Sake On Air

We decided that it was about time we sat down and hashed it out over something that is becoming an increasingly divisive topic in the sake world: to aruten or not to aruten? That is the question that John, little Chris, big Chris, and Justin pose to one another, as well as our listeners, in this week’s surprise release of Sake On Air.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, both junmai and aruten likely appear to be nothing more than drunken gibberish. However, to anyone trying to discern what’s inside (or rather, not inside) a bottle of sake, this is important vocabulary.

 

“Aruten” is Japanese industry slang for sake which has had what is often translated as “brewer’s alcohol”, which is added to sake in some (many!) cases. It can also refer to the related process of adding such alcohol to a bottle of sake. While by no means necessary in order to craft a delicious fermented rice beverage, motivations for adding this somewhat ambiguous alcohol can range from anything as simple cost-cutting, to calculated and crafted usage leading to extremely high-end, carefully nuanced sake production. As reasons for aruten’s existence and prevalence very much run the gamut of motivations, it’s challenging to shuffle it into any one specific camp, or explain it in simple terms of “good” vs. “evil”. Aruten sake would include daiginjo and ginjo (without the word “junmai” attached), as well as honjozo and futsu-shu styles.

 

“Junmai”, then, translated literally as, “pure rice”, is exactly what you might expect: sake that has not had any brewer’s alcohol added in any form, or in other words, has not received the “aruten treatment”. Originally, any and all sake produced was junmai. However, times change, as do brewers’ ambitions and the market’s tastes and perceptions. There’s a rather significant “all junmai” push from both inside and outside the industry, as of late. The reasons for that, however, are actually more varied and complicated than you might think.

 

As regular consumers and extreme foodies alike increasingly (and rightfully) demand more transparency in relation to food and beverage, the industry is up against further pressure to openly communicate not only “what” is inside a bottle of sake, but also justify “why” it ought to be there in the first place.

 

In a world where views and opinions feel like they’re becoming increasingly polarized, we set out to do our best in order to give both junmai and aruten a fair shake, going to bat for both parties in (hopefully) equal form. In this episode, the goal isn’t to provide our listeners with “the answer”, but the information to help everyone make more informed decisions for themselves.

 

Are you in the “junmai camp”? The “aruten camp”? Or maybe just the plain old, “love for sake camp”? Hopefully this week we can help you to spread the sake love wherever it is your inspirations and preferences may guide you.

 

As always, thanks to both our dedicated followers and new listeners that make it all possible. If you’d like to leave us a kind review, our love for you will flourish all the more. We can’t begin to tell you how much that helps.

 

If you have any thoughts about the show, feedback, questions or show ideas, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

What does it take to realize a dream of American craft sake? And even more specifically, Brooklyn craft sake?

 

This week Chris Hughes and Justin Potts catch up with Brian Polen, co-founder and president of Brooklyn Kura, New York’s first sake brewery, on his (relatively) recent trip to the sake island in the pacific.

 

Having officially opened to the public in 2018, the trail being blazed by Brian, along with co-founder and brewmaster, Brandon Doughan, is one that is already informing a future of international, locally-made craft sake as new breweries spring to life across the globe.

 

We dig into the origin story, as well as explore the excitement and challenges that go along with trying to, not only create and run a sake brewery, but communicate the infinite potential of sake to a world still largely unacquainted with the magical rice beverage.

 

We’re happy to finally get this interview out into the world, as we’ve actually been sitting on this one since the SOA early days. This week’s flow may be a bit more rough around the edges compared to our more recent offerings (we were still very much getting our feet wet at this point), but the stories and nuggets of insight that Brian shares are fascinating, and going to be relevant to sake lovers, the sake-curious, and those that may be looking to make new professional forays into the world of sake for years to come.

 

If in the area, be sure to pop into the tap room for a visit! Brooklyn Kura is located inside Industry City, at 68 34th Street, Brooklyn, NY.

 

Announcements!

*We’ll be back at Aoyama Sake Flea at the Farmer’s Market at United Nations University in Aoyama (Tokyo) on March 30-31st. If anyone plans to be in the area, be sure to pop in and say hello! We’ll be doing several recordings both days and have some more exciting guests lined up for the Spring rendition of the bi-annual sake celebration!

*You may notice a string of new episodes trickling out with more regularity than usual in the coming weeks. We actually have some content stocked up that we want to get out, and we’re working on some new developments, as well (details coming soon!) As we transition a bit you may notice a few more interviews or mini-episodes pop up here and there. We look forward to sharing more details on our new developments soon, but until then, enjoy!

 

As always, you can follow us on all of your preferred social media sources via @sakeonair. Please send your comments and feedback to [email protected].

 

The more reviews we get, the more we can spread the sake love! Please do take a moment to share your thoughts, if you’re so inclined.

 

Until next week, Kampai!

 

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

What does it take to realize a dream of American craft sake? And even more specifically, Brooklyn craft sake?

 

This week Chris Hughes and Justin Potts catch up with Brian Polen, co-founder and president of Brooklyn Kura, New York’s first sake brewery, on his (relatively) recent trip to the sake island in the pacific.

 

Having officially opened to the public in 2018, the trail being blazed by Brian, along with co-founder and brewmaster, Brandon Doughan, is one that is already informing a future of international, locally-made craft sake as new breweries spring to life across the globe.

 

We dig into the origin story, as well as explore the excitement and challenges that go along with trying to, not only create and run a sake brewery, but communicate the infinite potential of sake to a world still largely unacquainted with the magical rice beverage.

 

We’re happy to finally get this interview out into the world, as we’ve actually been sitting on this one since the SOA early days. This week’s flow may be a bit more rough around the edges compared to our more recent offerings (we were still very much getting our feet wet at this point), but the stories and nuggets of insight that Brian shares are fascinating, and going to be relevant to sake lovers, the sake-curious, and those that may be looking to make new professional forays into the world of sake for years to come.

 

If in the area, be sure to pop into the tap room for a visit! Brooklyn Kura is located inside Industry City, at 68 34th Street, Brooklyn, NY.

 

Announcements!

*We’ll be back at Aoyama Sake Flea at the Farmer’s Market at United Nations University in Aoyama (Tokyo) on March 30-31st. If anyone plans to be in the area, be sure to pop in and say hello! We’ll be doing several recordings both days and have some more exciting guests lined up for the Spring rendition of the bi-annual sake celebration!

*You may notice a string of new episodes trickling out with more regularity than usual in the coming weeks. We actually have some content stocked up that we want to get out, and we’re working on some new developments, as well (details coming soon!) As we transition a bit you may notice a few more interviews or mini-episodes pop up here and there. We look forward to sharing more details on our new developments soon, but until then, enjoy!

 

As always, you can follow us on all of your preferred social media sources via @sakeonair. Please send your comments and feedback to [email protected].

 

The more reviews we get, the more we can spread the sake love! Please do take a moment to share your thoughts, if you’re so inclined.

 

Until next week, Kampai!

 

We’ve got a new twist on an old formula this week.

 

In the interest of fairness, after having done a Shochu 101 episode, we thought it only made sense to give Sake the same treatment.

 

However, unlike Shochu, the “basics” of sake have been well-treaded in many forms across books, videos, blogs, lectures and other media. It didn’t make sense for us to just rehash the same material that’s already readily available just about everywhere. While we want to provide our listeners with a solid foundation of the core principles surrounding Sake and Shochu, digging deeper in order to provide context and stimulate dialogue is why this show exists. So, we thought we’d mix it up a little.

 

John has been on the road a great deal as of late (as of always?) and we wanted to get him on air. When we talked about doing a Sake 101, it was something that he really wanted to be a part of. When he offered to provide a monologue outlining the fundamentals, we naturally said, Yoroshiku! This is a master in his wheelhouse – what more could we ask for?

 

With that, this week you get the core basics outlined by the best in the business. You want to scout out a tasty bottle of sake that you’ll be happy with today? We’ve got you covered.

 

But we wanted to do something for our listeners who already feel comfortable with the “basics”, providing a bit more food-for-thought. So, what we’ve done this week is break John’s brilliant monologue into segments, with the Sake On Air team jumping in at regular intervals to flesh out the details, ask deeper questions, and provide further context for why the various points that John has laid out are significant.

 

In addition to John Gauntner’s pre-recorded presence, three core members of the SOA crew, Chris Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, and Justin Potts, are very lucky to be joined this week by Sarasa Suzuki, who is a WSET Sake Educator, as well as wine and spirits specialist here in Japan, also serving as the Japan brand manager for CAMUS Cognac. She was kind enough to put up with our shenanigans this week as she brings her experience and insight to the important topics that we delve into for this week’s show. Lucky us, and lucky you! (She’ll be making an appearance in a future episode to be released soon, as well!)

 

Our listeners may have a few thoughts and opinions about the content of this week’s episode. Great! Send those to us at [email protected]

 

You can stay up-to-date on what’s happening with the show by following along on Instagram, Twitter (@sakeonair) and Facebook, as well.

 

If you can find a moment in your busy schedule,  a quick review on your favorite listening service would really mean a lot.

 

Thanks to Frank Walter for the time he put into making this one shine. It wasn’t an easy task.

 

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

 

Until our next outing, Kampai!

 

Show Notes:

6:07 What is Sake?

9:02 Sake and the Family of Brewed Beverages

10:30 Brewing Beer vs. Brewing Sake; Clarifying “Koji”

10:46 The History of Sake

22:02 What’s the fuss about Ginjo?

22:50 Good Sake and Better Sake

31:57 Relationship Between Price and Quality: Sake Rice

38:33 Relationship Between Price and Quality: Rice Milling & Special Designation Sake

45:13 The Blood, Sweat and Tears of Sake Brewing and the Tenuous Hierarchy System

48:02 Sake Service Temperature

51:52 Storing Sake and Aging Sake

56:18 Drinking Vessels

61:50 Sake and Food

65:25 John Gauntner’s “Basics for Enjoying Sake Today” (uncut from start to finish)

We’ve got a new twist on an old formula this week.

 

In the interest of fairness, after having done a Shochu 101 episode, we thought it only made sense to give Sake the same treatment.

 

However, unlike Shochu, the “basics” of sake have been well-treaded in many forms across books, videos, blogs, lectures and other media. It didn’t make sense for us to just rehash the same material that’s already readily available just about everywhere. While we want to provide our listeners with a solid foundation of the core principles surrounding Sake and Shochu, digging deeper in order to provide context and stimulate dialogue is why this show exists. So, we thought we’d mix it up a little.

 

John has been on the road a great deal as of late (as of always?) and we wanted to get him on air. When we talked about doing a Sake 101, it was something that he really wanted to be a part of. When he offered to provide a monologue outlining the fundamentals, we naturally said, Yoroshiku! This is a master in his wheelhouse – what more could we ask for?

 

With that, this week you get the core basics outlined by the best in the business. You want to scout out a tasty bottle of sake that you’ll be happy with today? We’ve got you covered.

 

But we wanted to do something for our listeners who already feel comfortable with the “basics”, providing a bit more food-for-thought. So, what we’ve done this week is break John’s brilliant monologue into segments, with the Sake On Air team jumping in at regular intervals to flesh out the details, ask deeper questions, and provide further context for why the various points that John has laid out are significant.

 

In addition to John Gauntner’s pre-recorded presence, three core members of the SOA crew, Chris Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, and Justin Potts, are very lucky to be joined this week by Sarasa Suzuki, who is a WSET Sake Educator, as well as wine and spirits specialist here in Japan, also serving as the Japan brand manager for CAMUS Cognac. She was kind enough to put up with our shenanigans this week as she brings her experience and insight to the important topics that we delve into for this week’s show. Lucky us, and lucky you! (She’ll be making an appearance in a future episode to be released soon, as well!)

 

Our listeners may have a few thoughts and opinions about the content of this week’s episode. Great! Send those to us at [email protected]

 

You can stay up-to-date on what’s happening with the show by following along on Instagram, Twitter (@sakeonair) and Facebook, as well.

 

If you can find a moment in your busy schedule,  a quick review on your favorite listening service would really mean a lot.

 

Thanks to 

A bit of a small miracle, we managed to get the entire Sake On Air entourage in the same room at the same time. A first for the show, we have John, Sebastien, big Chris & little Chris, and Justin all together on the mic together this week!

 

In Japan, the sake and shochu industries are now just as turbulent and dynamic as any beverage category on the market. Since that action doesn’t always get communicated to the international sake-loving community, we thought we would sit down this week to reflect on the trends and impactful events that helped define sake in 2018.

 

Seeing as how we like to look ahead to sake and shochu’s unquestionably bright future, we also rounded up and shared our predictions for 2019. Some of those things are extensions of what we saw in 2018, however we could be in for some real surprises as well.

 

This week’s recording took place after a lengthy and energized team gathering where we plotted out our vision, goals and ambitions for the year ahead. The result is an episode of Sake On Air with an (awesome!) energy a bit different from everything that’s come before. Suffice it to say, we’re ecstatic about what the coming year has in store.

 

As far as we’re concerned, we’re still sending out the “beta” version of the show, but we’re on the verge of shifting into the next phase. We’ve got some big plans and exciting changes in store. They may not all be apparent at first, but we think you’ll pick up on it soon enough. We can’t wait to share more in the coming months.

 

As always, thanks to both our dedicated followers and new listeners that make it all possible. If you have any thoughts about the show, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

 

Please do follow along with us (@sakeonair) on our day-to-day journeys via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, as well. We’re sharing glimpses into sake brewing, service, people, and the culture that binds it all together.

 

Taking a moment to write a quick review helps more than you know. If you’re so inclined, yoroshiku!

 

A big thanks (as always) to Frank Walter for the amazing turnaround on this one. We wanted to get this out into the world while the excitement was still resonating.

 

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

 

Kampai!

 

Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

A bit of a small miracle, we managed to get the entire Sake On Air entourage in the same room at the same time. A first for the show, we have John, Sebastien, big Chris & little Chris, and Justin all together on the mic together this week!

 

In Japan, the sake and shochu industries are now just as turbulent and dynamic as any beverage category on the market. Since that action doesn’t always get communicated to the international sake-loving community, we thought we would sit down this week to reflect on the trends and impactful events that helped define sake in 2018.

 

Seeing as how we like to look ahead to sake and shochu’s unquestionably bright future, we also rounded up and shared our predictions for 2019. Some of those things are extensions of what we saw in 2018, however we could be in for some real surprises as well.

 

This week’s recording took place after a lengthy and energized team gathering where we plotted out our vision, goals and ambitions for the year ahead. The result is an episode of Sake On Air with an (awesome!) energy a bit different from everything that’s come before. Suffice it to say, we’re ecstatic about what the coming year has in store.

 

As far as we’re concerned, we’re still sending out the “beta” version of the show, but we’re on the verge of shifting into the next phase. We’ve got some big plans and exciting changes in store. They may not all be apparent at first, but we think you’ll pick up on it soon enough. We can’t wait to share more in the coming months.

 

As always, thanks to both our dedicated followers and new listeners that make it all possible. If you have any thoughts about the show, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

 

Please do follow along with us (@sakeonair) on our day-to-day journeys via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, as well. We’re sharing glimpses into sake brewing, service, people, and the culture that binds it all together.

 

Taking a moment to write a quick review helps more than you know. If you’re so inclined, yoroshiku!

 

A big thanks (as always) to Frank Walter for the amazing turnaround on this one. We wanted to get this out into the world while the excitement was still resonating.

 

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

 

Kampai!

 

Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Japan has absolutely exploded as a food and dining destination, but how is it as a sake destination? Sure there’s more than enough incredible sake to go around, but will you be able to find it? Are there specific regions or locations scattered across Japan that are accessible and offer the kinds of unique sake experiences and discoveries that make it worth the trip? What can we expect from “sake tourism” in the (hopefully) near future?

 

Its these topics (and more!) that fuel this particular sake journey, guided by Sebastien Lemoine,  Chris Hughes, and Justin Potts.

 

This week’s show is actually from a rather early recording that we did while still in our “R&D phase”. We weren’t sure if it would see the light of day, but giving it another listen, we thought there was info here that could be useful to our listeners, as well as hopefully be something that people could come back to and reference when planning or considering a visit to Japan that integrated sake discoveries.

 

This is a topic that we’ll be exploring again, both more thoroughly, as well as from a few other angles. That’s why we’ve labeled it “Part 1”. Part 2 doesn’t exist yet, but it will someday! Until then, we hope you’ll find some helpful tidbits tucked away in the discussion.

 

Also, we wanted to keep some fun content flowing post-holiday while we snuck away for a bit of rest, family time and celebration. We’ve got lots of exciting material coming very soon!

 

Because this episode was recorded a while back, some of the “news” that we discuss is, as you might have guessed, a bit outdated. That being said, we think it’s still interesting and relevant stuff, so we decided to leave it in there. And hey, if you hadn’t heard about it yet, then it’s news to you!

 

Topics, places and sake discussed this week (with links) include:

- Throughout this episode we’re sipping on the classic nigori sake from Kikuhime in Ishikawa prefecture.

- Kit Kat and umeshu (from Heiwa Shuzo, makers of KID sake) become one at a special Craft Sake Week bar.

- Italian craft beer producer Baladin teams up with soy sauce producer Yamaroku and their kioke project to bring kioke-aged beer to life.

- Mukai Shuzo in Kyoto, producers of Inemankai, which has been gathering attention and turning heads as of late.

- Kumazawa Shuzo, makers of Tensei in Kanagawa, have put together a

Japan has absolutely exploded as a food and dining destination, but how is it as a sake destination? Sure there’s more than enough incredible sake to go around, but will you be able to find it? Are there specific regions or locations scattered across Japan that are accessible and offer the kinds of unique sake experiences and discoveries that make it worth the trip? What can we expect from “sake tourism” in the (hopefully) near future?

 

Its these topics (and more!) that fuel this particular sake journey, guided by Sebastien Lemoine,  Chris Hughes, and Justin Potts.

 

This week’s show is actually from a rather early recording that we did while still in our “R&D phase”. We weren’t sure if it would see the light of day, but giving it another listen, we thought there was info here that could be useful to our listeners, as well as hopefully be something that people could come back to and reference when planning or considering a visit to Japan that integrated sake discoveries.

 

This is a topic that we’ll be exploring again, both more thoroughly, as well as from a few other angles. That’s why we’ve labeled it “Part 1”. Part 2 doesn’t exist yet, but it will someday! Until then, we hope you’ll find some helpful tidbits tucked away in the discussion.

 

Also, we wanted to keep some fun content flowing post-holiday while we snuck away for a bit of rest, family time and celebration. We’ve got lots of exciting material coming very soon!

 

Because this episode was recorded a while back, some of the “news” that we discuss is, as you might have guessed, a bit outdated. That being said, we think it’s still interesting and relevant stuff, so we decided to leave it in there. And hey, if you hadn’t heard about it yet, then it’s news to you!

 

Topics, places and sake discussed this week (with links) include:

- Throughout this episode we’re sipping on the classic nigori sake from Kikuhime in Ishikawa prefecture.

- Kit Kat and umeshu (from Heiwa Shuzo, makers of KID sake) become one at a special Craft Sake Week bar.

- Italian craft beer producer Baladin teams up with soy sauce producer Yamaroku and their kioke project to bring kioke-aged beer to life.

- Mukai Shuzo in Kyoto, producers of Inemankai, which has been gathering attention and turning heads as of late.

- Kumazawa Shuzo, makers of

Japan has absolutely exploded as a food and dining destination, but how is it as a sake destination? Sure there’s more than enough incredible sake to go around, but will you be able to find it? Are there specific regions or locations scattered across Japan that are accessible and offer the kinds of unique sake experiences and discoveries that make it worth the trip? What can we expect from “sake tourism” in the (hopefully) near future?

 

Its these topics (and more!) that fuel this particular sake journey, guided by Sebastien Lemoine,  Chris Hughes, and Justin Potts.

 

This week’s show is actually from a rather early recording that we did while still in our “R&D phase”. We weren’t sure if it would see the light of day, but giving it another listen, we thought there was info here that could be useful to our listeners, as well as hopefully be something that people could come back to and reference when planning or considering a visit to Japan that integrated sake discoveries.

 

This is a topic that we’ll be exploring again, both more thoroughly, as well as from a few other angles. That’s why we’ve labeled it “Part 1”. Part 2 doesn’t exist yet, but it will someday! Until then, we hope you’ll find some helpful tidbits tucked away in the discussion.

 

Also, we wanted to keep some fun content flowing post-holiday while we snuck away for a bit of rest, family time and celebration. We’ve got lots of exciting material coming very soon!

 

Because this episode was recorded a while back, some of the “news” that we discuss is, as you might have guessed, a bit outdated. That being said, we think it’s still interesting and relevant stuff, so we decided to leave it in there. And hey, if you hadn’t heard about it yet, then it’s news to you!

 

Topics, places and sake discussed this week (with links) include:

- Throughout this episode we’re sipping on the classic nigori sake from Kikuhime in Ishikawa prefecture.

- Kit Kat and umeshu (from Heiwa Shuzo, makers of KID sake) become one at a special Craft Sake Week bar.

- Italian craft beer producer Baladin teams up with soy sauce producer Yamaroku and their kioke project to bring kioke-aged beer to life.

- Mukai Shuzo in Kyoto, producers of Inemankai, which has been gathering attention and turning heads as of late.

- Kumazawa Shuzo, makers of