Sake & Food Story

At first, Mexican style tacos and sake may seem an unlikely [...]

Todd Bellomy works in the American craft beer industry. Previously, he lived in Japan, where he was introduced to Sake at its finest. Todd reads Japanese brewing texts, has interned with Japanese Sake brewers, brews Sake at home, and seeks out Sake and food-Sake pairings in the Boston area. He writes [...]

The biggest factor to me is having things done “by hand.” Doing things the old fashioned way meant doing it without cutting corners.   To make sake was back breaking work.  One would wake up early in the day and hit the sack late at night.  You would follow this strict regimen from October [...]

From traveling much of the East Coast, and highlighting a particular trip down to Augusta, GA, I was pleasantly surprised to see the vast majority of the people I spoke to were extremely interested in Sake.
In addition, my counterpart, Toshio Ueno (headquartered in Los Angeles) can attest to these findings from his travels up and [...]

It’s that season again.  Nama sakes are popping up here and there at your favorite Sake Bars and Restaurants.  But what is Nama? Or what exactly does Nama mean?

Let me see if I can help.

First of all, it’s pronounced (Nah-Mah).  It literally means “Raw”, which represents the Non-Pasteurized state of the sake.  Pasteurization is a [...]

By far the most recognizable Sake in Japan.  Ironically, the Kubota brand has only been in circulation for just 25 years.

Here is the inside story of the coveted and secretive brewery.

Incorporated in 1920, Asahiyama (the original name of the company) was an average Sake brewery looking to grow as demand for [...]

Snapshot

Presently, there are about 1250 active breweries left in Japan; a number diminishing from a once staggering number of over 10,000 or so.

This depleting supply is caused by a myriad of reasons ; globalization, market trends, nature, technology, and perhaps the most devastating reason being you won’t find too many youngsters choosing a life [...]

I see great similarities between the two festive seasons of Thanksgiving here in the States, and Oshougatsu in Japan. Oshougatsu （お正月）is the Japanese term for the New Year.

During these busy few days that make up a long weekend, families travel long distances to be together and share in what can only be described as a [...]

Japan is an island nation the size of California. This densely populated archipelago is home to over 127 million inhabitants. With a long history of being a closed society, Japan has in short been just what it is for centuries.

For the past 800 years, Japan has been perfecting the art of Sake [...]