Sake Revolution

Episode 130.  Join us this week as John and Timothy go down the rabbit hole in search of what could be described as the most unique sake yeast out there!  This takes us over 100 years back in time to the establishment of the first olive trees in Japan planted in the rural Sanuki region of Kagawa Prefecture which we learned went on to become the nation's epicenter for olive oil production.  To boost slumping sake sales, the Kagawa Sake Brewer's association decided in 2016 to leverage their region's famous fruit to create a new style of sake. And thus, Sanuki Olive Yeast was born.  Finding the right strain of yeast took years of research, but finally, an alcohol tolerant yeast propagated from olive leaves and fruit was established.  Would you roll the dice and try a sake made from olive yeast? And does it actually taste like olives??  We promise you'll be surprised! We sure were! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 129. This week we focus our spotlight on sake and stories from another prefecture: Yamaguchi!  Well known in Japan as the home to the poisonous but delicious Fugu (Japanese blowfish aka pufferfish), there are a number of outstanding breweries in the Prefecture. Located on the far western tip of Japan's main Honshu island, Yamaguchi is not close to Tokyo, but does have easy access to Hiroshima. To dip our toe into the wide world of Yamaguchi sake, we taste the stunning Gangi Mizunowa Junmai Ginjo. This expressive and fruity brew elegantly layers pineapple, mango and a whisper of floral notes to create a silky smooth and enjoyable aroma and flavor.  But does it pair with Fugu?  Listen in and discover a bit of what Yamaguchi sake has to offer. #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 128. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring an icon in modern design - the Sori Yanagi Sake Glass.  With a solid glass foot, and a clear, minimalist bowl, the Yanagi glass is perhaps the most ubiquitous sake cup design of the post war period. How does this design stack up agains our standard wine glass?  tune in this week to find out! #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 127. Dreams do come true! Since its inception, the guys at Sake Revolution has been hoping to do an episode where at least one of them is reporting in “live from Japan”. With the covid restrictions finally easing, travel to Japan is allowed again and John jumped at the chance to visit our favorite destination! This week is a casual check in on the progression of his trip to the best sake bars and shops in Hiroshima and Tokyo. They guys also reminisce on their first (sideways) attempt to broadcast Sake Revolution live from Japan back in early 2020. This redemption episode finally gets us on the air as we envisioned! So let’s take a sneak peek at some sake hijinks Live from Japan! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 126. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Kamonishiki from Niigata Prefecture. This small brewery breaks the mold on what most people expect from a typical Niigata brewery – that is, classic, crisp and dry flavors along with even more classic labels. The packaging for Kamonishiki’s Nifudazake line really steals the show. The focus is squarely on small batch production at Kamonishiki. Each bottle has a hang tag instead of a traditional label and this tag not only tells us the usual sake classification and rice milling rate, but also which specific tank the sake came from. The sake itself is as beautiful and unique as the packaging with fruity notes and a lush palate. Let’s have som fun and experience this barrier-busting microbrew! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 125. Believe it or not, the holiday season is sneaking up on us again! And while you may be finalizing your halloween costume, we are thinking ahead to enjoying sake this December. What better way to do this than with the world’s only Sake Advent Calendar! Created for the second year in a row by sake retailer Namazake Paul, the calendar has been upgraded and improved by importing a number of new cup sakes and redesigning the packaging and presentation. Lucky recipients of the Sake Advent Calendar can compare their tasting notes of all the mystery sakes on a dedicated facebook group. The calendar also comes with a tasting notebook and adorable cover art featuring a sake-loving polar bear named “shiro kuma”. Without a doubt, this is the perfect gift for yourself or for the sake fan in your life! #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 124. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring an industry standard sake cup - the "kikichoko".  A larger relative of the standard ochoko, Kikichokos have a blue and white bullseye design inside the cup. To learn all the secrets of the kikichoko and to see how it stacks up against our trusty wine glass, listen now to this week's sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolution Support the show

Episode 123. Can you keep a secret?  We usually can... unless it involves sake intel that's hot off the presses.  This week, we have a fun interview with California sake expert and sommelier Greg Beck.  Greg is the founder and owner of Sake Secret, an L.A. County sake pop up. He studied Japanese in college and found his way to sake through the festivals and matsuri while working in Hiroshima.  As his passion for sake grew, he returned to the States to share the secrets of sake with everyone.  While the pop up is fantastic, Greg has a dream to give sake a permanent home in Southern California and so he's launched a Kickstarter campaign to make a brick and mortar sake shop a reality in SoCal.  Listen in to hear Greg's story and consider supporting his efforts to share the Sake Secret with us all!  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 122. A long overdue return to the Sake Education Corner lets us explore a common question affecting everyone who brings a bottle of sake home - what's the deal with sake storage?! How long can you keep your sake before opening, after opening, at what temperature, in what location, and what to avoid.  While the lawyerly answer to any of these questions is often "it depends", we get into the nitty gritty and provide concrete advice anyone can implement immediately. So crack open your fridge and  let's store some sake!    #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 121. This week, we shine the sake spotlight on a region of Japan that is virtually unknown to most sake fans. We’re talking about Kagoshima, the volcanic, sub-tropical home base of “imo” sweet potato shochu on the southern tip of Kyushu island. Despite being a world famous mecca for distilled shochu, two of the over 100 distilleries in Kagoshima have ventured into sake production giving us a sake lifeboat in this vast ocean of shochu. Today we’ll be tasting one of them: Tenbu sake from Nishi Shuzo, a distillery founded in 1845. The remarkable point here is that they only received their sake brewing license in 2020 making this one of the youngest sake breweries around. How does sake that is made by shochu distillers actually taste?  Well, let’s dive in and explore the sake from one of the most unlikely places in Japan: Kagoshima! #sakerevolutionSupport the show