Isumi, a seaside city in Chiba Prefecture about an hour southeast of Tokyo, is home to Kidoizumi Brewery, which has been making sake since 1879.
The present owner’s grandfather was a pioneer in additive-free sake brewing in the immediate postwar years, when adding preservatives was the norm. Hayato Shoji, who now runs Kidoizumi with the help of four brewers, has inherited his grandfather’s dedication to making healthy, flavorful sake.
“Our sake is brewed by a method from my grandfather’s day that uses naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria. We make our fermentation starter by combining steamed rice, rice propagated with kōji mold and yeast with hot water, keeping the mix at around 55 degrees Celsius, the best temperature for converting starch to sugar. The heat and bacteria-produced lactic acid kill off unwanted bacteria, so there’s no need for additives,” Shoji says.