Wicked Local Article – July 21, 2022
Local craft drinks kombucha, mead and sake are in Massachusetts, here's where to get themJennie Oemigwickedlocal.com, July 21, 2022 Beer, cider, wine and spirits aren’t the only liquids being crafted locally. There are a number of other beverages, alcoholic and not, that are being brewed, canned and bottled right in eastern Massachusetts.One of those beverages is mead, which is made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes adding other ingredients like fruits, spices, grains or hops.Another beverage gaining popularity is kombucha, a fermented, lightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea drink, which often has juice, spices, fruit or other flavorings added. A scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is a main ingredient used in the fermentation and production of kombucha. And then there’s sake, which is fermented from four ingredients – water, rice, the microbe koji and yeast. Farthest Star SakeMassachusetts is home to the only sake brewery in New England. It’s located in Medfield.Todd Bellomy, owner and brewer at Farthest Star Sake, said once upon a time, there were two sake breweries in the region, though both have since closed.“I knew the region could support a sake brewery,” he said. So Bellomy found a large industrial space in Medfield that he would eventually transform into a sake brewery, complete with a 1,500 square-foot taproom.“One of the challenges is no one knows what sake is or how it’s made,” he said. “One of our missions is to demystify that. … We want to teach people about it and have them try sake on draft.”Bellomy said the rice he uses to make sake is a special variety grown in Arkansas at Isbell Farms. And he orders 10,000 pounds at a time.“It’s already polished and all the starches are concentrated in the center of the grain of rice,” he explained. “We mill it to remove the outer layers, which gives you more pure starch, in turn giving you a smoother sake.” From there, the starches are converted to sugar, which are then fermented into alcohol with the help of a microorganism called koji.“It takes about six to eight weeks to get from grain to glass,” Bellomy said.For those who visit the taproom and have never had sake, Bellomy said he encourages them to try a flight so they can sample some different styles and flavors.“Everyone’s palate is completely different and they taste different things,” he said. “And I am happy to answer any questions to help them wrap their minds around what sake…