Oakland's own-- if you know, you know.
Wonderful balance: deep umami and food-friendly acidity play together in harmony. notes of almond, cashew milk, jujube, Five Spice powder, maple syrup, candycap mushroom, white miso, toasted soybean flour, fallen leaves, and banana bread.
Serve lightly chilled, room temp or lightly warmed.
Stats:
- Size: 500ml
- Location: Oakland, CA
- Grade: Junmai Namazake
- Rice: Calhikari from Rue and Foresman Ranch
- Polishing: 70%
- Water: filtered tap, medium-soft water from Hetch Hetchy reservoir, originating in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
- Training: Kubota (Niigata), Shiokawa (Kanagawa)
Inventory is very limited, so purchases are limited to one bottle per person. Next time you're in the SF Bay, you can arrange for pick-up directly from the brewery or local Bay Area retailers True Sake and Umami Mart!
Founded in 2017 by Yoshihiro Sako, Den Sake Brewery is the first sake brewery in Oakland, California. Sako brews small-batch sake using traditional Japanese brewing methods and proprietary techniques adapted for the California climate.
Den Sake is a pure rice sake made from single origin Cal-Hikari rice from Rue & Foresman ranch in the Sacramento Valley.
Yoshihiro Sako spent years as a sake buyer/sommelier in Bay Area restaurants and gained the knowledge to brew sake during apprenticeships at Kubota Brewery in Kanagawa-ken and Shiokawa Brewery in Niigata Prefecture.
However, because of the environmental differences between Japan and California, and the differences in the basic ingredients of rice and water, Sako needed to develop an alternative method of brewing. This included recalculating the water absorption ratios in the drier California Cal-Hikari rice versus traditional Japanese rice and taking into account the lower mineral content in Oakland, California water.
Den Sake is brewed to pair with an American cuisine that is more protein rich than that of Japan. Therefore, the Oakland-made sake has a higher acidity level to cut through the oils of foods higher in fat and protein. The result is an overall bolder sake than traditional Japanese sake that still pairs well with Western and Asian foods.