LIFE & CULTURE

SAKEFOR THE
WORLD:THE CHALLENGE OF
AN AMERICAN SAKE BREWER
A former sports trainer from the United States has plunged into the worldof Japanese sake brewing. Genuinely focused on the production of thistraditional beverage, he proudly shares its appeal with the rest of the world.

Brailsford says that a prime attraction of Japanese sake is its abundant flavor. His dream isto brew a batch of sake that will one day be sipped by the president of the United States.

JAPANUNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Left: The label of the “Cody’s Sake” series, brewed by Brailsford himself, is designed around kanji andninja, which are popular in America.
Right: With many streets lined with historical houses, the Hida area is a celebrated tourist attraction.
The dignified brewing house of the Watanabe Sake Brewery is one chapter in that area’s history.

An old-fashioned city in Japan’s
landlocked Gifu Prefecture, Hida
is surrounded by steep mountains
and covered in deep snow during
the winter. Working there as asake brewer for the Watanabe
Sake Brewery, a traditional
brewery of long standing, is anAmerican man: Darryl CodyBrailsford, a former sports trainer
originally from the state of Utah.
Fifteen years ago, upon moving toHida—his wife’s hometown—a
sip of sake from the Watanabe

Sake Brewery utterly astounded
him. Lo and behold, he fell in lovewith the taste of the beverage.
Then, mustering his courage, he
asked to become an apprenticebrewer at the company, and whenthat request was accepted in goodfaith, his life was changed forever.
Prepared from a mixtureof rice, koji (malted rice), andexceptionally pure water, Japanesesake is characterized by a unique
brewing process involving a highly
refined approach to fermentation
not seen elsewhere in the breweriesof the world. Brailsford, having
entered into a demanding worldof craftsmanship, with plenty ofstrenuous labor and much specificinstruction, proceeded to learn
the art of brewing one step at atime. “Perfecting a marvelous
batch of sake isn’t just the fruitof one person’s efforts, but thatof a team of dedicated individuals
who combine their skills. I havelearned that brewing sake goes tothat depth.” Currently, he has been
entrusted with the importantrole of assistant head brewer
overseeing the temperature andprocess of fermentation.
Brailsford’s passion for Japanesesake having spread through thecompany, everyone at Watanabe
Sake Brewery now burns withthe ambition to propagate sakeculture to the rest of the world.
Even though awareness in his
homeland of the United Stateshas been gradually increasing,most people remain unfamiliar
with sake. “Many people overseas
have the misunderstanding thatsake is only appropriate forJapanese cuisine,” says Brailsford.
“But that’s not true. Sake can beenjoyed at ordinary times too—itgoes equally well with pizza andbarbecue.” True to his word, heholds exhibits at events in othercountries to spread knowledge ofthe brewery’s products. In 2016,
he began selling the “Cody’s Sake”

Sake, brewed from rice, is truly asymbol of Japanese culture.
Brailsford avidly reports, however,that people are free to enjoy it in awide variety of ways.

DARRYL CODY BRAILSFORD
Originally a sports trainer from Utah in theUnited States, he came to Japan in 2006.
He became the first American sake brewerin Japan, at the Watanabe Sake BreweryCo., Ltd., an established traditional brewery
founded 150 years ago. He currently serves
as assistant to the head brewer, and is also
kept busy developing overseas markets forthe brewery’s sake products.

series of Japanese sake designed forAmerican tastes. The series, brewed
by Brailsford himself, features afruitiness that many Americans
love. The label that he designed forit also received favorable reviews,
having already garnered more than
50 prizes in Japan, Europe, andthe United States.
WithJapanesecuisine
steadily increasing in popularity
worldwide, sake has come to beappreciated in all corners of theglobe. More and more brewers inJapan have started to aggressively
pursue the export market, andthat momentum will only increase
further in the future. Meanwhile,
still motivated by the culture
shock of his first encounter,but now a qualified brewer andfervent evangelist for Japanesesake, Brailsford is set to continue,
every day, his earnest promotionof the beverage.