Sake Revolution

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

Episode 98. What’s on the menu this week? Well, Menus! Sake Menus, that is. We’ve all been there – Sitting in a restaurant, our server asking what we’d like to drink, staring at a sake menu and wondering what the heck to order. Sake menus come in all shapes and sizes and range from the helpful to the downright perplexing. The goal of any sake menu should be to help a customer easily find a sake they will love. And what makes a good sake menu? There is no one answer, but John and Timothy look at some real life examples of U.S. sake menus to see what is out there. (visit SakeRevolution.com to view them!) Some were actually fun to read and educated us along the way. Others were confusing and, let’s say “graphic design challenged”. Listen in as we explore the world of Sake À La Carte! #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 97. 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.  Let's start by taking a look at one of the most traditional sake cups there is - the ceremonial Sakazuki.  This wide and shallow saucer-like cup is footed and often holds just a sip or two of sake.  They can be made of ceramic, metal, lacquered wood and even glass.  Most commonly seen at a Japanese shinto wedding ceremony, these cups scream tradition - but how do they stack up to our wine glass in terms enjoying taste and aroma?  Listen in to the first in a series of sake vessel smackdowns!   #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 96. Listen at SakeRevolution.com.  What's the first thing that pops to mind when you hear the word "Miyagi"?  Well, Daniel-san, if you're our age, it might be Mr. Miyagi's "wax on, wax off".  But we are digging deeper to discover the real Miyagi - Miyagi Prefecture that is! And, by listener request, we'll be exploring some of the brands and sakes that are a part of this fascinating and resilient region. With only 25 breweries total, Miyagi suffered a major blow during the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.  Six of the 25 breweries were completely destroyed. With the support of sake lovers, government support and a lot of hard work, all of the effected breweries were rebuilt and are back in business.  There is so much to love about this interesting prefecture.  Our sake tasting takes us back to Katsuyama Brewery, which is well known for it's rich, fruity and luxurious styles of ultra-premium sake.  This delicious brew has us looking forward to our next trip to Miyagi. #sakerevolutionSupport the show

Episode 95. Listen at SakeRevolution.com.  Sitting down with another U.S. sake brewer, this week John and Timothy interview Steve Vuylsteke, CEO of SakeOne sake brewery in Oregon.  Steve has an extensive background in Oregon wine, not only having grown up in a winery and but also having lead several wineries as CEO over the years.  Fate brought Steve to SakeOne in 2009 and since then he's guided the company through the rapid growth of the craft sake movement in the U.S.  What's it like to transition from promoting Oregon Pinot Noir to Oregon Junmai Ginjo?  Steve shares with us a bit of his journey from grapes to rice.  To explore one of SakeOne's offerings, the guys taste a special sake together - Naginata Junmai Daiginjo, the Crown Jewel of SakeOne's portfolio. It features American grown Yamadanishiki and a limited production run of only 600 bottles per year.  Listen in and let's learn about one of the original craft sake breweries in the  States - SakeOne. #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 94. Listen at SakeRevolution.com.  This week John and Tim try to keep the episode short and sweet... EXTREMELY sweet, that it! Yes, extreme sakes are back! Listen in as we descend the Sake Meter Value (SMV) scale to taste a sake rated at a stunningly low -86!  This super-duper sweet strawberry nigori from Homare Shuzo shatters our expectations on what extremely sweet sake is all about.  Made with pure strawberry purée, this funky brew gives us serious Jamba Juice smoothie vibes all while maintaining a background flavor of clean and smooth sake and does not take itself too seriously. While extremely sweet sake is not something you could drink all day, it certainly reigns supreme in the world of desserts and after-dinner drinking. Lets see if Sweet Dreams are made of this! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 93. It is a truth universally acknowledged that, when visiting a foreign country, learning a few words of the local language can go a long way to enhancing your experience. We certainly agree and this is doubly true when visiting a sake bar in Japan.  This week, Tim and John will introduce you to their "Survival Japanese" for navigating the all important conversations around ordering sake in Japanese.     Move beyond a simple Kanpai and learn to describe some sake flavors and temperatures in Japanese - all while being exceedingly polite!  Disclaimer for all the linguists out there: This is our rough and tumble survival Japanese, so we're putting exacting grammar and full sentences on the back burner for this episode. To follow along, download our free "Survival Japanese for Sake" cheat sheet PDF at SakeRevolution.com, Onegaishimasu!   #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 92. Listen at SakeRevolution.com. Are you ready to get EXTREME?  In a new series, Timothy and John explore the fringes of what sake can be, taking on the expressions of sake that really push the envelope.  To start things off, we look at a sake that has undergone only a bit of rice polishing - just a scant 10% milled away to leave us with a full 90% seimaibuai remaining.  Most premium sakes clock in at 70% or often much less of the rice grain remaining.  How will the minimal milling affect the flavor?  This extreme brew comes from Terada Honke Sake Brewery located in Chiba Prefecture.  They take a "low intervention" approach to brewing using ambient yeast, home grown koji mold, organic rice and the old school kimoto yeast starter.  Any natural wine enthusiast would feel right at home with this philosophy.  Listen in to see how this extreme sake fares with Timothy and John.  Be sure to stay tuned for more extreme sake coming soon! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 91. This week we train our sake spotlight on another perennial favorite prefecture: Yamagata.  Quite rightly known as the "Ginjo Kingdom", Yamagata has one of the highest percentages of premium sake production of any prefecture in Japan.  The Yamagata Sake Brewer's Association has united the 50 breweries in the prefecture to focus their production, starting in the 1980s, on more aromatic, floral and fruity ginjo style sakes.  There is no better poster child for this than the popular Dewazakura Oka Ginjo sake which made its debut in 1980 and was one of the first brews to help shape the style of the new "Ginjo Kingdom".  Join us and listen in as we explore, study and taste the elegance of all things Yamagata ginjo. #sakerevolutionSupport the show