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.
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.
We're Proud to Represent the Sake Industry
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:Ā 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, Washingtonās flagship sushi restaurant, in 1988. It was there that he pioneered the idea of pairing red burgundy wines with Japanese foodāa 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 Maxaās 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 donāt 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 News
Oakland's Ever-Evolving Den Sake Brewery
Cool Hunting | October 8, 2020
While most of the sakes that line the shelves at OaklandāsĀ Umami MartĀ are made in Japan,Ā Den Sake BreweryĀ produces just two miles away. Until recently, the company made just one small, numbered batch at a time, garnering attention from sake enthusiasts and experts (the brand has twice been aĀ semi-finalistĀ for theĀ James Beard AwardĀ for Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer). This year, as they plan to open a larger brewery, Den Sake debuts their newest creation:Ā Den Blanc made with white koji.
Kakaako's Islander Sake Brewery has opened its sake bar
Frolic Hawaii | July 7, 2020
Hawaii now has a place to drink fresh, locally made sake with homey food pairings. It’s 6 p.m. and brewer Chiaki Takahashi, her partner Tama Hirose and a volunteer helper have just wrapped up a full day of brewing and bottling their Islander Sake.
Ben's American Sake Introduces 8 oz. Slim Cans Available Online
Brew Bound | May 15th, 2020
Asheville-based Benās American Sake will begin offering their signature infused sake in 8 oz cans featuring updated branding. The lineup includes year-round flavors Pineapple Jalapeno, Lemon Ginger, and Blueberry Lime- each with its own colorful label, offering consumers the ability to identify their favorite flavors at a glance.
Sake brewed in U.S., elsewhere creating buzz among drinkers
The Asahi Shimbun | March 3, 2020
One day in early January, an elderly man was seen picking up a bottle labeled Gekkeikan Sake from a shelf lined with many sake products at a liquor shop. While selecting sake is a common sight at liquor stores in Japan, the setting was at a store in a suburb of Sacramento, California, which is well known for its quality wine production.
Islander Sake Brewery, Hawaiāiās Only Sake Brewery, Opens in March in Kakaāako
Honolulu MagazineĀ |Ā February 26, 2020
For the first time in three decades, since Hawaiāiās last sake brewery shut down, sake is being brewed commercially in the islands once again. Get the first taste at the Honolulu festival.
Brewers overseas look to create authentic sake
The Japan NewsĀ |Ā February 17, 2020
Sake brewing is not limited to Japan. Driven mainly by the increasing popularity overseas of washoku, it is currently spreading to various parts of the world involving locals who have brewing expertise. One such example is the Kanpai London Craft Sake brewery in the British capital. Tom Wilson and his wife, Lucy, started the sake brewing business in 2017…
ANA launches new sake selection for first, business class
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched an updated sake menu for passengers travelling on international and domestic routes, as well as ANAās suite lounges starting in March…
Opening A Bottle of Sake Knowledge with Brooklyn Kuraās Brandon Doughan
Sam Slaughter, Manual PodcastĀ |Ā January 31, 2020
For this weekās episode ofĀ The Manual Podcast, Greg and Sam sit down with co-founder and head brewer of Brooklyn Kura sake brewery, Brandon Doughan…
Young brewers, new sake and classic flavors
Patrick St. Michel, Japan TimesĀ |Ā January 11, 2020
When Kensuke Shichida took over as the sixth-generation head of Tenzan Shuzo brewery in the 1990s, the sake industry was struggling with a major image problem. Sales had dropped sharply from their peak in the 1970s, with Japanese consumers increasingly turning to beer, wine and whisky. The once-beloved brew was widely viewed as an āold manās drink,ā and the old-fashioned imagery that was frequently used to market the beverage did little to appeal to younger drinkers…
I tried Tippsy, an online marketplace that makes it easy to order and learn about sake
Connie Chen, Business InsiderĀ |Ā January 7, 2020
When you eat at a Japanese restaurant, ordering sake along with your meal is practically a must. However, outside of the restaurant setting, sake can seem intimidating to explore. It’s not as widely available in the US as other types of alcohol, and there aren’t as many opportunities to learn about it compared to more mainstream drinks like beer and wine. Genki Ito, the founder of online sake marketplace Tippsy, saw these problems as an opportunity…
The Elite Sake Brewer on Route 66
Abbie Gripman, Atlas ObscuraĀ |Ā January 7, 2020
Only 5,049 people live in Holbrook, Arizona, and one of them, Atsuo Sakurai, reputedly makes the best sake brewed anywhere outside of Japan. That a tiny, quirky, high-desert town could be home to a world-class sake brewery is as unlikely as it is wonderful. I need to see for myself…
Colorado Sake had to change Colorado law to open their business
Kylie Bearse, 9 News ColoradoĀ |Ā January 7, 2020
There are just a handful of local Sake Breweries across the country and one is here in Colorado: The Colorado Sake Company. In order to start making sake, they first had to change Colorado law. Heather Dennis & William Stuart fell in love with Sake when they were both worked at Japanese restaurants in Denver. āIt’s kind of the hidden gem in the alcohol industry,ā said Dennis. āIt’s all the good stuff, none of the bad stuff: no sulfates, no tannins, it’s gluten free, low in sugar, low in calories, all the things you kind of want in this day and age but you still get the 15%.ā…