The “Beau-Zone” Layer – Aizu Homare “Karahashi”
The “Beau-Zone” Layer – Aizu Homare “Karahashi”
From Fukushima Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo. SMV: +1 Acidity: 1.6
Serendipity, look it up! One of my favorite things in life is Sake Serendipity and this month’s BZL is all that. As many of you know, I just returned from an amazing trip to Japan with a sake buddy and explored 10 breweries in roughly 7 days from Aomori down the coast to Kanagawa. While in Fukushima, we didn’t have time to visit one of the best men in sake who owns one of the best breweries in all of sake. Mr. Hiroyuki Karahashi. He is the owner of Aizu Homare, makers of excellent sake, and one of the most important people in all of the international sake game! Why? He defies logic, and makes brilliant award-winning sake at one of the lowest price points in the categories that he crushes! His JDG Black Label won the Top IWC Award in 2019 and it sells for $60. This self-named JG that is made with excellent Yamadanishiki sells for only $26. How? That’s not really the question, the question is why? And it goes back to the owner himself, and his incredible determination for sake drinkers to taste excellent sake at a very fare price point. I admire and respect that so much. He’s sort of the True Sake of sake breweries!
Now back to the trip, and being bummed that we could not meet up. He LINE’d me the day that we might be able to meet and said that he was at the Fukushima Prefecture’s Sake Competition and could not break away. Bummer! Fast forward to the end of my trip and I was at Haneda Airport entering the JAL “Sakura Lounge” for my flight home. First I looked at the food offerings and then my eyes gazed towards the ice bucket holding two sakes and a white wine. Wait! No! It couldn’t be? Yes. It was. This very bottle of Aizu Homare “Karahashi” Junmai Ginjo was staring back at me, and of course I loaded up! And I told the JAL folks, “I know the owner, he’s a buddy of mine.” I’m sure my smile was pretty big. So with my glass of this incredibly tasty sake I sat down and sent a picture of the bottle on ice to Shacho via LINE stating I’m in the JAL Lounge drinking his brew and it’s a fitting end to my trip and a great way to connect with him even though we didn’t meet up. Ding! The reply came back, “Thank You Beau-san. Sorry I couldn’t make it on Friday. We WON the First Place in the Fukushima Prefectural Sake Competition on Thursday.” Ha Ha of course you did! I love that guy and I love that brewery and this is Sake Serendipity.