Sake Revolution

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!

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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!

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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!

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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.  

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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