Sake Revolution

Episode 189. After six years of audio-only podcasting, Sake Revolution is officially on video — and we're celebrating by doing something dangerous... dangerously delicious, that is! John and Timothy are trying their hand at a 15-million-view viral sake challenge out of Japan: dipping castella cake into a can of Kikusui Funaguchi. A sake shop called Kurand started it. Kikusui's own social media team escalated it. And now Ameri...

Episode 188. Pack your bags — and your sake glass. This week on Sake Revolution, John and Timothy kick off an exciting new series: Sake Destinations, your insider guide to buying and drinking sake like a local wherever you travel. And they're starting with the big one: Tokyo.  Whether you're planning your first trip to Japan or you're a seasoned traveler looking to level up your sake itinerary, this episode is your cheat...

Episode 187. Ever wonder where the sake bomb actually came from? Spoiler alert: it probably wasn't Japan. This week on Sake Revolution, John and Tim dive headfirst into one of the most divisive topics in sake culture — the sake bomb. From its surprising roots in the 19th century boilermaker, to a 1987 Houston newspaper ad that might just be the earliest printed record of the drink, this episode is packed with history, hot tak...

Episode 186. What happens when one of Japan's most ancient art forms meets your favorite grab-and-go drink? This week on Sake Revolution, John and Tim crack open something truly special — a one cup sake housed in genuine Imari porcelain, the same fine ceramics that were traded to Europe as far back as the 1600s. The brewery behind it, Koimari Sake Brewery of Saga Prefecture, has crafted a series of five beautifully designed c...

Episode 185. With 2025 over and done, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was.  Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. It's also the moment of truth to review our "Sake Revolution Resolutions" - Did we achieve our goals? Whatever the outcome, we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais. We ...

Episode 184. With a new year fast approaching—and an astonishing five years of podcasting under our belts—we thought it was the perfect time to go back to basics. In this episode, we revisit some of the cornerstone concepts of sake, offering a concise refresher on ingredients, classifications, and production.

Sake remains a niche category in the world of alcohol, and every day new fans are looking for a clear, ap...

Episode 183. World Sake Day comes once a year on Oct 1st.  For sake fans across the globe, this is our big holiday... think Christmas-4th of July-Halloween all rolled into one! What better way for us to mark the day then with a live recording of Sake Revolution in front of a studio audience and featuring an interview and tasting with a Sake Brewery owner and brewer- our friend Byron Stithem of Nashville's Proper Sake. All the ...

Episode 182. In December of 2024 "Sake" received a special recognition from UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is probably most famous for recognizing cultural heritage sites... like Mount Fuji or Himeji Castle.  But in the case of of sake made with koji, it was recognized officially as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". How cool is that? While this is not exactly ...

Episode 181. Sake Day, celebrated every year on October 1st, will be here before you know it, and Sake Revolution is here to be your guide! In this special episode, John and Timothy map out the most exciting Sake Day celebrations happening across the country in 2025, from San Francisco’s legendary 20th anniversary Sake Day to exciting events in Boston, Denver, D.C., San Diego, and New York. For devoted sake fans, Sake Day fee...

Episode 180. In this episode, we again shine a light on the role of Sake Yeast in our series known as the Kobo Chronicles. “Irradiation” and “mutant” are not typical words you’d find in sake marketing, but Tokushima Prefecture makes it work in promoting their “LED YUME” sake yeast. By exposing yeast to blue LED lights, they’ve created new strains of sake yeast for use specifically by ...

Episode 179. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Hououbiden from Kobayashi Shuzo in Tochigi Prefecture.  How does a brewery go from the edge of bankruptcy to become a coveted cult sake? To quote Huey Lewis, that's the power of love!  This brewery is managed by the rare combination of a husband who is the brewery president and a wife who is the Master Brewer/Toji. The sake they make is etherial and e...

Episode 178.  In this episode join John and Timothy as they interview Keith Norum.  Keith is a well known figure in the sake industry and he has represented the Masumi brand of sake since 2005.  Keith tells us his story of getting to Japan and finding his way to the world of sake.  What's it like working at a traditional Japanese sake brewery?  Keith gives us a peek behind the noren!  Together we all t...

Episode 177. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind.  But if we scratch the surface and investigate a bit more the way that sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to one of our series we are calling "Funky Packaging"... think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle.  Cups, bags, paks, and today's packaging - the Joto One...

Episode 176. With 2024 over and done, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was.  Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. Tim and John both let us know their favorite episodes from the past year and we also take a guess at the most downloaded episode from 2024. It's also the moment of truth to review our "Sake R...

Episode 175.  Join us this week for another wide-ranging sake interview.  We are welcoming Lucas Smolic, the founder of the Sake Brewers Guild, to the podcast.  Lucas started in engineering but found his way to sake which evolved into a deep passion for sake brewing.  This inspired the development of the Sake Brewers Guild with its mission to make learning the skills of sake brewing accessible to all. Among othe...

Episode 174. This week we welcome a sake personality from Quebec, Canada to the studio – Mr. Benoit Champagne. With a name like Mr. Champagne, you might well think Benoit was destined for a life involved with sparkling wine, but luckily for the sake lovers of Quebec, he found his way first to Japan and discovered a love of sake, which he now guides breweries to exporting in Canada. Benoit also worked for years as a non-Japane...

Episode 173. World Sake Day comes once a year on Oct 1st.  For sake fans across the globe, this is our big holiday... think Christmas-4th of July-Halloween all rolled into one! What better way for us to mark the day then with a live recording of Sake Revolution in front of a studio audience and featuring an interview and tasting with our two New York City Tojis: Brandon Doughan of Brooklyn Kura and Shinobu Kato of Kato Sake Wo...

Episode 172. "Say Cheese"!  If you identify as a curd nerd, join us to explore an exciting new way of pairing with sake!  We are joined this week by extra special guest host Myshell who lends her crazy-style palate to our exploration of these pairing possibilities. Listen in as we taste three sakes, each of which has been paired with a show-stopping cheese - each a different style from a different country, no less. Have w...

Episode 171. This week we go back to school...again! Timothy's new role as the Director of Education at the Sake Studies Center at Brooklyn Kura is the focus of today's episode.  The Sake Studies Center is the new sake school on the block, offering education, tastings and brewery tours for professionals and sake-curious consumers alike at our state-of-the-art facility at Industry City in Brooklyn.  It's also a sake commun...