Hatsukoi means “First Love” in Japanese. The name has been inspired by [Hatsukoi no Kaori] which is the name of one of the first white strawberries. The strawberry actually has a pinkish tinge just like our saké that turned out pink due to the combination of white cloudiness of the saké and red strawberries. Strawberry is often related to first love in Japan because the fruit is sweet and sour just like young, inexperienced love.
INSPIRATION: We originally did not plan to make any fruited saké, but we wanted to try something special for the upcoming holidays. The HATSUKOI strawberry cloudy saké was inspired by Japan’s tradition of eating strawberry shortcake on Christmas.
LOCAL: We used 100% fresh Californian strawberries and of course our saké is made of 100% Californian Calrose rice polished to 50%. Just like our regular lineup, this is a namazaké meaning fresh, unpasteurized saké with no additives and no sugar added and slightly effervescent.
Enjoy Nova Brewing’s first fruited saké this Christmas season. This is a limited, seasonal release and we will not be making it again (until maybe next year). 15% ABV. Available for pickup at our tasting room in two sizes: 750ml: $27.00, 375ml: 15.00. Now available on our online store at https://shop.novabrewingco.com/
