About Den Sake Brewery

Making History
One Batch
At a Time

Founded in 2017 by Yoshihiro Sako, Den Sake Brewery is the first sake brewery in Oakland, California. Sako brews small-batch sake using traditional Japanese brewing methods and proprietary techniques adapted for the California climate.

Den Sake is a pure rice sake made from single origin Cal-Hikari rice from Rue & Forsman ranch in the Sacramento Valley.

We think you will find that Den Sake is a perfect compliment for local and Asian cuisine.

A Passion
for Sake

Yoshihiro Sako spent years as a sake buyer/sommelier in Bay Area restaurants and gained the knowledge to brew sake during apprenticeships at Kubota Brewery in Kanagawa-ken and Shiokawa Brewery in Niigata Prefecture.

However, because of the environmental differences between Japan and California, and the differences in the basic ingredients of rice and water, Sako needed to develop an alternative method of brewing. This included recalculating the water absorption ratios in the drier California Cal-Hikari rice versus traditional Japanese rice and taking into account the lower mineral content in Oakland, California water.

Excellent
pairings

Den Sake is brewed to pair with an American cuisine that is more protein rich than that of Japan. Therefore, the Oakland-made sake has a higher acidity level to cut through the oils of foods higher in fat and protein. The result is an overall bolder sake than traditional Japanese sake that still pairs well with Western and Asian foods.

Rice, Water, Yeast, and Koji

Dens Sake makes a pure rice sake with the ingredients of rice, water, yeast, and koji known as a junmai. This means the rice is polished so that 70 percent of each grain remains.

Sako’s unique brewing method makes Den Sake crisp, delicate, aromatic, and with a distinct fruitiness.