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.
Hachinohe Shuzo: The Winningest Sake Brewery of 2021
We wanted to include Hachinohe in our book because its sake is fantastic, and we like the Komai brothers’ use of all-local organic and natural rice, Aomori yeast, and their goal of restoration and preservation of the local Kanisawa ecosystem.
Kikuchi Brewery and the Kimura Method of Natural Rice Farming
Kimura’s method is “beyond organic,” using no chemical or organic fertilizers, no pesticides, and no compost. Instead plant life is nourished by harnessing beneficial soil microbes that work in concert with local insect, animal and bird life. Kimura believes that too often plants are overfed when everything they need to thrive exists in the natural environment.