A Community Announcement about the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic
We continue to actively monitor the latest news about the coronavirus and are hearing from our sake community about the dramatic effects on you both personally and professionally. We have set up a group call for the entire sake industry to connect, offer support and ideas to each other – we hope you’ll join us. If you would like more information, please sign up for our emails by clicking the link below.
About the Association
The Sake Brewers Association of North America (SBANA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association for the sake industry in North America, headquartered in Washington DC. We are the first and only sake industry trade association outside of Japan.
We have brought together sake breweries across the United States, Canada, Mexico (and beyond), distributors, retailers, rice farmers, governments, enthusiasts, and a wide array of the allied trade to form one of the strongest sake organizations in the world.
Upcoming Sake Events
Jan 2021: Sake Professional Course (register)
March 9-10: Craft Beverage Expo & Distribution Conference (learn more)
June 21-22: Craft Beverage Expo & Distribution Conference (learn more)
About the Association
The Sake Brewers Association of North America (SBANA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association for the sake industry in North America, headquartered in Washington DC. We are the first and only sake industry trade association outside of Japan.
We have brought together sake breweries across the United States, Canada, Mexico (and beyond), distributors, retailers, rice farmers, governments, enthusiasts, and a wide array of the allied trade to form one of the strongest sake organizations in the world.
Upcoming Sake Events
Jan 2021: Sake Professional Course (register)
March 9-10: Craft Beverage Expo & Distribution Conference (learn more)
June 21-22: Craft Beverage Expo & Distribution Conference (learn more)
Sake Essentials: Rice
December 28, 2020
Koji. Moto. Tsukuri. A lot of brewers and industry intelligentsia will tell you these three elements are critical to good sake making. And of course they’re right but before these three can unleash their alchemy magic, the raw ingredients themselves need to be considered. There is no koji without good rice. No fermentation starter (moto) either, and thereby no tsukuri (fermentation itself) too. In this article, the first of the sake “essentials” will be looked at, namely the importance of rice and how the North American sake industry is well equipped to brew using homegrown rice varietals…
Morphing to the Masses
November 4, 2020
They have a saying in Texas, apparently, which goes: He’s so busy you’d think he was twins. And that aptly describes Adam Blumenshein’s existence these past months along with his team at Texas Sake. “Inspired by tradition, but not bound by it” — That’s the first thing you read when you log onto the Texas Sake website and it rapidly becomes clear to me as Adam and I talk that this isn’t just an idle corporate mantra…
Book Discussion with Brian Ashcraft
Please join Bernie Baskin, President of the Sake Brewers Association of North America, as he sits down (virtually) with journalist Brian Ashcraft to discuss Brian's latest book, the Japanese Sake Bible - out now from Tuttle Publishing. Bio:Â Brian Ashcraft is a senior writer for the video gaming site Kotaku and a columnist for The Japan Times. He was previously a contributing editor at Wired magazine. His work has appeared in Popular Science, the Guardian, the design journal Metropolis, and many other publications. He is the author of Japanese Whisky as well as many books on Japanese culture, including Japanese Tattoos and Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential. Originally from Texas, he has called Osaka home since 2001.
LIVE starting at 1pm EST on October 13, 2020
Did you miss our latest event?
Listen in as Wes Konishi, Executive Vice President of the Sake Brewers Association of North America, sits down (virtually) with award-winning izakaya owner Daisuke Utagawa for an insightful and thought-provoking conversation on the current and future state of sake in North America.
Daisuke Utagawa is a partner-owner of Sushi-ko in Chevy Chase, MD, Daikaya, an izakaya/ramen restaurant, and Haikan, Bantam King, and Hatoba in downtown Washington, DC. Born and bred in Tokyo, Utagawa took over the original Sushi-ko, Washington’s flagship sushi restaurant, in 1988. It was there that he pioneered the idea of pairing red burgundy wines with Japanese food—a practice that is now considered a norm. At Daikaya and his other ramen-themed restaurants, Utagawa brings the essence of the izakaya sake-drinking experience to Washington. He has appeared numerous times in the PBS show, Rudy Maxa’s World, and filmed a six- part series with Maxa on food and travel in Japan and other parts of Asia in 2017 and 2018. The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington awarded Utagawa and his partners at Daikaya the prestigious Restaurateur of the Year award for 2020.
Our Mission
To promote and protect sake brewers, their sake, and the community of brewing enthusiasts.
We accomplish this through three tiers of services:
1. Consumer Education: broad external communication initiatives
2. Brewery Development: networking, access to brewing knowledge, techniques, materials, suppliers, and seminars; brewers-only forum
3. Legislative Support: building legal landscape study; drafting and proposing model legislations; working closely with lawmakers to improve regulations related to the sake industry
Stay updated
To be added to our mailing list, please fill out the subscription form below. We promise we don’t send spam.
Our Mission
To promote and protect sake brewers, their sake, and the community of brewing enthusiasts.
We accomplish this through three tiers of services:
1. Consumer Education: broad external communication initiatives
2. Brewery Development: networking, access to brewing knowledge, techniques, materials, suppliers, and seminars; brewers-only forum
3. Legislative Support: building legal landscape study; drafting and proposing model legislations; working closely with lawmakers to improve regulations related to the sake industry
If you would like to be added to our private mailing list, please fill out the subscription form here. We promise we don’t spam.
Latest Updates
Latest North American Sake News
Everything in Moderation: Asheville beverage experts explore the world of sake
Mountain XPress | January 2, 2021
There’s a lot more to sake than the clear, hot beverage served in sushi restaurants. While the ancient Japanese spirit is made in a manner similar to beer (it’s brewed), it can have an alcoholic content of 15%-20%, a level comparable to fortified wines. And there’s an impressive — almost bewildering — array of styles to explore…