About Sake Saru

The aim of the Sake Saru (Sake Monkey) blog, is to expand upon the knowledge and research that has been gaining a lot of interest amongst sake home brew enthusiasts. Without the hard work and dedication of sake enthusiasts Bob Taylor, who's guide Taylor-MadeAK-Brewing Sake, and Will Auld's Home Brew Sake Guide, both of which are based on Fred Eckhardt's book Sake USA. Will Auld's Guide follows the more popular Sokujo brewing method that requires the addition of lactic acid during the early stages of sake production and produces a milder, more predictable and controllable end product.  For those in the USA, his online shop sells sake kits, polished sake rice provided by SakeOne Brewery, Koji-Kin, Koji rice, Yeast and Chemicals.  He also has some videos showing how to complete the various stages of the sake Process.

On the other side is Bob Taylor's guide which follows the less common, more unpredictable Yamahai method that relies on the natural production of lactic acid by lactobacillus bacteria present in the yeast starter. This method leads to a more complex, earthy and unique style of sake forming only 1% of sake production in Japan. In order to fully understand and appreciate the two methods, while accessing a wealth of information I suggest reading both guides in full. 
Claes Nilsson et al at Sake Brew, carried out a study on sake brewing and they have combined elements from both Bob and Will for their sake brewing.

As this blog develops I will be detailing how I brew sake, whilst exploring both styles and the types of sake we can make at home. 

All aspects of sake brewing will be discussed and I will be making a refined sake which can be processed in several different ways, for example Muroka (unfiltered), Genshu (undiluted), Seishu (clean/clear), Nigorizake (cloudy) and Namazake (unpasteurized). 
After testing recipes, equipment and processes I hope to move towards brewing sake with imported sake rice from Japan, using the Yamahai and Sokujo methods.

Sake in the UK is slowly gaining more interest, however it still seems to be largely misunderstood or ignored.
Most people will have tried sake whilst eating in Chinese or Japanese restaurants and most people will drink it warm. The main supermarkets sell a very substandard sake that tastes pretty bad and is more like a cheap Vodka, heating makes it almost bearable. 
Waitrose does stock Sawanotsuru Sake, priced at £11.20 and is in my opinion a very good entry level Sake that can be enjoyed warm in the winter and chilled in the summer. 

With that said, unless you order sake online or have it stocked in a specialist outlet, it is not possible to explore the huge variety that is produced. Price does seem to hinder the uptake of sake drinking, with some bottles of Daiginjo selling for £27 - £58 per 720ml bottle. At these prices most people will only ever drink it on a special occasion or reserve it as a once in a while luxury. For that reason I think sake will be consumed by those who can afford it and those who understand and appreciate it.

For more information on sake, check out the Wikipedia page.  

YouTube has a number of sake Brewing related videos. I recommend watching a series of videos by SakeNinjettes, which is a fun and informative look at the Yamahai method detailed in Bob Taylor's guide.