Sake Revolution

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,...

 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 lis...

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 - se...

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 wo...

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...

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...

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 compan...

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...

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 mountai...

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 prod...

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 u...

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...

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 usu...

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 exc...

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...

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...

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 drinkin...

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 oversigh...

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...

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 han...

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 pro...

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 "f...

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...

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...

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...