Sake is Being Brewed Right Here in America. Most People Just Don't Know It Yet.

We interviewed Weston Knoishi, President of the Sake Brewers Association of North America, about the state of Sake brewing in North America and their use of LoyalBrew to build awareness.

Most Americans still don’t know that sake is being brewed right here in the U.S. How would you describe the North American Sake Trail to someone who’s never thought about craft sake before?

It’s true that most people don’t know about the North American sake brewing scene. We’re a small but steadily growing industry and you can now find sake breweries across the continent and from coast to coast. Just as the craft beer industry took an ages-old beverage and catapulted it into new and creative styles, so too are our sake brewers taking a traditional Japanese beverage and creating craft beverages that are unique and exciting. Sake brewing is arguably one of the most hands on and complex forms of brewing and so each bottle is painstakingly crafted, leading to a truly remarkable product. Sake also comes in a wide range of styles–from dry to sweet, hot to cold, full bodied to light bodied, sparkling to still and flavored to unflavored–the list goes on so there’s a sake for everyone. 

The trail spans breweries from Brooklyn to Asheville to Minneapolis to Miami to Portland. How did this community of American sake brewers come together, and what do they have in common?

The first American-owned sake breweries began popping up in the late 90s and early 2000s but it wasn’t until the mid-2015s or so that we saw a real outgrowth of breweries across the country. There are still only about two-dozen operating but the list is growing. Each brewery has a unique style, aesthetic and product–there is no one defining characteristic about North American sake. However, I would say that what really underlies the sense of commonality is a passion for the craft and a dedication to producing high-quality product.

Several stops on the trail are firsts: Virginia’s first sake brewery, New England’s only sake taproom, Florida’s first sake brewery. What does it tell you about the state of American craft sake that so many of these places are still breaking new ground?

Speaking of trails, I see these breweries as real trailblazers, forging a path in a new industry with much more room to grow. My prediction is that in the next 10 to 15 years there will be a sake brewery of one sort or another in every major city across the country. The product is too good, and when demand picks up it will be hard to keep back.

What’s your personal favorite stop on the trail or a sake you’d hand to a first-timer to win them over?

That’s like asking a parent who their favorite child is. I truly don’t have a personal favorite sake brewery. I think they all have their strengths and much of it is subjective or specific to the occasion. That’s kind of why we started the passport system–to encourage consumers to explore and discover sakes around the country and find out for themselves what they like best.

What does success look like for the trail at the end of a full season with the passport running?

I think success will be defined by the number of people signing onto our passport and visiting as many of our breweries as possible–helping to drive business and enhance consumer knowledge, awareness and love of sake. Kanpai!