of only 600 bottles per year. Listen in and let's learn about one of the original craft sake breweries in the States - SakeOne. #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 94. Listen at SakeRevolution.com. This week John and Tim try to keep the episode short and sweet... EXTREMELY sweet, that it! Yes, extreme sakes are back! Listen in as we descend the Sake Meter Value (SMV) scale to taste a sake rated at a stunningly low -86! This super-duper sweet strawberry nigori from Homare Shuzo shatters our expectations on what extremely sweet sake is all about. Made with pure strawberry purée, this funky brew gives us serious Jamba Juice smoothie vibes all while maintaining a background flavor of clean and smooth sake and does not take itself too seriously. While extremely sweet sake is not something you could drink all day, it certainly reigns supreme in the world of desserts and after-dinner drinking. Lets see if Sweet Dreams are made of this! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 93. It is a truth universally acknowledged that, when visiting a foreign country, learning a few words of the local language can go a long way to enhancing your experience. We certainly agree and this is doubly true when visiting a sake bar in Japan. This week, Tim and John will introduce you to their "Survival Japanese" for navigating the all important conversations around ordering sake in Japanese. Move beyond a simple Kanpai and learn to describe some sake flavors and temperatures in Japanese - all while being exceedingly polite! Disclaimer for all the linguists out there: This is our rough and tumble survival Japanese, so we're putting exacting grammar and full sentences on the back burner for this episode. To follow along, download our free "Survival Japanese for Sake" cheat sheet PDF at SakeRevolution.com, Onegaishimasu! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 92. Listen at SakeRevolution.com. Are you ready to get EXTREME? In a new series, Timothy and John explore the fringes of what sake can be, taking on the expressions of sake that really push the envelope. To start things off, we look at a sake that has undergone only a bit of rice polishing - just a scant 10% milled away to leave us with a full 90% seimaibuai remaining. Most premium sakes clock in at 70% or often much less of the rice grain remaining. How will the minimal milling affect the flavor? This extreme brew comes from Terada Honke Sake Brewery located in Chiba Prefecture. They take a "low intervention" approach to brewing using ambient yeast, home grown koji mold, organic rice and the old school kimoto yeast starter. Any natural wine enthusiast would feel right at home with this philosophy. Listen in to see how this extreme sake fares with Timothy and John. Be sure to stay tuned for more extreme sake coming soon! #SakeRevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 91. This week we train our sake spotlight on another perennial favorite prefecture: Yamagata. Quite rightly known as the "Ginjo Kingdom", Yamagata has one of the highest percentages of premium sake production of any prefecture in Japan. The Yamagata Sake Brewer's Association has united the 50 breweries in the prefecture to focus their production, starting in the 1980s, on more aromatic, floral and fruity ginjo style sakes. There is no better poster child for this than the popular Dewazakura Oka Ginjo sake which made its debut in 1980 and was one of the first brews to help shape the style of the new "Ginjo Kingdom". Join us and listen in as we explore, study and taste the elegance of all things Yamagata ginjo. #sakerevolution
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 90. What better way to kick off a new year on the show than to have a reunion with two ultimate VIPs who are indeed "married to sake". This time, we get Myshell and Scott, the Sake Revolution Spouses, back for another episode but this time... together! How did they feel about their previous episodes? What is it like to be married to a sake-lebrity? Do they mind being locked away every week while John and Tim Record? John and Timothy also break out a Hiyaoroshi-style sake to taste with their better-halfs. Listen in as we enjoy this fall nama in the middle of winter and muse on some fun pairing ideas for this special sake. You won't want to miss this fun behind-the-scenes episode!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 89. We've all sipped sake from a glass, and you may have even used sake in cooking, but did you know its also possible to eat your sake as well? This week John and Timothy take a look at a very unique style of sake called kijoshu. It is made by replacing some of the water used in creating the fermentation mash with finished sake. This fortifies the mash and in turn creates a rich, sweet dessert-style sake that is often aged to deepen the flavor. Taste-wise, it could be compared to a sauterne wine or a rich sherry. Now, you can certainly sip kijoshu from a glass, but we'll explore a totally fun pairing idea that has us reaching for a spoon instead! Listen in and taste along with us as we savor the flavors of kijoshu and try a totally new way to enjoy sake!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 88. This week, something a little different! Back in Oct 2021, John and Timothy were guests on the Japan Eats! Podcast, hosted by our friend Akiko Katayama. As we take a week off for the holidays, enjoy this replay of our visit to Japan Eats! The topic was: "You found out you like sake - Now What??" We had a great time talking with Akiko and we hope you'll enjoy the listen! We'll be back to our regular format next week. Until then, Happy New Year and, as always, kanpai!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 87. With 2021 drawing to a close, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was. Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. But we're not only looking back, we are also looking ahead to 2022 and coming up with a new set of our annual Sake Revolution Resolutions - setting our sake goals for the year ahead. Did you have a favorite Sake Revolution Episode from this year? Let us know in the comments and we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 86. This week, we take on a listener request and roll out the barrel - the sake barrel that is. Taru sake is a unique style of sake that is aged in "sugi" or Japanese cedar. This barrel aging allows the sake to take on a warm, woody and soothing aroma and flavor. At the first sip it is unmistakeable, but also mysterious. Once upon a time in Japan, all sake was Taru, as this wood was the principal material used to construct wooden brewing tanks and shipping barrels. With the advent of stainless steel tanks and glass bottles for shipping in the 20th century, Taru sake has evolved into more of a niche style. For fans of Taru, the finest cedar is recognized as coming from the Yoshino forest in Nara. So let's listen in as we explore the barrel-aged beauty of taru sake.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 85. The holidays are here and gift giving is high on the to-do list for a lot of us. One thing that we love to give and receive is, of course, a bottle of sake. But before you pull the trigger there are a number of considerations when giving sake. John and Timothy discuss what types of sake work well for what occasions and how you can dress up a bottle of sake with a stylish “furoshiki” or include a sake cup or carafe along with the bottle. Not sure if your friend is a friend of sake? Reach for our “Crowd Pleaser” sake recommendation which will warm the heart of even the most grinchy-est grinch on your holiday list. A sake with a unique production method or high end design to the packaging is excellent for your recipients who already love sake and will help them dive deeper into their new hobby. So, whether the folks on your list have been naughty or nice, a gift of premium sake is sure to fit the bill!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 84. The Holidays are our favorite time of year! And sake, of course, is our favorite beverage. This week, we explore a new project that brings them together like never before. Online sake retailer Namazake Paul has released the first Sake Advent Calendar! That's right! 23 Sake cups and a full size bottle to enjoy on the 24th. The sake cups arrive in a big rectangular box that, when opened, reveals the cutest illustration of a snowy christmas village filled with cartoon animals enjoying sake and winter fun. Behind each door, as you'd expect, is a single serving cup of sake. This was a massive effort to put together and immensely fun to enjoy and explore. Tim and John taste through Dec 1st and 2nd in this episode and generally just have fun getting into the holiday spirit. Be sure to visit the episode show notes if you'd like to get information for getting your own sake advent calendar for next year!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 83. We love a good sake interview and today we have a great one! We are joined by our friend Sam Barickman who has worked in just about every aspect of the sake industry. Sam has worked not only for a sake brewery but he has also introduced sake to the public as a sake sommelier in high end restaurants. Currently Sam is active in sake distribution and sales with a new distribution company, Sipt Global. We sit down with Sam to learn about his path into the sake industry and it involves ripe peaches, a stunning view of Mount Fuji and of course some show stopping premium sake. We also tasted two of Sipt Global's products from the renowned Kozaemon brand produced by Nakashima Jozo in Gifu Prefecture. These two brews are a delight and are great examples of elegance and depth in the sakes that Kozaemon is producing. Listen in as we taste, explore and enjoy these sakes but be on high alert for that #UmamiSneakAttack!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 82. Japan is well known as an exceedingly polite country but along with this comes a bevy of rules and regulations to guide manners and behaviors for just about every social situation. This applies to sake drinking as well with a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to drinking culture. This week Tim and John explore the world of sake etiquette and all that that entails. From how to pour sake to how to receive sake, do you know the rules? The more formal the situation, the more likely it is that the sake etiquette will be more strictly adhered to. Beyond just being polite, sake etiquette also helps us dive deeper into understanding Japanese culture as a whole. For example, the idea of "wa" or group harmony is at the root of some ideas that drive sake manners. However you slice it, sake manners are important. With that in mind, let's listen in and learn to mind our Ps and Qs while sipping sake!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 81. This week, let's peruse another prefecture and visit what's known as the "Roof of Japan", the mountainous, landlocked and high altitude Nagano Prefecture. This prefecture is most widely known as the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics but it is also famous for its photogenic snow monkeys that love to warm up in the onsen hot springs in winter. The many towering mountain chains of Nagano provide snow melt water to much of the region and because of this, Nagano has the second highest number of sake breweries of any prefecture. John and Timothy sample a sake from a quintessential brand of Nagano: Masumi, and they explore their flagship, the Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri Junmai. The guys really dig deep and "talk turkey" about this brew. Join us for another virtual outing to a sake-centric prefecture as we explore and sip our way through Nagano!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 80. It's time to get wild again! Wild about sake rice, that is. This week we zero in on a premium sake rice that is elegant and a true workhorse: Gohyakumangoku. This is not a sake rice name that rolls off the tongue on first glance, but it is well worth getting to know. Once you've conquered the pronunciation, the rest is pure enjoyment. Gohyakumangoku is the second most produced premium sake rice in Japan and comes from the land of clean, crisp and dry sake: Niigata Prefecture. As you might expect, this rice produces sake that tends to be lighter, cleaner and more airy - perfect for Niigata's regional style. We'll be tasting a classic Niigata sake to examine these characteristics a bit deeper and to see what Gohyakumangoku sake rice brings to the party. Join us as we go a bit gaga for Gohyaku!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 79. This week we pay another visit to the Sake Education Corner to focus on what is known as "roka" or fine particulate filtering. this can be done by both a activated carbon powder or by a micron filter. The sake industry is full of debate as to whether filtering strips all the personality out of sake, or provides a clarity for color and flavor. At the end of the day it is up to our palate and our preferences! To test the waters, we are sampling one "muroka" or non-charcoal filtered sake, and one standard filtered sake. The differences are subtle and interesting. What Brita does to our tap water, brewers also usually do to our sake as well. Join us as we focus on filtration for this week's episode!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 78. Movies about sake are few and far between, so you can bet that "The Birth of Sake" caught our attention when it was released as a feature length documentary in 2015. It profiles a brewing season at Yoshida Shuzoten, the makers of Tedorigawa brand sake out of Ishikawa Prefecture. The story centers on Yasuyuki Yoshida, the 7th generation heir to the brewery and chronicles his path to learning the skills not only to take over as brewery president, but also be come the new master brewer when their toji moves toward retirement. It's a beautifully shot film that truly takes you inside the brewery. Just as beautiful is the Tedorigawa sake that is well known as an outstanding example of premium sake with an emphasis on the flavorful yamahai brewing style. There is a lot to explore as we learn about The evolution of this great Ishikawa brewery.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 77. October 1st is the biggest day of the year for us - it's World Sake Day! 2021 saw Sake Day reemerge from the cancellations of last year and there was an array of in-person events happening from coast to coast. This episode is a recap and overview of some of those events. Mark your calendars now if you'd like to get involved with sake day next year. We also get in our usual sake tasting with two fresh and delightful brews: Dan Junmai Ginjo from Sasaichi Brewery and Gangi Hitotsubi from Yaoshin Shuzo. They are a delicious way to button up our Sake Day experiences and to look ahead to an even bigger sake day next year!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 76. Another week, another brand profile! Join us as we travel up north to the very top of Honshu – to Aomori Prefecture. Located a stone’s throw from the coastal shoreline, Hachinohe Shuzo has been crafting sake in Aomori since 1775. More recently, two brothers have taken over at the Brewery, Hideyuki and Nobuyuki Komai and they began steering their small batch “Mutsu Hassen” brand in exciting new directions. With tweaks to the traditional sake brewing orthodoxy, such as using white koji and shortening the length of the shubo yeast starter process, the Komai brothers have created exciting new sake flavors that don’t stray too far from tradition. Listen in as Timothy talks about his 2013 visit to this brewery and his literal run in with both a sugidama (hanging cedar branch ball) and a minor typhoon. And completely unrelated to Squid Games on Netflix, there is way more squid talk than one might expect.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 75. This week, the Sake Revolution is running on flower power! We're talking specifically about "hana kobo" or flower yeast. Yes, that is yeast for fermentation that is isolated from an acutal bloom and propagated for use in sake. While not something every brewery does, this is a delightfully scented niche in the world of sake. Backed by a research institute at Tokyo's Nodai University, there has been a true blossoming in the understanding and use of these special yeasts to make some unique and delicious sakes. John and Timothy dive nose first into a prime example of flower yeast style sake: Amabuki's Strawberry-blossom Junmai Ginjo Nama from Saga Prefecture. As with all hana kobo sakes, you can bet this one has an extraordinary bouquet. But do we smell strawberries? Listen in this week as we try to learn the language of flowers.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 74. Kyoto is one of Japan's most well known tourist destinations. If you think of Kyoto, you'll probably envision geishas, green tea and gardens. But did you know, this city was not only the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years but it has also been key player in sake culture and history for centuries? This week John and Timothy travel virtually to Kyoto and discuss some of it's history and stories of their past visits to this amazing sake center. We'll learn about their shared favorite sake bar, and some of the sights both on and off the beaten track that are worth seeing. Kyoto's sake heartbeat is concentrated in the Fushimi neighborhood, south of Kyoto's main train station, where you'll find a cluster of well-known and centuries-old breweries. The breweries whose sake we taste in today's episode were both founded in the 1670s! While we still can't visit in person right now, we can pour, sip and discuss a bit of Kyoto's sake heritage together.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 73. Can you judge a book by its cover? Or a sake by its label? This week, John and Timothy put this to the test. Now there are a lot of label styles out there, so they each found a sake label with a common style: a "kawaii" or super cute label on the bottle. One is a Muppet-like abominable snowman with a shaggy coat and saucer-like eyes. The other is an adorable kitty drinking sake while surrounded by symbols of good luck. When we looked a little deeper, both labels actually have a surprising connection to their brewery. We'll discuss how labels might influence our buying decisions and how super cute labels in particular can transcend language and grab our interest. Join us to see if the taste of these sakes matches well with their adorable appearance. Meow!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 72. This week John and Timothy explore the Kamoshibito Kuehiji brand. It's a very old brewery, founded in 1647 and located just outside Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture. Under the guidance of the current brewery president Mr. Kuheiji Kuno, the Kuehiji brand takes strong inspiration from the French wine world's notion of a "Domaine". The brewery, wanting more oversight of its raw materials, purchased land in Hyogo Prefecture to grow their own in-house yamadanishiki rice. And the influence of French wine culture can also be seen on the bottle of their flagship Kamoshibito Kuheiji brand. The rice harvest vintage year is featured prominently along with a French name for the sake as well. In our case, we are tasting the "Eau du Désir" (Water of Desire). This sake is a wonderful blending of sake making craftsmanship with a nod to the world of french wine, namely a notably higher acidity and a long lingering finish. If someone gives you a taste of this sake, you may not know whether to say arigato or merci, but we think you'll find it delicious.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 71. You may have heard that most sake is best consumed young and fresh. But what happens when you come across a sake that is older? What's the deal with sakes that are aged 3 years, 5 years or even over a decade? This week, we're exploring what happens when sake is allowed to age gracefully and become what is known as "koshu". This type of aged or matured sake is also known as Jukuseishu, and it is only a small percentage of the total sake market. It does tend to be more expensive as well, but it is an interesting area of sake culture and flavor that is well worth looking into. In this episode, we're learning-by-tasting and sipping a more traditional expression of koshu - an amber-colored yamahai junmai genshu aged for 12 years produced by the Kanbara brand located in Niigata Prefecture. Known as "Ancient Treasure" this koshu sake is a perfect example of how delicious, deep and unique flavors can evolve when a suitable style of sake is carefully aged by expert brewers with some time on their hands. Listen in as John and Timothy taste for themselves how time itself can transform simple sake into a mature masterpiece.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 70. This week finds us at the end of our short series on pressing the sake mash. But what would you call a pressing method that doesn't actually press? Enter the drip! "Shizuku" sake, also known as drip or trickle sake is the topic of this week's episode. The method used to produce shizuku sake is known as "fukurotsuri" (bag hanging) and is the ultimate hands-off, low intervention way of extracting sake from the fermentation mash. The sake mash bags (known as fukuro) are filled and then hung from a bar and suspended over a clean tank. The sake that drips out by gravity alone is then collected as shizuku sake. Obviously, this is a low yield method and is used for only what would be considered the most premium grades of sake. Who knew that something so delicious could be achieved by simply hanging around?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 69. Onward in our series all about "shibori" or sake pressing. This week's episode focuses in on the Assaku-ki (compression machine), known more informally as the "yabuta" sake press. As Xerox is to photo copies and Kleenex is to facial tissue, so is the Yabuta to the automatic sake press. It's a sake press brand name that has become synonymous with the process itself. The yabuta is often compared to an accordion in appearance and uses a series of frames stacked one next to another. The sake mash is pumped into the space between each frame. Every other frame is sandwiched with a flat balloon that gets inflated and squeezes the mash, forcing the sake out the bottom, while the rice solids are held back. The genius of the yubuta design is that the frames can then be opened up and the leftover sake lees (kasu) can be extracted. Compared to the "fune" press, the yabuta cuts the time it takes to press the mash in half and it is the most common sake pressing method in use today. Join us as we squeeze in another episode on the high pressure work of "shibori."
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 68. Another week, another sake miniseries! This time around, John and Timothy look at the sake production step known as "shibori" or squeezing the mash in a little more detail. At the end of fermentation, this step separates the freshly born sake from the left-over rice solids. There are a few different methods to make this happen, and this week, we look at the classic "fune" method. One of the most traditional ways to press sake, the fune is a large and long rectangular box into which the brewers stack up fabric bags, known as "fukuro", that are filled with sake mash. Pressing with a board from above, the bags get squeezed and the fresh sake is collected from a spout at the front bottom of the fune box, while the rice solids are held back by the fukuro bags. This is a hands-on and labor intensive way to press sake. For some breweries, they press all their batches with a fune, while other breweries reserve fune pressing for only their more premium sakes. To finish off the work of fune pressing, listen in to learn all about the "Fukuro Punch", which sounds like a yummy cocktail, but unfortunately, is not. If you're interested in learning more about squeezing the mash, we hope you'll stay tuned to our complete shibori series over the next few weeks - but of course, no pressure!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 67. Diving deep into another sake brand profile, this week Timothy and John look at Domaine Senkin, also known as Senkin Shuzo. This is a 200 year old boutique brewery located in Tochigi Prefecture, and was brought back from the brink of closing its doors forever with an idea to make more wine-like sakes with a pronounced acidity and sweetness - think German riesling. Two brothers, the 11th generation brewery President Kazuki Usui and his younger brother, and the brewery's toji, Masato Usui, decided to take the business in a new direction. Inspired by the wine industry's concept of Domaine, the brewery has a reverence for the most traditional, low intervention brewing methods and source only hand-grown, heirloom rice varieties that all grow within 5 minutes of the brewery. The water source used to grow the rice is also used to brew the sake. The Usui brothers combine the avant-garde with the traditional - and end up with a cutting-edge style of sake that is forging a new path in the sake world.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 66. This week, John and Timothy continue their series of interviews with U.S. Sake Brewers, scoring a fun and interesting sit down chat with Byron Stithem, the owner and toji at Proper Sake Co. out of Nashville, Tennessee. Byron has been producing excellent sake down south since 2017 and has a soft spot for yamahai style sakes, given their depth of flavor, acidity and ability to pair well with non-Japanese cuisine. With a true pioneer spirit, Proper Sake Co. is blazing a trail and is the first port of entry to the world of sake for many consumers in Tennessee and beyond. Bryon crafts a fabulous and flavorful Yamahai Junmai called "the Diplomat" that combines balance, flavor and just the right amount of tart acidity, and is winning fans and followers across the region. With a new taproom and expanded brewery opening up later this year in East Nashville and new online sales distribution coming soon, be sure to check out Proper Sake Co. any chance you get for a fantastic introduction to what American sake can be. Kanpai, Byron!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 65. This week's episode involves absolutely no kidding around. For our first brand deep dive, we look at the interesting and innovative Heiwa Shuzo in Wakayama Prefecture. Heiwa means "peace" and this brewery name was adopted in 1952 as a nod to the hopes of peace and prosperity in the post war period. In 2008, the "Kid" brand was released and as a brand, it speaks to the movement of young and up-and-coming brewers making a new style of sake in a new way. The president of Heiwa Shuzo, Mr. Norimasa Yamamoto has even written a book on his new and collaborative ideas on brewing and producing sake as a team. The Kid sakes project a super easy-drinking and fruity flavor profile. Imagine the sake you'd want to sip from a wine glass on the couch after a long day at work. Join us as we explore and taste the delicious innovation of the Kid brand from Heiwa Shuzo.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 64. This week John and Timothy had the great privilege to talk with Miho Fujita, the president of Mioya Shuzo, the makers of Yuho sake. Fujita-san did not take the usual path to running a sake brewery, which is most often handed down in a family from generation to generation. Coming from a corporate background, she found herself with the chance to step in and help the brewery with marketing and sales. Eventually she became the president as well as a dedicated, hands-on brewer herself. The Yuho sake style is bold and hearty and a style that Fujita-san herself loves to pair with many types of cuisine. Aging and decanting are both encouraged to embolden flavors. Mioya Shuzo is located in Hakui, Ishikawa prefecture, a town so famous for UFO sightings that it has a dedicated Space and UFO museum. While she hasn't spotted a UFO herself, I think it is safe to say that Fujita-san's Yuho sake is simply outta of this world.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 63. Today brings another "Sake Spotlight" adventure, focusing in on the sake from a specific prefecture. John and Timothy turn their focus up north - way up north - to Hokkaido, Japan's second largest and northern most island. Famous for its open plains, abundant dairy and frigid winters, Hokkaido is home to just 13 sake breweries. The largest of these breweries is Otokoyama Shuzo. Otokoyama means "Man's Mountain" and both sakes tasted today are brewed by this well known sake brewery. Hokkaido is also emerging as a sake rice powerhouse with three new sake rice strains registered since the year 2000 - Ginpu, Suisei and Kitashizuku. John was a recent pre-pandemic visitor to Hokkaido, so be sure to listen in for his sake bar, ramen and "footwear survival" tips to make the most of your next trip to snowbound Sapporo. See you there!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 62. Exploring another "wild rice", this week John and Timothy look at the superstar sakamai of Yamagata Prefecture - Dewasansan. Registered in 1997 and named after the three sacred "dewa" mountains, sakes made with this rice definitely give a nod to the regions famous fruit flavors. To explore Dewasansan more deeply, we taste the Phoenix Junmai Daiginjo from Tatenokawa - a sake produced in collaboration with the french rock band Phoenix and using 100% dewasansan sake rice. It's a special and meaningful marriage of sake and music. Speaking of music, one of the most unique ways Dewasansan rice has been promoted is with its very own theme song. You'll definitely want to listen in to this week's episode, if for no other reason that to hear the Dewa33 song! Join us as we take a deeper look at one of our favorite sake rices!
ergnB6Cxq9pMlvRGq0r4
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 61. This week John and Timothy go on location again. As more and more businesses are reopening and expanding their hours, we wanted to get out there again and encourage anyone, who can safely, to support their local sake shops and restaurants. For our part, we've gone back underground by returning to the famous NYC Sake Bar Decibel, a dark and funky basement sake bar that can't be missed. We are tasting two fantastic sakes from their menu: Shichiken Junmai Ginjo - a dream of a balanced and fruity premium sake and Kimonoi Junmai Yamahai - an umami and rice-y treat recommendation from Decibel's Manager Cho-san. In addition to our sake chit chat, we are announcing this week the launch of our Patreon. If you'd like to support what we do at the Sake Revolution podcast, please consider joining us on Patreon.com/SakeRevolution for some fun perks and extras. We invite all our listeners to grab a sake, sit back and listen in as we head back down the stairs to Decibel!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 60. This week, John and Timothy welcome the talented writer, culinary expert and podcast host Akiko Katayama to the show. Akiko is a fixture of the Japanese food and beverage scene and is the well known host of the Japan Eats podcast on the Heritage Radio network. On her show, she explores all things Japanese food and beverage and often introduces sake to her legions of listeners. She is a fan of sake herself and recommended we try a fun one today - Kenbishi Kuromatsu Honjozo - umami driven and delicious and best of all, we tasted it both warm and chilled to explore the versatility of this brew. And these flavors led Akiko to teach us a new taste descriptor: "kokumi". What's Kokumi? Well, to learn more, listen in and join us as we chat with the charming Akiko about sake and food and have a whole lot of fun!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 59. On the final episode of our Shubo miniseries, we explore "Bodaimoto". Our guide for today's episode is Skurnik Wine's Japan Portfolio manager Jamie Graves. Jamie has visited the Shorakuji temple, the home of Bodaimoto and he also imports one of the quintessential sakes of this genre, the Takacho "Regal Hawk" Junmai Muroka Genshu Bodaimoto. The name of the game is again lactic acid. Getting the right acidity levels helps the sake yeast to flourish. As Jamie explains, this sake is a portal back to a time when samurai craved sweeter sakes to balance out the funky, preserved food they enjoyed. While you won't find a bodaimoto at every corner liquor shop, this fun and historical style is worth knowing about. Let's dive in to this 'time capsule' brew and discover a style of sake any samurai would love.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 58. Onward with our exploration of all things "shubo" in the third entry in our sake yeast starter mini-series. This week John and Timothy explore the "yamahai" method of starting sake. In a language fond of contractions, the Japanese word "yama-hai" has to be one of the most sake friendly linguistic shortcuts you'll find. Short for "yamaorshi" (pole ramming/mashing) and "haishi" (to stop/cease), Yama-hai indicates that this shubo method ceases the pole ramming/mashing that is done in the Kimoto method to get that fermentation kicked off. Yamahai and Kimoto are related insofar as they allow for the natural build up of lactic acid, but Yamahai does it without the arduous mashing of the rice, koji and water together. Is it a short cut to umami-town? Not quite, as the process still takes about four weeks, but you can put away the mashing poles and instead sip on some sake on while that lactic acid develops on it's own. Let's talk turkey and get the low down on Yamahai!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 57. Our Shubo series continues! Shubo of course is the "fermentation starter" step of sake production. Whichever the method, we use lactic acid to give the shubo a jump start and allow the sake yeast to live its best life. This week, we look at the Kimoto method. Kimoto is the O.G. method that has been the default for centuries. By definition, it involves the mashing of rice, rice koji and water together in a low tub, into a paste using long poles in a step known as "yamaoroshi." Then over the next two weeks or so, lactic acid bacteria in the mash slowly and naturally creates lactic acid which eventually kills off any ambient microbes, wild yeast or other unwanted microorganisms. When the sake yeast is introduced, it can thrive uninhibited and go on to do it's sake making work. Kimoto is no longer used that much - only about 1% of sake made today uses this historically important starter method. Be sure to give kimoto a try if you see it - it's a sake that will connect you with centuries of sake making in just one sip. Let's go!
Episode 56. Over the next few weeks, we're going to do a short series on a sake production step called "Shubo" (酒母). Shu=Sake and Bo=Mother. So consider this step the mother of the sake, and it gets translated in many ways... seed mash, yeast starter, fermentation starter. However you slice it, the shubo step in sake production is where yeast get introduced and where fermentation begins. One of the keys to all shubo methods is lactic acid. It is required to kill off all of the bad bacteria and make the starter tank environment ideal for sake yeast. The secret to the sokujo method is that they put in ready-made lactic acid to jump start the process. All other shubo methods let lactic acid develop naturally over time. Be cause it is easier, cheaper and faster, 90% of all sake produced uses the Sokujo method. So, let's dive in and learn more about all things Sokujo!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 55. Few sake personalities shine as bright as Mr. Kosuke Kuji, the 5th generation President of the Nanbu Bijin Sake Brewery. Known as "Mr. Sunshine" of the sake industry, Kuji-san has been a tireless booster of the sake while promoting his Nanbu Bijin brand literally around the world. We were honored for Mr. Kuji to take time to talk to us. After a bit of introduction to his brewery, we finally learn the answer to a question that has long puzzled sake fans far and wide! Why is "Nanbu Bijin" a.k.a. "Southern Beauty", located in the northern prefecture of Iwate? You'll need to tune in to find out! And also, we get Kuji-san's take on the growing industry of sake brewing outside Japan. While learning the art of sake brewing on Youtube alone may not be the answer, listen in to find out why we need sake producers all around the world and not just in Japan. We also taste Kuji-san's much loved Shinpaku Junmai Daiginjo - it's velvety and alluring. Listen in on this fun, interesting and enlightening talk with this well known Kuramoto!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 54. Continuing our series focusing on the "wild rice" of the sake world, we move next to sake rice royalty. There is one strain of premium sake rice that is grown in more volume and used in more premium sakes that any other: Yamadanishiki. Originating out of Hyogo Prefecture as a cross breed of Yamadaho and Kantan Wataribune, the resulting rice that came to be known as Yamadanishiki was born to be king. This rice reigns supreme for a reason - it is large in grain size, has a highly developed starchy core (known as shinpaku), is lower in protein and fats, and dissolves easily after soaking and steaming. In short, it has many ideal qualities that brewers are looking for. Because it is more costly to grow however, brewers often use Yamadanishiki for their top of the line, super premium sakes where they coax out vibrant, fruity flavors. Why not join us as we explore the world of yamadanishiki sake? They are easy to find and oh so easy to enjoy. Long live the king!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Episode 53. When we first heard about Hannah Kirshner’s new book “Water, Wood and Wild Things,” we knew we had to get her on the show. Not only does the book outline Hannah’s amazing adventure living the in rural town of Yamanaka in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, but during her stay there, she interns at Engawa, a destination premium sake bar and then also works a season at Matsuura Shuzo, the local sake brewery. Hannah writes with great insight and sensitivity about her entry into the world of sake from an outsider’s point of view – and this makes it accessible and approachable for all of us who are so interested in Japan and in sake. Now, Shishinosato, the brand of sake made by Matsuura Sake Brewery, where Hannah worked, is not yet available in the States, so we taste some other brands of sake from Ishikawa Prefecture with Hanna. We absolutely enjoyed talking sake with Hannah, but if that weren’t enough, her book also describes her studies of woodturning, hunting, tea ceremony, dance, paper making and other amazing Japanese traditions to bring the rural town of Yamanaka alive for her readers. We hope you enjoy our foray into the world of “Water, Wood and Wild Things!”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 52. Of Japan's 47 Prefectures, the third largest is Fukushima. This region is a sake powerhouse with a number of famous sake breweries and more than their share of gold medals in all kinds of sake competitions. Today John and Timothy look into a couple of Fukushima sakes and dive a bit deeper into the unexpected flavors of this region. Look for deep, developed flavors on the palate and a sophisticated thread of umami throughout. Timothy also tells the tale of a ramen game-of-chance he found in Kitakata City. You need to slurp every drop of ramen broth to find out if you've won. You'll definitely want to join us as we explore a bit of the sake kingdom of Fukushima.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 51. This week we meet up with another U.S. sake brewer - Shinobu Kato. Shinobu was born in Tokyo, Japan and came to the States for school and stayed on for work. After discovering a passion for sake brewing, he left corporate America to make a go at working full-time in fermentation and opened up Kato Sake Works in March 2020. Just as Shinobu was getting his Bushwick, Brooklyn micro-brewery off the ground, cue the pandemic. Despite the challenges of 2020, Shinobu hung in there and with the support of sake-curious Bushwick locals, he toughed out a tough year. Right now, he's celebrating a hard-earned year of success at Kato Sake Works by releasing a fabulous, limited and very special anniversary sake the Kato Sake Works Shizuku Junmai. Shizuku is a rare style of sake that uses the least invasive pressing method - gravity alone does all the work. Join us as John and Timothy sit down with Shinobu to talk about brewing sake in Brooklyn, his fabulous Shizuku sake and why it always pays to leave the door open for the neighborhood dogs. Happy one year anniversary to Kato Sake Works! Kanpai!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 50. Well it's been 50 episodes since Sake Revolution launched in 2020. The year turned out very differently than we expected... as did our little sake podcast. This week John and Timothy flip the script on its head and start the episode with a "kanpai". John starts by asking Timothy what the heck is a Sake Samurai anyway? Has anyone else ever had a crazier first day in Japan? Let's all promise to "Spread the word about Japanese sake around the world with pride and passion!" Then, we look back on how the Sake Revolution got started... it was just a couple of guys with a sake-soaked podcast idea and absolutely no idea what they were doing. What could go wrong!? Well, as it turns out, transcription A.I. is not yet up to speed with all the latest sake vocabulary, leading to hilarious transcription errors such as SUCKY Revolution. JUNE MY GOOD JOB! Challenges aside, to celebrate this milestone, the guys enjoy a 50% milled Yamdanishiki Junmai Ginjo from Izumo Fuji Brewery to celebrate 50 episodes. This soft and lovely sake is the perfect soft landing pad for winding down our first season of episodes. Looking to the future, we see a sunny horizon of on-location episodes and maybe even a visit to Japan?? Our sincere thanks to everyone who has listened to Sake Revolution so far. We are so grateful and hope to bring you more sake sipping, savoring and kanpai-ing in the next 50 episodes. Let's go!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 49. While we've done a fair number of interviews on Sake Revolution, today marks the start of something special as we challenge ourself to reach out in a new direction. To start off, it's important to know that the word "kuramoto" means "Japanese Sake Brewery President." We're beginning our first in a series of sit down talks with Kuramoto in Japan. Our first guest is Mr. Testuo Yamaguchi. He is the 11th generation president of Yamaguchi Shuzojo in Fukuoka Prefecture, and is the maker of the "Niwano Uguisu" (Garden's Nightingale) brand of sake. Mr. Yamaguchi was kind enough to take time to chat with us about his brewery and tell us quite a bit about his brewing philosophy. There is a strong emphasis on pairing with the local cuisine - a platform that we can really get behind! Together we taste one of Yamaguchi-san's flagship products, the Niwano Uguisu "Garden's Nightingale" Junmai Ginjo 60. It's a delightful sake - just look for the unmistakeable nightingale bird on the label. Our special thanks to Mr. Yamaguchi for this fun and enlightening talk! Enjoy this first of many Kuramoto chats to come!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 48. Genshu is known commonly as the heavy hitter in the world of sake. Sometimes called "cask strength" or "high alcohol sake", what we are really talking about here is sake that is undiluted with water. Usually, this gives us a sake clocking in at around 18-20% alcohol. Most sake is brewed to this level and then water is added at the time of bottling to bring the alcohol level down to about 15%. When this addition of water is skipped, then we get "genshu". One misunderstanding about Genshu is that it is just one thing - namely, a high alcohol bull in a china shop. Tim and John discover that Genshu has a lot more nuance than that. There are both lower and higher alcohol sakes that qualify as Genshu. For those classic high alcohol sakes, John tries his on the rocks - a fun way to engage with Genshu. Whether the alcohol level is high or low, be sure to give genshu sakes a try... Or as genshu sake brewers say - dilute another day.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 47. Today we focus on another "Sake Spotlight" - this time we travel to the smallest of Japan's main islands - Shikoku - as we visit Kochi prefecture. Kochi is an interesting place for sake. While it doesn't have a huge amount of sake breweries - just 18 at last count - it does have an oversized amount of local sake culture. The breweries are known to favor collaboration and this boosts the overall reputation of Kochi sake quite a bit. In addition to that, Kochi is known as a hard-drinking and rural locale, deeply tied to the bounty of the ocean. Katsuo no tataki (seared skip jack tuna) is the local mainstay dish - it goes without saying that it pairs to perfection with Kochi's extra-dry style of sake. These generally dry and bolder flavors of Kochi-style sake are easy to love. Kochi also seems to be ground zero for sake drinking games as well. Beer pong, stand aside! Kochi brings us "kiku no hana" a get-drunk-fast scheme involving hiding a chrysanthemum blossom under overturned sake cups and "bekuhai" a game that has us spinning a top and drinking out of some funky looking sake cups - kind of a no-kissing spin the bottle. The real story here, however, is the hospitality of the people of Kochi - it lies at the source of all the good food and drink of this region. Join John and Tim as they dive deep into the much loved world of Kochi sakes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 46. Today we start a new series focusing on what could be considered the real star of the show: sake rice! Let’s call it “Wild Rice”, because, why not. One of the wildest of the wild sake rices is the elder statesman, the real OG, the been-there-done-that sake rice: Of course we are talking about OMACHI. Omachi is often called the “grandfather” of sake rice because it is not a hybrid of other rices, but an original rice strain discovered in the 1850s. Its known as being a little bit hard to cultivate and a bit cantankerous – just like a real grandpa! The trade off for all that bother is that it gives sake a unique, earthy and… hard to describe taste. Robust but complex with a true depth of flavor. Do not miss your chance to visit omachi town during your next sake tasting session. For now, let’s listen in as John and Tim explore the long and winding road that has brought us back to the future of Omachi.
Season 1. Episode 45. Another in our series of U.S. Sake Brewer interviews takes us to Virginia to talk to Andrew Centofante, Toji and Master Brewer of North American Sake Brewery. Andrew told us about his discovery of premium sake in Japan and then, following his home brewing instincts, he soon found himself propagating koji in his attic and fermenting sake mash low and slow in the basement. By 2018, Andrew was out of the basement and had opened his own brewery - the North American Sake Brewery, which is the first and only kura in Virginia. Taking his cues from the craft brewing industry, Andrew developed some classic sake styles from Superdry to silky super premiums. Today, we had the honor to phone a brewer-friend to get a guided tasting with Andrew and explore their "Quiet Giant" Genshu, and the lux "Serenity Now!" Join us as we explore another cool corner of the USA sake scene: North American Sake Brewery with Andrew Centofante.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 44. Last week was an exploration of bargain brews, so this week it only seems natural to dip our toes into the world of "bougie brews" - and by that we mean sakes that cost over $80 per bottle. Now this is an area that is reserved usually for special occasion or holiday sake. But for us this week, we are discussing the virtues of paying more for that premium sake experience.
We think it goes without saying that sakes of all prices can be absolutely delicious, but when you get into the realm of the ultra-premium sakes, can you taste a little something... different? One area where these spendy sips seem to shine is in their texture/mouthfeel. Extraordinarily silky and velvety textures are the norm at this price point. It's one trick that the cheaper sakes just can't pull off. So let's explore the joys of expensive sake and answer the question - is it worth it?!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 43. When buying sake, price is always a consideration, and compared to wine, imported premium sake usually comes at, well, a premium price. What makes a sake expensive? The first factor is often the "seimaibuai" or rice milling rate. The smaller the rice is milled, the more expensive the sake will be. Transportation costs also add to the cost of sake. But are there affordable sakes out there? Can you find a good sake and a rock bottom price? This week John and Tim explore sakes that are on the cheaper side, but still shine like a diamond. You don't have to give up good taste to enjoy premium imported sakes. Just be aware that even the cheapest imported sakes won't be quite as affordable as imported wines, but they will bring value if you enjoy them with food and friends. Let's discover some bargain brews!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 42. Sake Industry insider Monica Samuels had us at “Cheez-its.” When discussing the latest trends in sake and food pairing, Monica blew our minds suggesting we look into sake and junk food. Believe us, we will. Genius! Getting her start at Sushi Samba in it’s Sex-and-the-City heyday and quickly rising to manage a list of over 100 sakes at a time when most New Yorkers had never even heard of a sake cocktail. Monica tells us about her growing interest in sake that was encouraged by some impressive sake brewery visits to Japan. It wouldn’t be Sake Revolution without a tasting and Monica brought us a doozy to sink our teeth into. From Manatsuru Brewery in Fukui prefecture, we explore the fun and funky Mana 1751 Yamahai Tokubetsu Junmmai Muroka Genshu. The product of a true micro brewery, this is a Yamahai lover’s Yamahai for sure. Join us on our fun and enlightening visit with Monica Samuels!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 41. The word “futsu” in Japanese means regular or ordinary. In the sake industry, Futsushu is the word we use to refer to NON-premium sake. That is regular, ordinary or what some might call “table” sake. However, Futsushu is not one size fits all. What makes ordinary sake ordinary? Often it comes down to the rules and regulations for how premium sake is defined in Japan. With the exception of distilled alcohol, no additives are allowed in premium sake. Rules for so-called regular sake are not as strict – we are talking about the additions of acids, sugar or flavorings – none of these make the cut for premium sake. There are however some sakes that qualify for premium grades that are sold as table sake. So, once size does not fit all when it comes to the extraordinary world of regular sake!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 40. Today we focus on another "Sake Spotlight" - this time it is the far north prefecture of Iwate. This is a rural and and sparsely populated part of the country with a total of approximately 20 sake breweries total. Lots of snow and agriculture, too. Despite it's remote location, sakes from Iwate have made their way around the world and Tim and John will taste two stellar examples of Iwate sake in this spotlight. We explore two well known Iwate brands - Nanbu Bijin and Tsukinowa. If you need a break from sake for any reason, be sure to try the gently competitive "Wanko Soba" challenge which is native to Iwate. Sake and Soba have ever had a better pairing! Join us as we dive deep into all things Iwate!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 39. New Year's resolutions come in all shapes and sizes, but we here on the podcast are looking at our Revolution Resolutions - namely, our sake goals for 2021! The New year is one of the most important holidays in Japan. The Japanese flock to their local shinto shrine to pray for a healthy and auspicious new year. One tradition that is a bit less common is the drinking of Otoso sake. This is a medicinal sake infused with herbs and spices (cinnamon, ginger, pepper etc). Tim and John step into the new year with some new sake goals for the new year. For Tim, it is to drink outside his comfort zone, and as a good first step, he brings in a sweet Junmai Nigori. John wants to buy more sake locally and hits the japckpot when he finds some wonderful premium sake at his local liquor store. Here is a toast to 2021, hoping it brings us all more of the sake we love.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
A quick look back on Sake Revolution 2020 and a few hints about whats coming up for 2021. Happy New Year from Sake Revolution!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 38. As a follow up to Episode 22, where we met John's wife Myshell, and explored a bit what its like to be married to a sake nerd, this week the tables are turned! Let's meet Scott, Tim's better half! When you're not really a drinker, how much sake know-how do you really absorb over 15 years of tagging along to tastings, sake events and pairing dinners? ...a lot more than you'd think! Listen in as Scott tells us his favorite style of sake to pair with Sushi and he also brings one of his favorite sakes to taste with the hosts. We are talking the smooth, creamy and cloudy Kamoizumi Ginjo Nigori. Who doesn't love a sake that pairs with chocolate cookies that are bigger than a hockey puck? Scott also explains some of the sake adventures he has had with Tim including a trans-pacific sake cruise and surviving the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake that struck 20 minutes before their Japan vacation was set to begin. There's a lot to explore and a few laughs along the way. And if you're not in the mood for sake, just tell 'em you'd like a Manhattan instead.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 37. You’ve got the Avengers, and your Justice League Heroes but did you know we’ve got some sake superheroes too? This week John and Tim interview Sakeman Red a.k.a Nick Matsumoto. Nick is part of team Sakeman, who describe themselves as “A team of athletic, sake superheroes who import their own brands and educate the masses!” Nick first connected with the Sakeman group through his love of judo. The first thing you’ll notice about the Sakeman group is their use of iconic and custom made luchador masks when presenting their stellar sake portfolio of sake from premium producers all around Japan – so their stuff is legit. . As Nick explains in our interview, the masks help draw attention to sake and start the conversation! Or the masks draw an invitation to wrestle! However it turns out, Sakeman is all about good sake. Thanks Nick for taking the time to teach us to work hard, train hard and drink hard!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 36. Shoe leather? Starfruit? Pheasant Skin? Have you ever heard a - let's say - "advanced" sake aroma or taste description that left you feeling a little bit lost? What if you feel like you're not picking up on the nuance or subtlety in sake? That is exactly the question one of our listeners asked us by email.
In this episode, John and Tim break down the process of tasting sake - Tasting with intention to study the main points of a sake. That would be the appearance in the glass, aroma, palate/taste and finish. We talk about each step in detail and what to do if you might be lacking the vocabulary to express what you're tasting. Also, we'll review some tips and tricks to study aromas and flavors. In the end, the art of studying sake tasting is about enjoying sake tasting. Learn as little or as much about tasting as interests you and helps you find a sake you love.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 35. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." When Shakespeare's Juliet is coming to terms with the fact that she is crushing hard on Romeo - her family's sworn enemy - she muses on the meaning and importance of names. Is what's true for roses also true for sake? This week John and Timothy dive into the word of "re-branded" or so called "white labeled" sake. That is, sake that is purchased from a brewery and sold under a different brand name.
There are a couple of ways these sakes show up on the market. The above-board way is to truly partner with a sake brewery and be completely transparent about who the producer is when selling and promoting the re-branded sake. However, some brands buy sake to re-label and don't disclose the producer. This is a tricky situation as you can never really be sure of the source or quality of the sake. Because of this, we'll be focusing on a few re-branded sakes that put their brewers front and center where they belong.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 34. Continuing our series of interviews with U.S. sake brewers, this week we sit down with Yoshihiro Sako, owner and brewer at Den Sake Brewery in Oakland, California. Yoshi comes from the hospitality side of the sake industry and brings a true love of sake over to the world of U.S. sake production. Hailing from Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, Yoshi is the ultimate ambassador of sake - melding his knowledge of Japanese culture and language with his years living in the U.S., to create a sake that is a unique and delicious hybrid of these two world views. With a bumped up acidity, unique calhikari rice and a firm, dry finish, Yoshi crafts sake that hews to his own vision. So far, he's been recognized as a James Beard Award semi-finalist as well as being featured in season two of the PBS Television series Tastemakers. Listen in as we taste Den's Junmai (batch 11) and explore the flavors that Yoshi is crafting in Oakland. As a true pioneer of sake brewing in the U.S., it's an honor to chat with Yoshi about sake now and how to raise sake up in the years to come.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 33. Do you know your way to New York's most legit and old school sake bar? Walk east on 9th street until you see the "On Air" sign just before second ave. Descend the stairs and behind the door you'll find Decibel, the ultimate underground sake bar. If you find yourself in a dark and graffiti-covered basement, you're in the right place. Opened in 1993 by East Village restaurant pioneer Bon Yagi, Decibel has welcomed the spectrum of NYC nightlife in search of sake for over a quarter century - and with over 100 sakes on the menu, there is plenty of sake to choose from. What better place for Tim and John to do their first "on location" episode, than from New York's most classic sake bar. Sit back, relax and take in the sounds and atmosphere of Decibel as our hosts recall their underground (mis-) adventures in sake. Special thanks to Decibel's Cho-san for arranging our recording session!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 32. This week, Timothy and John connect with a special guest for an interview and tasting. Brian Ashcraft is a well known writer focusing on the subjects of video games and Japanese culture. His most recent publication is The Japanese Sake Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Great Sake (With Tasting Notes and Scores for Over 100 Top Brands). It's a marvelous book that takes you deep into the world of sake without being too technical or boring. Every chapter has individual stories to highlight the topic or area being discussed. As one would hope, the last section of the book is a tasting guide to over 100 kinds of sake with tasting notes and pictures of the bottles. Not all the featured sakes are available in the USA, but there are enough to make it really worthwhile. Sake nerds finally have a Bible of their own - Amen to that!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 31. This episode can be summed up in a word: "Tokubetsu"... now that just means Special. If you want to short and sweet version you are done! But looking a little deeper, there are a few reasons why a brewery might label a sake their "tokubetsu" or special sake. In almost all cases, Tokubetsu is applied to either Junmai or Honjozo sakes. These two Classifications allow for upgrades to a "special" classification for a few (sometimes vague) set of circumstances. To qualify as tokubetsu sake must be milled to 60% or less remaining for either the Junmai or honjozo category. Another way to qualify for Tokubetsu is to use a special or unique premium sake rice. Finally you can also use a special process or production step and print this on the label. It's a little vague but it boils down to a special process for a special sake. The majority you will find will be Junmai or Honjozo that are having a serious glow up! Look for anything "tokubetsu" to find a special sake - guaranteed!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 30. OK, Halloween is around the corner and sake is usually not that scary at all. But what if someone else picked a sake for you – and then you had to taste it blind!? Now we are getting into fearful territory. Well, to celebrate the notion of trick or treat, that is exactly what Tim and John are up to this week. They bought each other a mystery sake that was delivered and served to them completely hidden. John and Tim will taste their respective sakes and try to discover – were they tricked? Or were they treated to something delicious?? Also, each sake may have a spooky connection to something halloween-y… well, in our minds at least! Be sure to listen to the end to hear the big reveal! What sake did John pick for Tim? and vice versa! It’s a deliciously frightening episode of Sake Revolution!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 29. Sometimes cabin fever gets you down and you just want to get away... and we mean away-away. That got us thinking, how far west could we go from NYC and still explore a major sake region. Past Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe - That landed us on the far, far west of Kyushu Island in Saga Prefecture. This out of the way gem of a sake region is home to several outstanding breweries and also an "Appellation of Origin" control system which endeavors to define what "sake from Saga" really is. John and Timothy tackle two of the most well known breweries in Saga, Amabuki and Tenzan to explore what makes them unique - and what binds them together. The brewers of Saga are innovative and working hard to create a new generation of sake. So come fly with us to the far west of Japan to hear the Saga of Saga Kuras.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 28. This is the first in a new series of interviews with U.S. sake brewers. There are few things more fun for a sake fan, than to sit down and drink a delicious sake with the people who actually brewed it. For our first brewer interview, we don't stray too far from home. We had a great time talking to our friends Brian Polen and Brandon Doughan of New York's Brooklyn Kura. We hear a bit about how Brooklyn Kura came to be and some of the advantages and disadvantages of brewing sake in the Big City. Also, we explore the learning curve of being the first to open a brewery in New York. As far as tasting goes, we get to enjoy two of Brooklyn Kura's stand out creations, the #14 Junmai Ginjo Nama and their Catskills Junmai Daiginjo. Join us for this fun interview with New York's first sake brewery, Brooklyn Kura.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 27. Ok...if I say, "Quick - think of Tokyo!" What image pops to mind? Maybe skyscrapers? Over-stuffed subway cars? Maybe even Blade Runner?? You might be surprised to learn that Tokyo is not just the city proper but also a region (Similar to New York City compared to New York State). There is lots of countryside with rolling hills and even rivers to explore. Today takes us beyond the hard driving city and out to the countryside of Tokyo Prefecture. There you will find picturesque sake breweries that will surprise and delight with their charms. Set your preconceived notions of Tokyo aside and join us in an exploration of the small but delicious world of sake made in Tokyo.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 26. The Revolution will be broadcast live... on Sake Day! As part of the online "Sake Day USA" festival and fundraiser put on by the non-profit American Sake Association, 501(c)(3), Sake Revolution joined in the celebration by streaming a live podcast episode as part of the celebration. The American Sake Association’s “Sake Day USA” was a virtual gathering on Oct 1st and featured a diverse schedule of sake tastings, seminars, cooking demonstrations, and other fun presentations that allowed anyone to celebrate sake online for Sake Day. If you'd like to learn more about the American Sake Association or Sake Day USA, please visit this URL: https://americansakeassociation.org
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 25. Some podcasts have been around for years, but our little sake show has only been on the air for five months. In that time, with a little hard work and a lot of sake, we've hit two milestones: 5,000 listener downloads and 25 published episodes! What better way to toast our achievement than with the ultimate celebration sake - we are talking sparkling! Also known as "happo-shu" or "awasake", this spritzy style of sake is having a bit of a renaissance of late. With the foundation of the Japan Awasake Association in 2016, a number of premier brewers turned their attention to giving sparkling sake an upgrade. From overly sweet and low alcohol to elegant and refined, the best sparkling sakes are now made under strict guidelines using the "champagne method", that is employing a secondary fermentation in the bottle to create fine and all natural bubbles. John and Tim look at two different sparkling sakes as they toast this 25th episode. Here's to many more! Remember to keep drinking sake and... well, you know what to do! (KANPAI!)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 24. Grab your scarf and your ginko nuts! Step away from the pumpkin spice! This week's episode is all about what we refer to as "Fall Nama" or Hiyaoroshi. This is a type of Namazume that is once pasteurized and released in the fall season. In addition to Hiyaoroshi, Akiagari is another type of fall sake released on the market at this time. both of these styles of sake pair well with the japanese foods that come into season in the Fall. One favorite that John and Timothy share is "ginnan" or ginko nuts. Roasted with salt, there is nothing better to nibble on while sipping on fall sake. This week Timothy and John look at two fantastic sakes that speak to the fall season. Kid Hiyaoroshi Junmai ginjo and Azuma Rikishi Akiagari Junmai Ginjo. Both of these sakes have unique characteristics that herald everyone one's favorite season!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 23. This week John and Timothy travel to Hiroshima and reminisce about their trips there. From the sake neighborhood of Saijo, to back alley unagi restaurants to the magical Miyajima torii gate, Hiroshima has many wonders for the sake lover! Both sakes we are tasting today celebrate Hiroshima local Hattan-nishiki sake rice - one full bodied and rice-y, one elegant and silky. One thing that all Hiroshima Sake can connect with is the region's most famous food Okonomiyaki! This savory pancake is a wonder and John points out there is event an Okonomiyaki only shopping center! Several floors of stalls all dedicated to the same yummy Hiroshima treat. Next chance you get look for sake from this wonderful part of Japan!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 22. First comes love, then comes… sake? What is it like to marry a hardcore sake nerd? This week we go right to the source and interview our Host John Puma’s Better Half, the lovely Myshell! She takes us behind the scenes and gives us the lowdown on a live steeped in sake and the secret advantage of a sake-nerd spouse… you get to skip the jet fuel sake and leap ahead right to the good stuff. Myshell also brings one of her favorite sakes to the table for the boys to drink: her long time favorite, the rich and robust Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu. Whatever you do, just don’t call it the “oil can sake”. We also learn Myshell’s game plan for finding sake bars that are off the beaten path in tokyo. Afterall – “What’s the worst that could happen?” Suffice to say that Myshell has developed her own sake palate and preferences. and If anyone ever asks you if you want to try a taste of “crazy sake” be sure to say “I Do”!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 21. Travel anywhere in the world and the standard wine bottle will be the same size - 750ml. But in Japan, the standard sake bottles measure 720ml. What gives? Well, wouldn't you know that sake has a unique system of measuring volume - and it's all based off of one "go". What's "go" you ask? A "Go" is equal to 180 milliliters... that's about 6 ounces. All the primary measurements of sake volume are based off this starting point. The next level up is called a "sho" - that would be 1.8 Liters or 10 "go". Next we have a "to" (pronounced toe) measurement. One "to" is equal to 18 Liters. Finally there is the "koku" measurement. One Koku is equal to 1,000 "go", or 100 "to". It's a unique measurement system, but when you break it down, it's pretty easy to understand. In Japan, when visiting a restaurant, sake is often ordered by the "go"... or 180ml serving. One go, two go etc. and a Koku is important for sake breweries to measure their yearly production output. One koku again is 180 liters. Large breweries produce 20, 30 or 40 thousand koku! Small family run breweries might produce a few hundred koku per year. It's a unique measuring system, but go, sho, to and koku are all ways for us to measure our sake!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 20. Do you know where to find the "Country of Beautiful Sake"? If you answered Japan's AKITA prefecture - you're right! Akita is a rural and rice-proud prefecture in the far north of Japan. This agricultural hub produces a lot of rice and a lot of sake. Timothy explains his encounters with one of the most famous foods from this region - Iburigakko. No Joke, this smoked, pickled daikon radish is one of the most perfect sake pairings you'll ever find. From there, our hosts go on a deep dive into the culture and into two sakes from Akita - Akitabare Shunsetsu and Amanoto Tokubetsu Junmai. It's fun to discuss how these sakes with similar stats come across differently on the palate. You can taste the pride in their rice and rural heritage. Although John and Timothy are missing Japan and bummed they can't travel there now, this won't stop them from planning their next trip. Get out your JR Railpass as Akita is now high on the list.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1. Episode 19. Sometimes there are happy accidents. This week, John and Timothy discover they both brought the same sake to the Sake Revolution party... This could have been an embarrassing Faux Pas, but instead they resolve to make the best of things and dive deep into this week's sake. We are talking Born "Gold" Junmai Daiginjo. It turns out, all that glitters IS gold when it comes to this delicious sake. It comes from the hard to pronounce "Katokichibee Shoten" sake brewery - but let's just call it "Born". Brewery President Mr. Kato is rightfully gung-ho about marketing and promoting his sakes and - case in point - beyond this weeks Born Gold, Kato-san also makes the famously elusive "Dreams Come True" Junmai Daiginjo sake, which they say, if you take a sip, you'll dream of your future. Such dreams are a little out of our price range for now, so we'll settle just for Gold. The taste of Born Gold is rich and perfumed with a hint of straw color that comes from one year of aging at freezing temperatures. In the end we were happy that great sake minds think alike!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 18. Everyone's gotta start somewhere and every revolution has its beginning. In this week's episode, John and Tim look back at how each of them came do discover sake. Tim introduces us to Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo, the sake that got him started after his A-Ha moment at a New York City sushi restaurant. That fateful dinner lead to a new career and a new marriage! One sip of sake can change your life! This sake is light, clean and crisp. A perfect pairing with Sushi.
John's story takes us on a bumpy first trip to Japan and then a deep dive into sake discovery in New York City. John recalls that Kaori Junmai Ginjo was the first premium sake he was able to order by name. It's an aromatic sake - It better be! "Kaori" means aroma - but has a lighter overall impression than John remembers. One thing both Tim and John agree on, the sake selection today is much bigger than what we had just 15 years ago --- a good sign that more and more people with have their sake A-Ha moments, too.
Season 1, Episode 17. Often the overlooked step-child of sake production, bottling is a lot more complex that you might think. And a lot depends on the scale of your production. A family run Mom and Pop brewery might bottle and label sake by hand. Whereas a larger brewery might have an multiple automated bottling lines with a clean room. Keeping with this week's theme, John and Tim challenged themselves to profile two sakes that were sold in bottles! We did it! The two sake selected not only came in bottles but are both would could be described as sturdy... or some might go so far as to say indestructible. Either way, they are absolutely delicious. So, to quote Laverne and Shirley, "Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" and we're off to the bottling line!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 16. Pasteurization is well known and it used for a lot of sakes. this kills off any bacteria or yeast and makes sake stable outside of refrigeration. In the world of sake there are a number of variations on pasteurization, known as "hi-ire" in Japanese or "into the fire". We've got our Full Nama (also known as Nama Nama), Once pasteurized nama chozo, Once pasteurized Nama zume, and twice pasteurized regular sake. As if that wasn't enough, there are also at least three ways to do pasteurization for sake... before you know it, we will get to 10,000 thousand ways. John and Tim both opt for highly fragrant and flavorful sakes this week. Give a listen to see what they've came up with.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 15. It's been said that the process of making sake can be done in 10,000 different ways. Talk about versatility! As our series on Sake Production methods continues, we're going to learn about three, no... wait, make that four more of those 10,000 ways. This time we're looking at Pressing. When the mash is fermented, we need to separate the newly created sake from all the unfermented rice solids. this is achieved by pressing the mash. There are a number of ways to achieve this some automated, some totally analog and some super high tech. But, the big news is that at the pressing stage you can finally drink your sake! Now, many sakes go on to further processing, but if you're in a hurry you can stop sake production with this step and pour yourself a glass. Speaking of pouring John and Tim each bring a sake to the table. John tries the high end Hanagaki Usu-Nigori Junmai Daiginjo, while Tim goes for a futsushu named - what a coincidence - "Ban Ryu" which translates to 10,000 Ways! Well, now...only 9,996 more ways to go.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 14. In our continuing Sake Production Series, we are now in the home stretch! The main event, or you could say the "Main Mash"! Today John and Tim are taking Moromi, also known at the main fermentation mash. This 25-30 day fermentation period starts with a four day process known as "Sandan Jikomi". These first four days of the Moromi see all the ingredients added - but in specific amounts on specific days.
Without a doubt, the temperature and length of moromi mash fermentation have a big impact on the final quality of the sake. "Low and Slow" fermentation helps produce a smoother, cleaner sake. John and Tim also taste two fantastic sakes in this episode, the Bijofu Tokubestsu Junmai from Kochi, and the Shimeharitsuru "Jun" Junmai Ginjo from Niigata. Listen in to get their tasting notes and get the low down on these two special sakes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 13. Call it Shubo, or Moto, or Seed Mash, or Fermentation Starter or Yeast Starter... it's all the same thing! In sake production, shubo is the step where fermentation actually begins and the goal that this step is actually to create a healthy vibrant yeast colony for the main mash. To expand the number of yeast bit by bit, we need this stepping stone of a process to get us from a tiny amount of yeast to enough to ferment a big tank of sake. The time we spend to make "shubo" gets us there. There are 4 possible ways to make shubo: Sokujo, Yamahai, Kimoto and Bodai-moto. Tim and John explore each of these variations and dig a little deeper into the family tree of sake.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 12. Join us this week as we keep things caliente and chat with our good friend Chizuko Niikawa-Helton about one of her favorite topics, Hot Sake! Chizuko is the president of Sake Discoveries, a New York based Sake PR company as well as a Sake Samurai. First, we learn how Chizuko discovered sake and ended up in the Big Apple and how her fashion industry experience helped her succeed at matching customers with sake. Chizuko also gives us some inside scoop on her hot sake pop up bar, "Sake Caliente" and how to easily select which sakes may be good for warming and what temperatures are best (watch out lukewarm fans!). In our tasting session, we taste a trio of sakes that are all good for warming up. It's fun to see where to tasting notes overlap for these three sakes. Rice-y and a whole lot of caramel! Kanpai!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 11. Our Sake Production Series marches forward with John and Tim exploring Koji - the magical fungus among us that is needed to make sake. Koji is a friendly mold that we grow or propagate onto sake rice. This mold gives off an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar. We need sugars for fermentation. Rice starch as it is won't ferment. Koji, this molded rice is created in-house by every sake brewery. It's not something you can order up from a catalog. As such, hand-made koji is a big expenditure of resources for a brewery and it's a difficult process. 48 hours of constant attention is needed to craft top quality koji and the work is done in the cramped and hot "koji muro" or koji room.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 10. Since we’ve learned about sake ingredients and sake classifications already, we thought it might be fun to look at the sake production process. We’re starting with what is called “raw materials preparation”. This encompasses rice washing, soaking and steaming. These three distinct steps all work together to prep the sake rice for fermentation.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 9. What is nigori sake? Cloudy, Murky, Coarse, Milky... there are lots of ways to describe what we call "nigori" sake. This of course is the milky-white, and sometimes sweet, cloudy sake you may have seen around. But, don't enrage the Samurai... there is one word we don't use to describe it... that is "unfiltered". With the rice starch sediment floating around the bottle, we understand why, at first glance, you might think this could be "unfiltered" sake, but sake fans in the know understand that all premium sake in Japan must, by law, pass through a filter to be sold legally as sake. In reality, nigori is a coarsely-filtered sake. Truly "unfiltered" sake is actually illegal in Japan! This true unfiltered sake is known as 'Doburoku' - sold by special permit only - and is a chunky, rice-y affair that is the equivalent of drinking unprocessed sake fermentation mash. John and Timothy wade into the opaque world of nigori to see if they can bring any clarity to the understanding cloudy sake.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 8. Ninjas are notoriously hard to pin down, but we were very lucky to recruit the nicest ninja in NYC to join the Sake Revolution and to sit down for an interview and kanpai. That Ninja, of course, would be Chris Johnson, the Sake Ninja. Chris tells us how the sake ninja title came to be. I won't give it away, but you may be shocked, shocked I say, to learn it does involve a late night drinking party at NY's rough and ready Sake Bar Decibel. And how about falling in love with premium sake on your last night in Japan after living there for three years. That's like having your first Zabar's bagel the day you move out of New York. And that's just the beginning for our fun talk with C.J.
Today's pod is also a deep dive into the sakes of Gunma Prefecture. Gunma is one of Japan's land-locked Prefectures with abundant mountains, but no direct access to the sea. I turns out that none of us have ever actually been to Gunma, but based on our tasting, we now all want to go. "Gentle notes of wafting melon" was a common refrain for this tasting session.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 7. An in-depth survey of American sake podcast hosts has concluded that "Nama" sake is awesome. Well, that survey was just Timothy and John, but if you don't know about Nama yet, you are in for a treat and you are welcome in advance. Nama literally means "raw" and refers to sake that is unpasteurized. Skipping the pasteurization heat-treatment step of sake production leaves sake in its "fresh from the press" state, but the trade off is that it is not shelf stable outside of refrigeration. The characteristics of nama sake are generally rich, full, brassy flavors and most commonly higher alcohol percentages. This type of sake is not about subtlety or restraint, but rather in-your-face exuberance. So buckle up and get ready for a deep dive into the bold, brash world of nama.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 6. Who doesn’t love a potluck? Well, I think lots of people don’t if you end up with three different jello salads, but we lucked out with our potluck: Three fantastic sakes to taste and profile. How did we get so, em, lucky? It must be the good luck brought in by our very first sake interview guest! Today we’ll be talking with sake pro and talented sake brewer Mr. Ben Bell. Ben is well known in the sake industry for having worked for two years at Nanbu Bijin Sake Brewery in Iwate, Japan. Getting access to work at a Japanese sake brewery is a rare opportunity for foreigners, so we talk to Ben about how that came about and his overall path in the world of sake. Tasting three unique and vibrant sakes round out our episode.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 5. For every yin there is a yang, for every sunrise a sunset and for every Junmai sake classification, there is a Non-Junmai classification. Alcohol added sake is referred to generally as "aruten" style sake. Just as we have 3 grades of premium sake for the Junmai "pure rice" styles, we have three grades of premium sake for the alcohol added styles. In this episode we take a deep dive into understanding the alcohol added classifications including a tasting of two different aruten styles. Along the way, we discover we may indeed be living in a golden age of sake. And it goes without saying that the sake glass is half full. Everyone knows that sake always finds a way.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 4. For this week "Junmai" is the magic word. It literally means "pure rice" in Japanese and refers to those styles of sake that are made with rice, water, yeast and koji only, with NO added alcohol allowed. Timothy and John explore the three classification grades of Junmai sake from the entry level grade (Junmai) to the middle grade of premium (Junmai Ginjo) all the way up to the luxurious, super-premium classification (Junmai Daiginjo). Learn what flavors you might expect from a Junmai style sake and what our recommended pairings are. You'll also hear about Timothy's intrepid journey finding himself alone on an isolated and rural Japanese country road in search of an elusive Junmai. And John tells of his trip to far away Kochi Prefecture to root out the perfect Junmai sake to pair with deep-fried Izakaya fare. Both stories have a happy ending, with Junmai Sake coming to the rescue. Have you tried all three grades of Junmai Sake?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 3. The rise of Covid-19 has John and Timothy recording remotely and sipping socially-distanced sake. In our last episode, we discussed the four main ingredients in sake but did you know there is actually a 5th optional ingredient as well? We are talking about "Jozo Arukoru" a.k.a. Brewer's Alcohol! It's true! Some sakes have distilled alcohol added, and some do not. For premium sake, distilled alcohol is sometimes added to round out flavors and boost aromas. The decision whether to add alcohol or not is largely a stylistic one - as both styles can be delicious. To illustrate the point, Timothy and John are each bringing an alcohol-added sake to the table to taste in this episode! let's explore how added distilled alcohol affects the flavor, texture and aroma of these sakes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 2. Welcome aboard for the second episode of Sake Revolution. This week, join our intrepid hosts, Timothy and John, as they tackle the mysteries of what ingredients it takes to make sake! We’re going to go over each of sake’s four main components and how they impact the taste and feel of the sake you enjoy! This week’s sake tasting is a stand-out Junmai Ginjo from Yamagata, the Mac Daddy, Kudoki Jozu! Grab your favorite sake, relax, and enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)
Season 1, Episode 1. Welcome to America’s First Sake Podcast. Power to the Sake People! Join your hosts sake otaku John Puma and sake samurai Timothy Sullivan as they explore the world of Japanese Sake. This podcast will help you know where to get started with sake. Every week, we’ll teach you something new about sake in a fun and easy to understand segment, we call the “Sake Education Corner”. It wouldn’t be a sake podcast with out some sake tasting! We’ll profile and taste some of our favorite sakes. We want to make sake accessible, fun and easy to understand. We hope you’ll join us! Kanpai
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sakerevolution)