When I first met Kjetil Jikiun, founder and former master brewer of Nøgne Ø brewery on the southern Norweigian island of Grimstad, it was 2012. I was in Tokyo for a sake certification course and he was one of the guest speakers. Boisteruous, friendly and oozing with passion, Kjetil’s talk was informative and engaging. I learned about working with the elements and surrounding environment (the natural yeast he uses for sake production literally falls from the rafters on the ceiling of the brewery!) to bring identity to a sake or beer. Everything he makes has a distinctive character and a true sense of place.
I met many interesting people during my studies in Japan but Kjetil is most certainly the most memorable one. He is a goliath in stature, wide and tall with a beard fit for a Viking, a giant smile and thin-rimmed glasses. He was there to tell us about sake on an international scale; he was one of the first sake producers making sake outside of Japan and one of the few non-Japanese brewers to earn the respect and support of his peers in the Japan Sake Brewers Association. This is a very difficult feat for anyone producing sake outside of Japan regardless being Japanese or not.
It seems to be happening more and more with sake breweries popping up everywhere from Toronto and Texas to Norway and New Wouth Wales, Australia. Kjetil was certainly a pioneer. Although Kjetil has been making beer in 2002, the sake project started in 2010 and is the only brewery of its scale in Europe.
Aside from making sake, Nøgne Ø is also responsible for single-handedly changing the beer scene in Norway at the beginning of the 21th century from crisp, lean lagers to flavorful and traditional, powerful brews. Although I am no beer geek, I approach beer with the same mentality that I do with wine, sake and whisky. With that in mind, I have to say that his beers are some of the most structured and enjoyable that I have ever tasted.
And so it went for Nøgne Ø: award-winning beers and sake full of character. Kjetil purchases sake rice from Hokkaido in Japan and harnesses his own wild yeasts that are native to his brewery to produce outstanding, savory and umami laden yamahai styles. Yamahai is a style of sake production, where steamed rice is left alone to cultivate a film of natural lactic bacteria, not too different from flor cultivation in the production of Sherry. The resulting sake made with this rice tends to yield more savory fruit and rice notes with a balancing level of acidity. Of this method as with everything he makes, Kjetil is a champion.
I received an email from Kjetil a few days ago to tell me something had gone wrong and there had been a huge change in the direction of his work brought on by his partners. In the email, he wrote that “man’s best tool is his conscience” and that “for me it became quite clear that I could not continue to work for the company I once founded, when this company did not develop in line with my visions, values and goals.”
There is a silver lining to this sad exit, however. The former pilot-turned-alcohol craftsman Kjetil is blurring lines and boundaries yet again by leaving his home of Norway and moving with his wife to the Greek island of Crete where he will begin production of a new beer, a new sake and also take his first foray into wine production under the new moniker of Grapes and Gratification. Grandgr, as it will be known, promises to produce unique and exceptional products that are respectful of process and terroir. I hope to be among the first to taste his wines, sake and beer.
His last day working for Nøgne Ø, the brewery he founded, was Monday, August 31. I recently tasted through his sake, knowing that the next sake under the brand Nøgne Ø, or Naked Island in English, won’t have his expertise or vision. Please see my tasting notes below and best of luck to you Kjetil!
Nøgne Ø Junmai Yamahai Muroka
Country: Norway
Region: Aust-Agder county
Vintage: N/V, 70% Polishing Rate.
Score: 95 Points
While this sake maybe is on the mild side for Nøgne Ø’s style, it still is comparatively big – packed with savory notes, an oxidative character that matches with subtle honeydew and floral notes. The richness of this sake is due in part to the fact that it (along with all of Kjetil’s sake) is not filtered through charcoal. Charcoal leaves the greenish yellow tinge that sake has when it leaves the press but also preserves some of the delicate terroir that may be lost through filtration. In the end, the sake has great acidity to match the weight of the sake and structure that keeps a wine lover interested.
Nøgne Ø Junmai Ginjo Yamahai Muroka
Country: Norway
Region: Aust-Agder county
Vintage: N/V, 55% Polishing Rate
Score: 92 Points
While the natural lactic bacteria that gives Yamahai its identity can bring some savory notes, and a general rusticity is apparent in many Junmai Ginjo Styles. This Junmai Ginjo has a playful fruit character of field berries and yogurt – the palate is relatively lean and the finish does have a fine dryness to it with a slight saline character. Definitely a unique expression.
Nøgne Ø Junmai Yamahai Muroka Nama Genshu Shiboritate
Country: Norway
Region: Aust-Agder county
Vintage: N/V, 70% Polishing Rate
Score: 98 Points
This is big sake that matches Kjetil’s larger-than-life personality; a sake that creates a benchmark for other producers wishing to push the envelope on what is possible in sake production.
Most sake is made in a four-stage process that starts with a koji starter mash (called a shubo) and is followed by three additions of a koji/steamed rice mix. With each addition, the ratio of steamed rice to koji (rice with its starches already converted to fermentable sugars thanks to koji mold) becomes more relient on the steamed rice and less reliant on the koji. This is because the fermentation is well in full swing and there is enough yeast and sugar in the tank to carry out the whole process. However, this is made with 100% Koji rice and no steamed rice – the result is a round and rich texture, creating a 3D experience for the palate. The sake also has a distinctive freshness in that it is just pressed, not pasteurized, diluted or filtered through charcoal.
The resulting sake has notes of chamomile, red apple, rhubarb pie and maitake mushroom; the sake is savory and complex, rich and round. The acidity is high but perceived as clean and balancing because of the naturally huge weight of the sake. This is a treat to drink and a great sake if you can get your hands on a bottle.
Nøgne Ø Sparkling Yamahai
Country: Norway
Region: Aust-Agder county
Vintage: Shinshu/New Sake
Score: 90 Points
It’s true that sake can be made in the traditional Champagne method! This is a challenging category as I always find a clash of textures between bubbles and the amino acid content of sake. Further more, acidity levels don’t match those of the grape varieties typically used in sparkling wine production. That being said, this sake is a great opportunity to see the potential in sparkling sake; plenty of Asian pear, and green grape aromatics combined with rice pudding and congee notes on the nose. There is a soft mousse on the palate and definitely a creamy, leesy-type mouthfeel as well that a sparkling wine drinker would be familiar with. The sake finishes just on the side of off dry but it is far more dry and in balance than many other sparkling sake I have tasted.
Contributing Editor Elliot Faber is the beverage director of two cool Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong – Yardbird and Ronin – as well as Sunday’s Grocery. He is also one of the world’s experts on sake, Japanese whisky, shochu, awamori and Japanese beer.
