It has been quite a while since I have updated the information here on Sake Breweries (Kura) outside of Japan. There have been a few additions that I am aware of and possibly others that I am not aware of. As always, if you have more or better information please share it with us. The two main pages for this information are:
– US Sake Brewers (Part 1 – Sake Breweries)
– Sake Brewers outside the US and Japan (Part 2 – Sake Breweries)
I will update the above pages with this new information so it is all in one (or two) places and is more easily found. Here are the changes / additions:
Nipro, a small sake brewery in Richmond British Columbia, Canada has sadly closed with no details as to what happened or when that I could see. Now, thankfully to Yuki Kobayashi and Yoshihiro Kawamura the old Nipro brewery and its Toji, the brew master Yoshiaki Kasugai has been resurrected as YK3.
Starting sometime around November 2013 YK3 will be offering three sakes: A standard Junmai, an all koji Junmai and a nigori style sake.
Elise Gee documents the interesting details of the transition from Nipro to YK3 in her post: Giving Nipro brewery new life as YK3 Sake Producer.
Cedar River Brewing Company (CRBC) is Seattle’s own Sake kura with Jeff James as brew master. CRBC has just recently started shipping their sake to a few restaurants and bottle shops. Initial shipments to restaurants were exclusively in 3 gallon buckets; pretty nice.
CRBC’s Junmai release party was held at the brewery and at Sake Nomi in December 2013.
Blue Kudzu is a small sake brewery that will most likely begin offering their sake in early 2014. However, Blue Kudzu is more than a sake brewery; it is also a restaurant with a large sake menu and a mission to teach others about sake. Blue Kudzu is located in Asheville, North Carolina.
Ben’s American Sake will live at Ben’s Tune up, an Asheville, North Carolina restaurant that is also planning to offer their own sake in early 2014. Jonathan Robinson will serve as Toji.
Blue Current is a micro-brewery in Maine. Dan Ford and John Sygowski own and run Blue Current. I don’t believe they are shipping sake yet but I have requested and update to provide more accurate information here.
That is currently all of the new kura that I know of. Did I miss any that you know about?
FYI: Elise Gee also has recently written posts for the other two Canadian Kura, they are:
– The pioneer of Japanese sake in Canada: Artisan Sake Maker
– Find rare sakes at Ontario Spring Water Sake Company
Hello Will
Orora Sake Anchorage Alaska is currently building a new Sake Kura. My name is Scott, the Toji for Orora Sake. I also hold a permit to harvest icebergs that we melt for our iceberg brew water.
I would like to stay in touch, really like your website.
Hey Scott,
That is exciting news! Please keep us up to date on your progress.
Thanks,
Will