Of all of the drinks in the beverage world that I've sampled, you'd think I'd have tried everything. Up until last week, however, I hadn't tried sake. A delicious beer-like brew made from polished, washed rice and enzymes instead of yeast, it sounds like an abomination but it is damn tasty. Its odd, really. I tend to eat a lot of sushi and hot/cold sake and sushi is something that follows for most people. But I'd never had it. I'm typically too busy inhaling eel rolls into my chubby maw at warp speeds. Seriously, if you've never had an eel roll, you're a fool and should leave my blog. No, I'm kidding. Just go eat one and report back.I also didn't think to look for sake in a liquor store. Where I live, the liquor selection is limited to college favorites and dusty old bottles of wine. There's not a particularly wide range of beverages for consumption and the ones there are neither gourmet or artisan. They range from cheap mass-produced beverages from large companies to mass-produced beverages slightly higher up on the proverbial cost shelf from the same-self companies. I've tried to champion for better selection but no one really does it. However, moving to Rochester which is a town of more than two people and a horse (we have a proud history of having a Society for the Prevention of Horse Thieving in my town), the selection is significantly better. Thus, while meandering through the archives of wine, I stumbled on the sake. And I bought a sampler. Who knew.
In this three part session, I'll do a review on each bottle of the SakeOne sampler. Brewed and packaged in Oregon, it is one of the few, if not only, United States sakes. And its fucking delicious. No, seriously. The one pictured above is the Pearl. Clocking in at 18% ABV and coming in a 300mL bottle, it was perfect for tasting. Nice and cold from my fridge, it pours a cloudy white after a good shake. It looks like a snow-storm in a bottle. It's like drinking the insides of a snow-globe, only better and not resulting (usually) in a trip to the emergency room. It literally tastes like alcoholic rice pudding. I love rice pudding. This stuff rocks. Its rich and rice-like, with a creaminess and a distinct rice flavor. I think the alcohol is a bit stiff and clouds the flavor a bit but its really good otherwise. I keep going back to the bottle and having some. Its an odd trip from everything we're used to beverage-wise, but I would not say no to it if offered. Actually, I just took a sip and I rescind my comment about the ABV. It works well and cuts through what could be a slightly cloying sweetness without it. But by God, its like alcoholic rice pudding. How can you beat that? How?
Up next will be the other two from the pack, the Diamond and the Pear infused. Stay tuned to this cleverly titled beverage series. Well, at least I thought it was cleverly titled. Y'know what, just shut up and read it.
Edit: Yeah, I know its in a damn shot-glass. I don't have a sweet-ass sake set. Yet.
Super Edit: The people at SakeOne have corrected me. Apparently they DO use yeast. Good to know. Thanks for the update!
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