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.
How Japanese Sake Breweries are Coping with the Covid-19 Pandemic
The double blow to craft breweries of losing domestic sales to big-city sake specialty bars and restaurants, along with the temporary collapse of the booming overseas market, has been devastating. Yet some markets, like the China export trade, are now bigger than before the pandemic.
More Sake Content Than I Have Time For!
Brewers, along with a worldwide community of sake educators and agents are taking to Instagram Live, Zoom, and other platforms to tell their stories, show off their breweries, introduce their farmers, and hold virtual tastings.
Sake Rice: Can You Really Eat It?
In general, people don’t eat sake sakamai (酒米), or sake rice….Since it’s both less appealing to Japanese palates and more expensive, you typically don’t see restaurants or home cooks serving dishes that feature sake rice. At least not until recently.