The “Beau-Zone” Layer – Emishiki World Peace & Brooklyn Kura Yuzu Fizz
Brooklyn Kura Yuzu Fizz
From Brooklyn, New York.
Junmai Daiginjo Yuzu
SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A
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Emishiki World Peace Nama
From Shiga Prefecture.
Aged Junmai Ginjo Nama.
SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A
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People are always telling me to have fun with the Beau-Zone Layer! I do have fun exploring certain brews with you all. And yes, I get to express myself like the team does with their staff picks. In this light two brews jumped at me in two totally different directions, and I love them.
The first is a product from my visit to Brooklyn Kura this summer. The BK team launched a new sake expression that is a really cool foot forward in the “sake” game geared for a younger market. And it tastes great. The ingredients, “Filtered carbonated water, Junmai Daiginjo sake, yuzu juice, lemon juice, can sugar, and citric acid,” that comes in 8.4oz (250ml) can that looks as refreshing as this Yuzu Fizz drinks. When I first sipped it, I said this is a winner! There are a lot of new products out in the market, but this one has a very cool backbone of Junmai Daiginjo with a very fun, light, and playful yuzu tingle that not only cleans the palate but refreshes it too. Think beach, picnic, pool, hot days, warm nights, cocktail hour, and enjoy a Yuzu Fizz that is made for the young, but enjoyed greatly by this old guy.
The second sake glimpse is something that I didn’t discover, but tasted at a very cool sake bar in SF called Moku (Bar). We have sold Emishiki for the past eight years of so, and you know the kijoshu called Monsoon, the Junmai called Emishiki Sensation White, and of course the Junmai Ginjo called World Peace. And yes, we have sold those last two in nama form quite regularly in the spring when they are released. So why did I pick World Peace Nama for the BZ Layer? Look at that date 2024-25 on the bottle sticker. Yup that is old unpasteurized sake, which is technically a no-no, but you all know I’ve been aging “Nama” sake for decades now. So when I tasted this version of let’s say “aged” World Peace I thought it drank pretty cool, sort of mysteriously clever and deep. It has the same Emishiki structure, but the sake feels a little more relaxed and is a little more juicy rich. Yum, juicy and rich are fun components of a sake that is very food friendly to begin with, and I remember the owner of the brewery actually pouring me this very Nama with a large marinated slice of bonito sashimi. We have a limited quantity of these for obvious reasons, but if you’re interested in exploring an unsanctioned segment of the sake market, then give it a bash and bring a little peace to your sake world.