Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake
These posts are the continuation of my thoughts and reporting on sake for the James Beard award-winning Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake, which I co-wrote with sake sommelier and Sake Samurai Michael Tremblay.
Sake and Supply Chains
Genki Ito is turning his attention to overcoming key barriers to growing the sake market: the power imbalance between large distributors and small breweries; the complexity of U.S. alcohol regulations; and the multi-layer supply chain that has resulted. These factors drive up prices for consumers, result in long lead times and suboptimal shipping and storage conditions. Sake that arrives in a compromised state, or that spends a year on an unrefrigerated shelf negatively colors consumers’ perception of sake as a category.
Visit to the Bigger, Shinier,Brooklyn Kura
We often think of small batch as being unique and superior but in this case, not true!
Sake Entrepreneur Ryuji Ikoma’s Push to Elevate Sake’s Image and Price
Craft sake is a little like immigrant food in North America, pigeonholed into an affordable category that does not recognize its true worth.
“Cosy Koji”: Marika Groen and Melissa Mills on the Making of a Koji Community
“Koji has its own life, not so different from yours. They are born, grow up, learn to survive, and pass away in the blink of an eye.”
Mutsuko Soma: Serving Sake and Soba in Seattle
“One part of me is a super-traditional artisan, but the other side is fun and creative. I like to challenge myself.”
Islander Sake Brewery: Reviving a Hawai'ian Sake Brewing Tradition
“Just as for human beings, there is an optimal level of stress that one should put on the microbes involved in sake fermentation.”
Courtney Kaplan: Introducing Small Craft Brewers to L.A. Diners
The East Village sake bar Decibel “served fifty or sixty sakes by the glass and was an institution. After closing we could try anything we wanted, so it was a tremendous tasting opportunity.”
Sake Lovers: Yuki Imanishi and Kyoko Nagano Build Bridges Between Japanese Sake and Foreign Buyers
“We have so many sake retailers here in Japan and sites that introduce sake to Japanese people, plus online retail sites like Rakuten and Amazon. But a lot of expats don’t know where to find good sake.”