I wanted to get Greg’s thoughts on some new sake pairings while we ring in the new year. We prepped cheese, salami, senbei, and walnuts, then got down to finding our favorite combinations.
The Isbell Family has been farming in central Arkansas for generations. They gained international attention when they began growing premium Japanese rice, eventually bringing bus loads of visitors to see their farm. I chatted with two generations of the Isbell Family to learn about their history, sustainability practices, current sake and table rice varieties, and their plans for the future.
Welcome to our first Sips and Snacks episode! I’m sitting down with friend of the show Greg Beck to sip on sake and umeshu, snack on some potential pairings, and learn a thing a two.
Emiko Tanabe and James Jin join us from Nova Brewing Co. in Covina, CA. Its hard to believe, but LA only recently got its first sake brewery. New York, Oakland, Seattle, San Diego, even Holbrook, AZ had sake breweries pop up. Nova Brewing Co. owner Emiko Tanabe spotted an opportunity to bring the craft of sake making to the biggest city on the west coast, and partnered up with aspiring brewer James Jin to make it happen.
In this info-packed episode, "accidental" sake expert Greg Beck takes us through the fascinating history and varieties of sake. We'll get into how sake is brewed, the regions of Japan that produce it, and why you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss Nihonshu because of a poor prior experience.
