Episode 174. This week we welcome a sake personality from Quebec, Canada to the studio – Mr. Benoit Champagne. With a name like Mr. Champagne, you might well think Benoit was destined for a life involved with sparkling wine, but luckily for the sake lovers of Quebec, he found his way first to Japan and discovered a love of sake, which he now guides breweries to exporting in Canada. Benoit also worked for years as a non-Japanese brewer and export manager at a Japanese sake brewery, which we also discuss in this episode. Listen in as we sip on and explore the je ne sais quoi of a delicious sake recommended by Benoit, Zaku Ho no Tomo Junmai. Join us! #SakeRevolution

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Episode 173. World Sake Day comes once a year on Oct 1st.  For sake fans across the globe, this is our big holiday... think Christmas-4th of July-Halloween all rolled into one! What better way for us to mark the day then with a live recording of Sake Revolution in front of a studio audience and featuring an interview and tasting with our two New York City Tojis: Brandon Doughan of Brooklyn Kura and Shinobu Kato of Kato Sake Works. Our friends and sake fans who attended this live recording at the Brooklyn Kura Taproom on Oct 1st, 2024, got to taste along with us as we explored the sake and the stories of these two outstanding brewers.  We also welcomed audience questions for a fun-filled roundtable of sake exploration and learning - with lots of laughs along the way.  Listen in as we celebrate Sake Day 2024 live and in person! #SakeRevolution

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Episode 172. "Say Cheese"!  If you identify as a curd nerd, join us to explore an exciting new way of pairing with sake!  We are joined this week by extra special guest host Myshell who lends her crazy-style palate to our exploration of these pairing possibilities. Listen in as we taste three sakes, each of which has been paired with a show-stopping cheese - each a different style from a different country, no less. Have wine and cheese pairings finally met their match? #SakeRevolution

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Episode 171. This week we go back to school...again! Timothy's new role as the Director of Education at the Sake Studies Center at Brooklyn Kura is the focus of today's episode.  The Sake Studies Center is the new sake school on the block, offering education, tastings and brewery tours for professionals and sake-curious consumers alike at our state-of-the-art facility at Industry City in Brooklyn.  It's also a sake community center where other sake educators can bring their classes and special events. As the only sake school in the U.S. attached to a working sake brewery, it really is the best place to "learn about sake where sake is made!" We hope you'll join us for a seminar or tasting soon.  Listen in for all the details! #SakeRevolution

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Episode 170. We were so happy to sit down to chat and sip sake with our friend Ryan Mellinger, the General Manager of the Joto Sake imports portfolio at Kobrand.  Ryan explains to us, in an easy to understand way, the intricacies of the complex "three tier system" of alcohol distribution that we have in the States and all that goes into getting fresh and delicious sake all the way from Japan to local stores and restaurants for us to enjoy. Speaking of delicious sake, we also taste an intriguing selection from Joto's portfolio - the Chikurin Fukamari Junmai, which is a sake blended with previous year's batches to give it added depth and dimension.  Listen in as we explore all things Joto Sake with Ryan!    #SakeRevolution

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Episode 169. This week, we are returning to our series on sake vessels, but this time looking at sake serviceware in particular.  We're focusing in on the Tokkuri, the workhorse carafe used for sake service across the world.  Tokkuri carafes can be used to serve sake chilled, room temperature, and to warm it up as well. The materials used to make tokkuri run the gamut from metal to glass to wood, with the most popular being ceramic.  However utilitarian, use of the tokkuri comes with some etiquette rules, too.  Have you broken any of the Tokkuri rules? Listen in and let's find out! #sakerevolution

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Episode 168. We are off to explore the sake scene in another region of Japan! This time it is beautiful Oita Prefecture!  As we don't know much about Oita, despite there being 33 sake breweries there, we needed to phone-a-friend.  Luckily for us, our buddy Chris Johnson (aka The Sake Ninja) lived for 3 years in rural Oita on the Jet program.  Chris gets us up to speed on the charms of Oita as well as the local customs and food culture.  We also hear tales of Onsen that are so hot, they are known as the Seven Hells as well has compulsory sumo wresting and a drinking game or two thrown in for good measure.  We also taste Wakabotan sake, a newly exported Oita brew.  Let's explore together what Oita has to offer!  #SakeRevolution

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Episode 167. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind.  But if we scratch the surface and investigate a bit more the way that sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to our latest series we are calling "Funky Packaging"... think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle.  Cups, bags, paks, and today's packaging - the Kikusui Funaguchi "Smart Pouch".  It's kinda like a Capri Sun and a boxed wine had a baby.  This is definitely not your old school glass sake bottle.  The spout allows for quick and easy dispensing with no oxygen exposure and the pouch itself stands up on it's own without a box.  Listen in as we explore another variation of funky packaging.  #SakeRevolution

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Episode 166. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind.  But if we scratch the surface of exploring how sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to our latest series we are calling "Funky Packaging" - think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle.  Cups, bags, pouches, and today's inaugural packaging - the Tetra Pak Juice Box.  Could this form factor we know from our school lunchbox be a good one for sake?  In this episode, John and Tim think INSIDE the box to explore what is going on with sake in juice box packaging. Is the sake worth the squeeze? Let's find out together!
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Episode 165. If you hear the term "CEL-24" and the first thing you think of is prison, and not a sake yeast, I don't think anyone would blame you.  But today we're here to spread the word on CEL-24 sake yeast and it's role in bringing us some of the most fruit-driven sake aromas on the planet.  Developed in Kochi prefecture in the 90's, CEL-24 was a response to the market demands for more aromatic and fruity sake styles. And after tasting a CEL-24 sake for ourselves, we can say that the apple, pineapple and other fruit aromas are strong and powerful as promised.  Yeast can have a big impact on a sake's aromatics and CEL-24 yeast really shows this to be true. Join us as we explore the world of sake yeast and perhaps push the boundary of how fruity a sake can be! #SakeRevolution

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Episode 164. On New Year's Day, 2024, the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture was the epicenter of a major earthquake measuring a 7.6 on the Richter scale.  The affected areas are especially well known for sake brewing and in Ishikawa in particular, 24 out of 33 Ishikawa Sake Brewery Association member breweries suffered damage, with 8 suffering complete destruction. While the news of the earthquake and the recovery efforts have fallen out of the headlines, we wanted to offer our support and good wishes to the affected breweries inside Ishikawa and the surrounding prefectures as well, as they continue their road to recovery and rebuilding.  One thing we can all do to support the sake industry is easy - ordering more sake from the affected regions and keeping an eye out for Noto sakes when they make their return to the market.  We profile one such sake in this episode - Hakuto Tokubetsu Junmai. We look forward to supporting this brand and many others whenever they are able to restart brewing in their repaired facilities. Look for updates on this in future episodes!  #SakeRevolution

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