This new sake from Gunma’s Nagai Sake Brewery is certified vegan

Navigating the planet of sake can be tricky, with all the specialised terminology and baffling types. The good thing is, with the launch of a new vegan-licensed sake collection by Nagai Sake Brewery in Gunma Prefecture – the Mizubasho Artist Sequence – at the very least one decision received a entire good deal easier. 

You may well assume sake, produced from steamed rice, koji and drinking water, would all be vegan, but to get the liquid into its generally crystal clear state, brewers use a fining agent. This can be an animal-derived products these types of as egg white or gelatin, or an animal-totally free products like charcoal or agar.

Vegan sake
Picture: Mizubasho Artist Sequence, Nagai Sake Brewery

Nagai Sake Brewery has completed away with animal-based mostly fining brokers in its sake, to charm to a wider viewers. In 2019, four of the brewery’s flagship kinds gained formal vegan certification, and the newly released Mizubasho Artist Sequence has ongoing the craze. The brewery is only the second in Japan to get the certification – which is accredited by Japanese NPO Vege Challenge – along with Nambu Bijin brewery in Iwate prefecture. 

With a few types in the collection, you’re certain to come across just one that satisfies you. The sparkling sake (360ml, ¥1,200) is brewed like champagne with secondary fermentation in the bottle, resulting in a peachy flavour and a silky effervescence. In the meantime, the nonetheless sake (720ml, ¥1,300) boasts a succulent, abundant mouthfeel with lychee and pear notes. The dessert sake (300ml, ¥1,000), on the other hand, delivers a sweeter taste that goes well with cheese. All are made to pair with a vary of global cuisines, just like a bottle of wine, so you never need to have to be concerned if Japanese food stuff is not on the menu.

Vegan sake
Picture: Mizubasho Artist Series, Nagai Sake Brewery

The label on just about every bottle attributes a tender pastel oil painting by Japanese artist Tsurutaro Kataoka. The artwork depicts a flower that grows in Gunma’s Oze Countrywide Park, but is regrettably below risk from local climate improve. Nagai Sake Brewery has dedicated 5 percent of all sales from the Mizubasho Artist Sequence to a nearby undertaking devoted to regenerating and safeguarding the flower.

The Mizubasho Artist Collection is now offered from these retailers.

 

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