Sake Revolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.Support the show

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

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