Last week we made our first delivery of sake lees (“sakekasu”) to Brian Knox’s Wagyu Beef Farm in Formosa, Ontario. Sakekasu is used by Kobe beef and other Wagyu farmers in Japan as a key part of their diet, as it enhances the animals’ appetite and thereby contributes to the marbling of the gourmet beef. For sake breweries this use of their sakekasu reinforces sake brewing as an environmentally sustainable activity.
After making the sakekasu delivery we used our refrigerated sake delivery van to transport some delicious Knox Wagyu to The Healthy Butcher, a premium meat purveyor in Toronto. Mr. Knox started feeding his current herd sakekasu over the weekend, so sakekasu-fed Wagyu beef will finally be available to Ontario consumers later this year.
We are looking forward to trying the sakekasu-fed meat when it becomes available, and will keep you posted about its availability.