For Goodness Saké!

With extensive cocktail, wine and dining menus and an impressive view overlooking the Yarra, Saké Melbourne is a well-known contemporary Japanese restaurant that has long been tantalising Melburnian tastebuds. What sets them apart from other Japanese options in Melbourne is their unique range of Japanese craft beers.

As Saké Bar Manager John Ross-Jones explains, the Japanese craft beer industry is still young. Prior to 1996, there was a law in Japan that stated that in order to sell beer in Japan, a brewery must produce at least 20 million litres of beer per year. As a result, there were just four players in the Japanese beer brewing game at that time; Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory. In 1996, the industry was deregulated and the legal quota for brewing was reduced to just 60,000 litres per year. In the twenty years that followed, a number of Japanese breweries have emerged and are becoming increasingly popular.

Saké Melbourne features a range of craft beers from both Coedo and Hitachino, both ranging from light Belgian-style hefeweizens to heavier dark ales, stouts and flavoured beers.

John Ross-Jones likes to pair Saké’s signature dishes with the beers, instead of the other way around.  Coedo’s Shiro is similar to a Hefeweizen and carries surprising yet delightful hints of banana and cloves. Still on the light side is Hitochino’s White Ale, with orange and coriander infused into the brew to produce a light and refreshing ale; the kind that is difficult to stop at just one! John Ross-Jones suggests to pair either of these two ales with Sake’s signature Kingfish Jalapeno – a tangy and refreshing dish of raw kingfish finished with yuzu soy and coriander.

If lager is more your style, Saké delivers with Coedo’s Kyara India Pale Ale, Shikkoku Dark Lager and the Beniaka Sweet Potato Amber.  Perhaps the most interesting ale on the menu, the Beniaka is actually made from sweet potato and this sweetness translates nicely into the caramel notes of this amber ale. As you head to the darker lagers, pair them with some dumplings and a few of the tasty skewers from Saké’s charcoal grill such as pork belly, baby chicken or ox tongue.

If you’re feeling adventurous, have a taste of Hitochino’s Espresso Stout Ale. Made with real coffee, this stout is a brewery’s answer to the espresso martini. Alternatively, try Hitochino’s refreshing and tangy Real Ginger Ale – a ginger flavoured beer brewed with fresh ginger root.

If you’ve never ventured past Asahi when it comes to Japanese brews, I strongly urge you to try one or more of Saké’s complex and varied range of craft beers.

Saké Melbourne
Hamer Hall, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
sakerestaurant.com.au/hamer-hall