Banryu Ichi - Sake/Beer Hybrid
Where do I begin...one of the things I treasure most about my blog is the ability to connect with people who share the same passions as I do. Who, through the course of every day real life, I would most likely never meet. Enter my friend Todd, a fellow lover of beer and brewing.
Because of our mutual love of this special fermented beverage, Todd was incredibly kind enough to send me a few bottles of his latest endeavor, a Sake/Beer Hybrid called Banryu Ichi (Japanese for 10,001 ways). Yes, not only can Todd brew beer, he can also make sake. Wow.
Although I have some friends who know quite a bit about sake, I have absolutely zero experience. In fact, the only thing I do know (thank you Discovery Channel) is how to pronounce it: SAK-KAY, not SAK-E.
Not wanting to screw up something so special, I clarified with Todd on how to serve his brew. He suggested taking it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before drinking and treat it like it an ale, with a serve temperature around 42-46 degrees F. For glassware, he pointed me towards a white wine glass. To further my knowledge (or lack thereof!), he sent me a link to a great sake FAQ. (I had no idea there were so many sake breweries in Japan and the shelf life of sake was relatively short...it's an educational read.)
This hybrid brew backs a punch at 15%ABV.
Todd, thankfully, warned me. I really wanted to share this with others, but for the sake of this blog, I couldn't wait...well, at least that's my story. Truthfully, I have a second bottle that I will be sharing with the Backyard Brewing Society. I look forward to their reactions. Here are mine:
The beer pours with almost no head, yet has an effervescent quality, like champagne. The nose is very sweet and my initial taste is of fruit and apple. As the beer goes across the palate, I really taste the warmth of the alcohol, but not really in an overpowering way. It has the most wonderful sensation towards the finish, as the last of the brew goes down the hatch, it unlocks a lingering spiciness on my lips. Wow, what a ride.
Having never tried sake, I unfortunately having nothing to compare it to. This, I need to remedy. What I do know, is this is something pretty amazing. To mix sake and beer and come up with something so unique is testament to Todd and his friend's at the Cambridge Brewing Company. The story behind Todd's collaborative brew is rather interesting. I encourage you to check it out and better yet, if you are in the Boston area, I suggest you try it for yourself. This is an experience not to be missed. Thanks, Todd!
