Chris’ Sake Corner – New Craft Sakes from France and the USA
Greetings Sake Fans and Connoisseurs,
Chris here, back at it with yet another newsletter column. This time around, I'll be talking about new craft sake hitting the True Sake shelves for the very first time, made right here in the United States.
Craft Sake outside of Japan has come a long way. And this is really good for us sake fans here in the United States. To have a product that can hang and go toe-to-toe with Japanese sake, made with local ingredients, is pretty damn cool. But the advantage that craft sake brewers outside of Japan have over their Japanese counterparts is that they can make essentially whatever they want. There are strict laws as to what makes sake sake in Japan. But outside of Japan, it's the wild wild west.
For starters, Brooklyn Kura from Brooklyn, New York have come out with Occidental Dry Hopped Junmai Namachozo. Co-founders Brian Polen and Brandon Doughan have created a true American sake by steeping Citra Hops which oxidizes and gives the sake a pink hue. Aromatic with IPA-hint and a grapefruit rind and velvet smooth citrus finish. This is unlike any other sake you've ever had. We think it's pretty cool to see the envelope pushed a little bit here in the sake world. If you're a beer lover and also curious about experimentation, then this might be for you.
Brooklyn Kura also came out with Grand Prairie Limited Release Junmai Ginjo Namachozo. Grand Prairie is named after the first place to grow Yamadanishiki in the US. Dry and light with a hint of honeysuckle. Beautifully expressive and layered with an alluring texture. The pinnacle of the Brooklyn Kura lineup! True Sake is excited to show and tell the story of Brooklyn Kura sakes.
Next up... we are very lucky to have a limited release from Den Sake, made across the Bay Bridge in Oakland, California. If you're a fan of Den Sake, buy this now. This will sell out. Made with very special organic Luna Koshihikari rice milled to 90%, which is not really milled at all. This rice in particular is grown in the Sacramento valley without any fertilizer or pesticides. Den 90 has a silky texture with a gentle, savory finish. Low temperature fermentation and a stronger koji batch make Den 90 elegant yet savory at the same time. We only got 2 cases of this!
Last but not least is actually sake not made in the United States. Wakaze is made in Paris, France and it's fantastic. All the raw materials come from France: Camargue rice, French water, rice koji cultivated in France, etc. This sake in particular blew us away during the last staff tasting, and we absolutely had to have it. We're actually really big fans of Kijoshu here at True Sake, and this Whisky Barrel Aged Sake is made in the Kijoshu method. Long story short, Kijoshu sake is brewed with more sake instead of more water. Notes of caramel, plum, and cooked orange, this sake would make for a great after-dinner digestif, and would also appeal to complex umeshu fans.
That's it from me! Until next time! I hope you enjoyed my unique offerings this month!
Chris