😀 Welcome back to The Drinking Buddy Show. Buddies of the show Greg Beck of Sake Secret and Paul Nakayama of Nankai Shochu are back to sip and snack with me.

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🍶 Grab a bottle of Moonbloom Sake

Summary (TLDR)

Greg Beck has been running a sake bar pop-up out of Long Beach Beer Lab called Sake Secret, sharing his passion and knowledge with sake lovers new and old. Paul Nakayama recently expanded from importing and sharing vacuum-distilled Nankai and Nankai Gold Shochu, to a new whiskey-barrel aged shochu and some incredible new nihonshu from Moonbloom Sake. Grab a pack of Drinking Buddy snacks and join us while we sip and snack.

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😀 Welcome back to The Drinking Buddy Show. It's wine o'clock. 

Use code BUDDYSHOW to get 10% off Ume Zarame Karinto, addictive plum sugar bites. Available exclusively from The Drinking Buddy Shop. 

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🍶 Order your own bottles and bites at Wine, Cheese, Etc.

Summary (TLDR)
On today’s show, chef Stephen Murray joins us to introduce some bottles and bites at his new shop Wine, Cheese, Etc. in Long Beach. Chef Stephen worked his way up from culinary school to fine dining, paying his dues along the way. After years of sacrificing holidays, weekends, and dinners at home, he recently opened up a wine, cheese, snack, and accessory shop on Clark in Long Beach. I got to sample a couple of the wines and taste some amazing and unique snacks.   

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Get a copy of The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks

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Summary (TLDR)

I wanted to get Greg’s thoughts on some new sake pairings while we ring in the new year. We prepped cheese, salami, senbei, and walnuts, then got down to finding our favorite combinations.  

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Get a copy of The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks

*We receive a small commission when you use the link above. We only provide books that we have personally read and believe valuable to you.*

Support the Drinking Buddy Show!  www.thedrinkingbuddyshop.com

🐔 See what Torisho is up to on Instagram

🐔 Check in with Safu Sake on Facebook

🐔 Order from Torisho Long Beach

Summary (TLDR)

Ken grew up between Japan and the US with a passion for music. He climbed his way up and was producing music for top artists in Japan before the age of 30. Looking for a new challenge, Ken founded Golden Foo, an entertainment company, in Los Angeles with two partners. A highly successfully fried chicken shop chain from Japan had caught his eye while working in New York, so he urged his partners to jump into the food business, right here in Long Beach.

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Get a copy of The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks

*We receive a small commission when you use the link above. We only provide books that we have personally read and believe valuable to you.*

Support the Drinking Buddy Show!  www.thedrinkingbuddyshop.com

🍶 See what Safu Sake is up to on Instagram

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🍶 Learn more about Safu Sake

Summary (TLDR)

Dr. Paul Dohrenwend decided to head back to school for his MBA after years as a physician in San Diego. During his time at Wharton, he started piecing together a sake brand based on his experiences skiing and drinking in Hokkaido. I chatted with him about his love for premium sake, how he connected with food and beverage broker Reina Watanabe, and their combined efforts to launch Safu Sake in the midst of the unrelenting pandemic.

Sake

15% ABV Fuji Shuzo Style Junmai Daiginjo by Safu Sake
Origin: Usuki City, Oita, Japan
Notes:  Aromas of melon, pear and hints of rose, bright and clean finish, silky mouthfeel

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Get a copy of The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks

*We receive a small commission when you use the link above. We only provide books that we have personally read and believe valuable to you.*

Support the Drinking Buddy Show!  www.thedrinkingbuddyshop.com

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🍺 Get a copy of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland 

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🍺 Learn more about Edward Slingerland

Summary (TLDR)
Professor Slingerland fell in love with Chinese philosophy and language at an early age. He eventually completed his studies at Stanford and Berkley in Northern California, and is currently a professor of philosophy at the university of British Columbia. His latest book Drunk delves into the world of intoxicants, exploring the origins, detriments, and benefits of our ancient dance with Dionysus. I spoke with Professor Slingerland to learn more about his fascinating research and the surprising results he uncovered.   

Links
Get a copy of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland 

Support the Drinking Buddy Show!  www.thedrinkingbuddyshop.com

Add a one-of-a-kind Bizen beer mug to your beer glass collection now. Available exclusively from The Drinking Buddy Shop.

🎨 See what LaJon is up to on Instagram

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Summary (TLDR)

On today’s show, artist LaJon Miller joins me in Long Beach, California.  LaJon began drawing at an early age, copying his favorite graphic novel artists in notebooks. But what brought LaJon from sketches to the murals and paintings he’s known for today? How did art, something he was told couldn’t be a career, become his full-time passion? I sat down with LaJon to hear about his journey.

Timestamps

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Add a one-of-a-kind Bizen beer mug to your beer glass collection now. Available exclusively from The Drinking Buddy Shop.

🍶 See what Ambitious Ales is up to on Instagram

🍶 Check in with Ambitious Ales on Facebook

🍶 Learn more about Ambitious Ales

Summary (TLDR)

Ambitious Ales started when five friends decided to leave their careers behind and take their homebrewing hobby to the professional level. I sat down with Garrett to learn about their journey from winning a couple of brewing awards to opening their doors on Atlantic Avenue in a local landmark. We chatted about their goal of being a community hub, their plans for the future, and their latest lineup of craft beers.

Timestamps

1:17 Garrett Carroll
7:00 Switching from music to craft beer
11:01 The five founders of Ambitious Ales
15:32 Surviving the pandemic
18:14 The Ambitious brand
20:03 A community hub
21:41 Expansion
24:16 Current beer lineup
29:45 Where to learn more

Beer

6.8% ABV Mandrake Falls West Coast IPA by Ambitious Ales
Hops: Triple Dry Hopped with Rakau, Motueka and The Bruce
Notes: Approachable, clean, modern West Coast profile with tropical fruit and soft citrus

5% ABV Gandalf the Crisp New Zealand Style Pilsner by Ambitious Ales
Hops: Motueka
Notes: Lime zest, clean profile, balanced bitterness

Learn More

Get a copy of The Oxford Companion to Beer 

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The Isbell Family has been farming in central Arkansas for generations. They gained international attention when they began growing premium Japanese rice, eventually bringing bus loads of visitors to see their farm. I chatted with two generations of the Isbell Family to learn about their history, sustainability practices, current sake and table rice varieties, and their plans for the future. 

Support the Drinking Buddy Show!  www.thedrinkingbuddyshop.com

Add a one-of-a-kind Bizen beer mug to your beer glass collection now. Available exclusively from The Drinking Buddy Shop.

🍶 See what Greg is sipping on Instagram

🍶 Check in with Sake Secret on Facebook

🍶 Book Greg for your next event Sake Secret

Welcome to our the second part of our first Sips and Snacks episode! This is our last episode recorded during the pandemic shut down. We go over a few more sake and dream of visiting an izakaya.