Sake Revolution

Episode 108. What happens when you bend the rules of sake brewing? You can certainly end up with sake that some would call extreme.  Case in point- there is some traditional thinking around how to treat "nama" or unpasteurized sake.  The often repeated golden rule is to 'keep it chilled' and 'drink it young'!  What happens if you decide to long-term age this kind of sake?  Today we'll find out!  Aged Nama is a new frontier in the world of sake styles.  If funky, fun and umami-driven flavors speak to you, you may very well want to check out this unconventional style of sake for yourself.  Let's explore the newest trend in older sake: Aged Nama!  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 107. While Sake Revolution is currently the only U.S. sake podcast, there are several other podcasters around the world working hard to spread the good word of sake.  We thought it would be fun to connect with our international colleagues for a little sake pod "crosstalk" to network and share the sake love.  We start with Alex, the intrepid voice behind London's "Sugidama Podcast". He brings sake interviews, history and education and to his interesting episodes. We also take some time to taste a sake together. It's a sake with a hard-to-pronounce name that is, however, oh so easy to drink: Kokuryu "Kuzuryu" Junmai.  Join us for our first crosstalk!   #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 106.  With his family's sake brewery on the verge of closing for good in 2003, Tadayoshi Onishi, at the age of 27, retooled the type of sake they were making by launching a new brand and a new flavor profile.  Their "Jikon" label soon gained recognition for its zippy and bright texture all while being approachable and easy drinking.  Since then, Jikon has been very much in demand with a limited supply causing some to label this a hard-to-find "cult" sake.  Luckily for us, there is some Jikon distribution in the States, so we couldn't resist looking into this brand for ourselves. Listen in and join us as we explore the world of Jikon sake!#SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 105. This week we interview and get to know Wes Konishi the President of the Sake Brewer’s Association of North America. Wes gives us the lowdown on the SBANA and their mission to help with establishing North American sake breweries and advocating for legislative form for the U.S. sake industry. Most of us sake lovers remember a special “A-ha” moment where we discovered the joys of premium sake for the first time, but Wes comes prepared with no less than two “a-has” that cemented his love for sake. Listen in as we discuss the path forward for sake education and sake literacy in the States. You won’t want to miss it!Support the show

Episode 104. 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 the most common and widely used sake cup: the work-a-day ochoko.  Ochokos are small, standard sake cups most often made of ceramic, but also coming in metal, glass and even wooden varieties. These cups can be seen dotting izakaya tables across Japan and are an everyday staple for sake lovers around the world.  But how do ochoko stack up against our trusty wine glass?  Listen now to our second sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 103. If you look up "extreme sake" in the dictionary and you may well find a picture of this bottle in there.  We are upping the ante on our quest for extreme sakes this week by introducing a brew with a lot of character... and a lot of fans: Tamagawa Heirloom Yamahai Junmai Genshu from Kinoshita Shuzo out of Kyoto.  The brainchild of UK-born Master Sake Brewer Phillip Harper, this sake is extreme in its deft use of ambient yeast to create a uniquely wild fermentation starter.  Paired with very high alcohol levels and a high acidity to match, this sake pushes the envelope on multiple fronts.  You'd think a sake like this might be a bit of a bull in a china shop, but the Tamagawa brewers have created an elegant, deeply flavored and eminently drinkable extreme sake.  It's not to be missed! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 102. Who needs a vacation?! If you’re having visions of swaying palm trees and ocean sunsets, this episode may be just what the doctor ordered! This week, we live vicariously through John’s recent trip to Hawaii and his visit to Islander Sake Brewery, makers of Hawaii’s only local sake. John wouldn’t leave us high and dry, so we also get to taste a fruity and zippy Kitashizuku Junmai Ginjo sake from Islander, hand carried by John from Hawaii for this episode. It’s a rare treat that gets us musing about terroir in sake and exploring a bit of the fascinating and century-old history of sake in Hawaii. Join us as we explore the true spirit of aloha together! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 101. This week, we have an enlightening and fun interview. We’re joined by Marcus Consolini, a New York City native who became the first non-Japanese owner and CEO of a sake brewery in Japan. In 2017, Marcus was introduced to Osaka’s Daimon Shuzo and with his background in finance and banking, he began a partnership to help guide the 200 year old brewery into new markets and opportunities. With such a unique perspective on the sake industry, both inside Japan and abroad, we knew we’d have an interesting discussion with lots of insight. For our tasting, we get to explore Daimon’s flagship export to the U.S., the “Road to Osaka” Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori. So listen in this week as we learn all about Marcus’ fascinating journey into the world of sake! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 100.  This week, we reach a very special milestone - 100 episodes of Sake Revolution!  John and Timothy plan to celebrate with a quiet and heartfelt Kanpai together to reflect on the last two years, but - a few interruptions got in the way.  Our phones were suddenly blowing up with previous guests of Sake Revolution checking in.  You won't believe some of the breaking sake news and updates we received!  Did Timothy and John ever get their quiet Kanpai together?  Listen in to find out!  A special thank you to all our previous guests, Patrons and listeners who have all supported us over 100 fun and sake-filled episodes!  We couldn't have done it without you. Here's to the next 100 episodes! Kanpai!#sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 99. Ripening in May each year, Japanese plums have a brief window of being in season.  Brewers take advantage of this delicious fruit to make an ever popular style of sake known as "Ume-shu" a.k.a. plum sake.  We're not talking about sticky and cloyingly sweet chemical plum wine here but rather a lightly sweet, tart and low alcohol elixir that is made by soaking whole plums in premium sake.  These styles of premium umeshu have complexity and go down smooth as silk. John and Timothy dive feet first into the world of plum sake.  And beyond simply tasting, they also look at some easy cocktail recipes that use umeshu as a base.  There is a lot to explore and talk about, so do join us this week as we plumb the depths of all things Umeshu! #sakerevolutionSupport the show