Beau Zone Layer – Den “Red” Batch #1

Oakland, California

Junmai Ginjo Nama

SMV: +1 Acidity:2.4

Three cheers for American Craft Sake! And three more cheers for Yoshi and Lani from Den Sake Brewery for making another “batch” of sake history using California-grown Yamada Nishiki brewing rice. The industry of craft sake overseas will only get stronger as more and more premium rice varietals are grown locally.  This is not a new effort for these two, because they have been making wonderful Nama Junmai sake for 15 previous batches, plus several batches of their Blanc. So what is united in this bottle is excellent raw materials and sake brewing wisdom of the Yoshi-kind! He is experienced now, and this Den Red Batch #1 is in name only, because he is totally in the brewing groove. And that’s the first thing you taste in this unpasteurized Junmai Ginjo. You can taste professionalism and excellent brewing technique! Oh, and you can taste some of that good stuff Yamada too. My favorite aspect of this flavorful and exciting sake is the balance therein. Ultimately, the point of making sake is making flavorful and enjoyable sake, which usually requires balance. Den Red is balanced! It’s a balanced brew, and should not be missed by craft sake aficionados, and or anybody who simply loves well-made sake.