Nigori + Hazy Discovery
NIGORI + HAZY DISCOVERY
about about about
CLOUDINESS = SAKE KASU... WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
• Sake is made from four main ingredients: Water, Rice, Yeast & Koji. • How much the rice grains are polished has a huge impact on flavor. • Koji is a mold! It breaks the rice starch down into fermentable sugar. • Building a mash (moromi) happens in steps over several days. • Unlike beer, starch to sugar conversion happens alongside alcoholic fermentation. • Kasu is a mix of undissolved rice and yeast filtered out after fermentation. • Nigori (cloudy sake) are either coarsely filtered or have kasu added after filtration. • Kasu has a variety of uses: pickling, cooking, skincare, fertilizers, and now BEER!
1 DASSAI BLUE Type 50
Hyde Park, NY - ($28/ 720ml) Grade: Junmai Daiginjo Rice: Yamadanishiki (AR) Polishing ratio: 50%
Brewed in upstate NY and using Arkansas grown Yamadanishiki rice (the King of Sake Rice), polished down to 50%. Aromatic notes of tropical fruits, bright acidity and summer vibes. Dassai Blue’s flagship sake.
Pairing Music: Blu-Swing – TRANSIT
2 DASSAI BLUE Nigori Type 50
Hyde Park, NY - ($28/ 720ml) Grade: Junmai Daiginjo Nigori Rice: Yamadanishiki (AR) Polishing ratio: 50%
Slight cloudiness achieved by adding kasu back into the filtered sake. The ratios vary slightly with each batch in order to achieve the target flavor profile. Hits many of the same flavor notes of its clear compatriot, but the texture gives it newfound weight.
Pairing Music: Panama Wedding – Parallel Play
3 GOZENSHU Bodaimoto Nigori
Okayama, JP - ($47/ 720ml) Grade: Junmai Bodaimoto Nigori Rice: Omachi (Okayama) Polishing ratio: 58-65%
A wild and ageable sake that shifts from crisp and herbal on release, to umami-rich, spiced and cheesy over time. Brewed with an ancient technique developed by monks, heirloom rice, & the the creative quirks of a sibling team-- him, a “reformed” skate punk.
Pairing Music: ~~~~
4 KIKUHIME Nigori
Ishikawa, JP - ($36/ 720ml) Grade: Honjozo Yamahai Nigori Rice: Yamadanishiki (Hyogo) Polishing ratio: 70% Mouth coating richness. Fried banana and vanilla ice cream. Nutty, a little bit chocolately. A wild fermentation starter provides an umami and funk that balances the sweetness. Drinks like a fuzzy nostalgic piece of deja vu that you can’t quite put your finger on. Pairing Music: Hazel English – Real Life
Teenage Brewing 音楽はビールだ Music is beer.
“Pints that create new and surprising memories through an unrestrained, modern approach.”
Founded by Daichi Mori in 2023 in a rural area of Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo. Prior to learning how to brew and ultimately starting Teenage Brewing, Mori spent 30 years in the music industry as a member of several bands and founder of record label Kilk records. This music background is apparent in the practice of publishing music pairings for each beer release. “At Teenage we believe that beer and music are closely connected. They’re both important parts of our culture, and listening to something while drinking is really special.”
THRESHOLD BREWING x TEENAGE BREWING Yama Haze
HAZY IPA WITH SAKE KASU
Brewed in collaboration with Teenage Brewing for Fuji to Hood. 30lbs of sake kasu was rehydrated and added into the wort. The goal was to create a beverage that combines the mouth coating fruity sweetness of the kasu with the bright citrusy hops into a plush and layered hybrid.
Pairing Music: Haruomi Hosono – Hosono House
Daichi Mori on his music pairing selection: “I think it’s something that makes one feel the same mood and at- mosphere that we felt when we came to Threshold, and on the Fuji to Hood event day. The lyrics also include the motif of “Yama”(mountain) a lot. I think it’s a perfect fit, but what do you think?”
