Beer brewed with sake yeast.

Chateau Jiahu comes to mind from Dogfish Head... I am not sure if it's still being made though.

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/chateau-jiahu.htm

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1011/149577/

 

I'd agree that Red Horizon was pretty fantastic, though not all would agree with that. I think I still have about 6 bottles left (I was lucky enough to have found them for around $11 and stocked up), which I'll pull every so often. It's also interesting to note that it was brewed back in 09, so a different beer now than it was fresh. Still a great beer, which is why I'm still holding on to mine. If you're a fan of sweets, Sweet Horizon is pretty interesting. Like cola syrup, coffee concentrate and sugar was mixed into a big, heavy stout. It's the Port of Beer. I have a few of those as well. Along with a couple of bottles of Dark Horizon (v2 and 3).

If you do happen to stumble upon another bottle, it pairs nicely with pickled ginger or ginger based desserts.

 

We published a feature in the magazine back in December 2014 (issue 95) by Todd Bellomy, a sake brewer who has collaborated with @NTLOPE on a 14% ABV sake-beer hybrid called Banryu Ichi. Pick up a back issue in the store if you're interested in learning more about the process.

 

It is! Just had some tonight.

 

I believe the Bruery put out a collab with Hanger 24 a few years back that was also brewed using Sake yeast.

 

I'm not sure if Hitachino uses sake yeast in any of their beers. I've read that they use it in one of their saisons, but I don't know if the info was accurate. I think they make a saison with Koji. May or may not be the same saison.

 

I was under the impression sake used a kind of mold for fermentation instead of yeast. I guess it's time to learn something again if you would indulge me.

 

You're thinking of koji, and it is used (in combination with yeast) in some sake-beer hybrids. According to Bellomy, it lends flavor, dryness, and a finished product with a higher gravity.

 

I would guess that their 'Red Rice Ale' utilizes koji... but I could be mistaken.

 

So if sake is made from grain and fermented with yeast, what distinguishes it from beer?I thought it was a whole other animal. I guess I don't know what the stuff is. Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

 

Sake uses both Yeast and a collection of bacteria/mould/etc. As Sake is rice-based, and rice does not have the enzymes to self-convert like barley/wheat, it requires the other non-yeast organisms to "unlock" the sugar so that the yeast can metabolise it. This dual-action proccess is what gives Sake it's slightly savoury and complex aspects.

 

Element Brewing here in MA has a couple of Sake IPAs, Plasma and Tachyon, brewed with rice. Not sure about the yeast they use though.

 

The Plasma I know is brewed with sake yeast, not sure about the Tachyon though.

 

Sake is licensed as a beer for taxation and production; and as a wine for labeling and advertising; I feel that this approach was to shoehorn it into existing TTB structure instead of creating a whole new set of rules for roughly 14 breweries. Sake itself is neither beer nor a wine. It is brewed like a beer, drinks like a wine and indeed uses 2 micro-organisms instead of just yeast. Koji (Aspergillus Oryzae) creates enzymes (cheifly alpha amylase) that break down the starches in rice into sugar, the yeast then ferments those sugars into alcohol and CO2. In beer terms, we are essentially "fermenting" and "malting" in the same tank, at the same time. It is the balance of these processes that makes a Sake good and balanced. If the Koji surges out of control, there is a glut of sugar and other micro-organisms can flourish. If the Koji is sluggish, the fermentation can stall from lack of sugars and you can get autolysis as well. Open fermentation isn't for wimps
Grain based fermentations also create far more complex and varied flavors (# of flavor/aroma compounds) so eventhough Sake can be dry and high alcohol like a wine - it is way more complex.
Cheers,
TB
www.dovetailsake.com

 

Definitely on my list of things I'd love to try (although likely no time soon) is to make a beer using Koji.

As in make a beer using the process for Sake.

Would posting about that break the rules of this site?

 

Damn, you know your sake. My uncle was stationed on Okinawa back in the day and he says it's awful . I've always been intrigued by it though, its something I need to try. Cheers!